First Dates Ireland viewers praise Harry and love seeing trans representation

Trans man Harry wooed viewers, if not his date, and opened up about the stigma that still surrounds being trans in Ireland.

Top News . Written by Ian Smith.

A young man with glasses giving a thumbs up

First Dates Ireland continued its run on our screens on Thursday night and viewers fell head over heels for dater Harry, praising trans representation on the RTÉ show in the process.

Harry was in the COVID-proofed first dates restaurant with Muirenn from Cork. He spoke to her candidly about what it is like being trans in Ireland.

“There is a stigma around it and it’s not particularly nice being on the receiving end,” he shared. “I feel like living in Ireland, a lot of people have a small town mentality. They’re like ‘that’s so weird’ and you’re like ‘really?’

Harry also opened up about becoming homeless at a young age and how difficult it was to juggle these problems while doing his A levels.

“I don’t see it as a big deal but a lot of people do and it’s a lot of energy to explain it to someone.”

He added: “I just wanna get out on the dating scene and have fun and enjoy it like any young guy should.”

Viewers loved having a trans person on the show. One wrote on Twitter: “It’s so brilliant to see someone who has transitioned raising trans awareness. Just a normal person doing normal things.”

Another said: Harry is so lovely and I’ve so much respect for him. To be so open about being a trans man is amazing!

When asked if the pair wanted to see each other again romantically, things were not quite as positive. While they seemed to get on great, it was not meant to be. Muirenn felt that there was a connection but that they would be better off as just friends.

Harry wrote on twitter after the episode: “I may have got a no but sure look I got a decent meal, good convo and a good set of photos out of it #FirstDatesIRL”. What more could you want really?

In case you missed it, you can watch last night’s First Dates Ireland on the RTÉ Player.

© 2021 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

Support GCN

GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.

During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.

GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.

0 comments. Please sign in to comment.

Popular News

All News