Proud AF campaign launches in Ireland

Gay Project's new Proud AF campaign aims to highlights racism amongst GBTQ+ men in Ireland.

Close-up of two men laughing, part of the new Proud AF campaign

Ireland is seen as one of the most progressive countries in the world, but for LGBTQ+ People of Colour and Travellers, it can be a very different place. Proud AF is a campaign by Gay Project which highlights racism amongst GBTQ+ men in Ireland.

The Gay Project is an Irish NGO that supports gay, bi, Trans and queer men, celebrates sexuality and gender diversity and advocates for LGBTQ+ human rights and policy protections.

Despite being among the many communities that make up our LGBTQ+ family, People of Colour and Travellers experience both homophobia and racism in Ireland, which can lead to isolation and feelings of invisibility in our generally white and settled GBTQ+ communities.

Through storytelling and lived experience, the campaign explores the racism, bias and exclusion that is hurting our POC and Traveller siblings, such as sexual racism, racial profiling, objectification and fetishisation, cultural differences and discrimination perpetuated by white and settled GBTQ+ people. It is a call to action that asks the wider community to examine their own behaviours and to change them.

As GCN’s cover star Pradeep Mahadeshwar puts it: “The community is vibrant and diverse – the only thing missing is inclusion.”

The national Proud AF campaign, which is government-funded, will platform GBTQ+ POC and Travellers, making them loud, proud and visible across the country in washrooms, digital screens, video content and a social media campaign. Gay Project encourages People of Colour, Travellers and their community allies to share their experiences and stories on social media using the hashtag #ProudAF.

Taking part in the campaign are community activist and art director Pradeep Mahadeshwar, drag queen Viola Gayvis, law student and asylum rights advocate Bulelani Mfaco, TikTok star and mental health advocate Darren Collins, and Delroy Mpofu, who has just begun his studies at UCD.

Find out more about the #ProudAF campaign at gayproject.ie.

For support, visit lgbtpavee.comtheswitchboard.ie or the LGBT Helpline at 1890 929539.

This article originally appeared in GCN issue 368, which can be read in full here.

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

This article was published in the print edition Issue No. 368 (October 1, 2021). Click here to read it now.

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Issue 368 October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

This article was originally published in GCN Issue 368 (October 1, 2021).

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