Welcome, dear reader, to the December/January edition of GCN as we close out one year and welcome in the next. We recently teamed up with the fine folk at Outburst Queer Arts Festival on the fascinating Eldering project, which discussed ageing and ageism in the queer community. One of the participants, the wonderful Ailbhe Smyth graces our cover in a beautiful photo by the incredible Hazel Coonagh.

So what else can you expect inside? There’s a discussion from queer footballers on the decision to make Qatar the host of the World Cup, while the rise of bigotry on Twitter as the platform nosedives gets an engrossing feature. There’s a gorgeous feature highlighting Asian queer creatives who share their work and their thoughts on identity, while in the latest of our series looking back at iconic queer nightspots, we celebrate the beloved Kremlin in Belfast.

There are essential features on the specific mental health needs of LGBTQ+ folk, the hidden figures of queer homeless people in this country and a further demand for Hate Crime legislation to pass. Expect personal essays including a love letter to the punk scene and a community member’s experiences of five Pride celebrations across the country. As it’s the last issue of the year, queer folk also look back on the year that was and share their hopes for 2023. Read on and enjoy!