Welcome, dear reader, to 'Raising the bar', the October 2024 issue of GCN.

This is a very special edition of the magazine, as we celebrate all things GALAS following the spectacular ceremony earlier this month. It was a truly jubilant occasion and one that we’re not quite ready to forget! So prepare to relive the action in these pages and once again celebrate the incredible achievements of our community.

Throughout the magazine, step back into the Dublin Royal Convention Centre with photographs from Babs Daly, who is also responsible for the gorgeous cover shot of Ranae von Meding, the 2024 Person of the Year. In this issue, Ranae shares insights into her life and activism in a fascinating interview conducted ahead of the ceremony.

Our journalists also spoke with the other Person of the Year nominees, and we have profiles on all of the shortlisted and awarded individuals, organisations and companies from the remaining 12 categories.

Alongside the GALAS coverage, this magazine includes a couple of personal accounts, one of which details developing a drag king identity, while the other discusses how poetry can be used as a vehicle to explore desire. In a longer feature, we look at the resurgence of traditional Irish culture with the help of an organiser of Sí-bín, Dublin’s highly-popular queer céilí.

Finally, this issue concludes with an important piece from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign. In the face of the horrors taking place in the Gaza Strip, there has been immense solidarity with the Palestinian people from the queer community and beyond. While we took the time to celebrate the achievements of our rainbow family at the GALAS, the struggle for freedom, equality and justice endures. Solidarity is a verb, and we must continue to fight for liberation for all.

On that note, dear reader, we hope you enjoy this edition of GCN and thank you, as always, for lending us your time.