Minister for Equality visiting Waterford today following recent homophobic activity

Roderic O’Gorman will meet with Waterford City Mayor, Damien Geoghegan, to raise new Pride flags in place of those recently destroyed.

Top News . Written by Alice Linehan.

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Minister for Equality, Roderic O’Gorman, is paying a visit to Waterford today, which has been the epicentre of various homophobic incidents during June. In an act of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, O’Gorman will be meeting with Waterford City Mayor Damien Geoghegan, and activist group Pride of the Déise, to raise previously torn down Pride flags outside the City’s council offices.

On the night of June 6, the first flag was removed and then burned, with a man in his 40s being arrested in relation to the incident. In response, Mayor Geoghan pledged to replace the flag, and did so by raising two new ones, which faced similar destruction by anti-LGBTQ+ citizens. 

And the attacks did not stop there. ‘Straight Pride’ posters were also plastered around the City, declaring “it’s Natural, it’s Worked for Thousands of Years and you Can Make Babies”.

According to The Journal, Mayor Geoghegan thanked the Minister for Equality “for showing solidarity with the people of Waterford on this occasion” adding that “the symbolism of [the visit] will be important”. 

Standing with the city’s queer community, Geoghegan remains “undeterred and determined to continue to fly the pride flag for the remainder of the month of June,” and declared the previous acts as “truly despicable”.

Co-chairperson of Pride of the Déise, Éadaoin Breathnach, also added that “it is important for the members of our youth committee and the young people of Waterford and Ireland to see that we have the support of our community and of a member of Cabinet who understands what homophobia really is, the effects it can have and also how to stand against it with Pride.” 

It is expected that further LGBTQ+ activists will be in attendance today, as well as politicians such as Green Party’s Marc Ó Cathasaigh, who tweeted about the meeting last week.

Commenting on the visit, Minister O’Gorman stated that “Irish people want to live in a compassionate, progressive, and caring country, where everyone is valued and included.

“Pride of the Déise exemplify that, and I look forward to raising the Pride flag with them.”

This outcry of support has been an overwhelming positive to take away from the situation. Businesses and homes alike chose to display their own Pride flags in solidarity, and artist and photographer Donal Talbot came up with a fantastic, creative initiative in retaliation to the ‘Straight Pride’ posters. Furthermore, Waterford’s ‘Mount Misery’ received a rainbow makeover to celebrate Pride, which has remained undamaged so far.

https://twitter.com/damienwlr/status/1406721973225406466?s=20

What started as an act desperate to tear the queer community down, has only proven our strength, resilience, and power in numbers.

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