The second GCN Town Hall Talk takes place in February and this time we’re going to tackle the reported rise of Chemsex in Ireland, and controversy about how the mainstream media is responding to it.

Dublin, 3am. It’s a Sunday morning in a Dublin apartment. “It’s G o’clock,” cries the host. Six naked men line up to take a carefully measured dose of the drug known as G.

So began a feature published this January in the Irish Times about curbing the rise of ‘chemsex’, or gay sex parties involving the drugs crystal meth, GBH and mephadrone, in Ireland. Using testimony from an anoymous gay man and quotes from leaders in the area of sexual health, the feature took its lead from the British Medical Journal, which last November warned that the rise of chemsex in the UK means it is no longer an alleged media scare story, but a public health priority.

It’s only recently that the mainstream media has begun to pay closer attention to the phenomenon, but many in the LGBT community have felt that the papers have blown the story out of proportion, over sensationalising and painting an unrealistic picture of the gay community’s usage and engagement in chemsex.

So what’s the truth about Ireland and chemsex, and how should we be engaging with the media about it, without reinforcing the stereotype of the hyper-sexualised, hyper-promiscuous gay man? 

The second GCN Town Hall Talk, in association with Outhouse, asks these questions of a panel of experts, in an effort to get to grips with the truth about chemsex in Ireland. We are inviting you to put questions to the panellists, and have your say too.

GCN Town Hall Talks: Chemsex – Fact and Fiction was originally scheduled to place at Outhouse on Saturday, February 18 at 2.30pm. However, due to scheduling issues with panellists, this talk has been postponed until a later date.

GCN Town Hall Talks: LGBT Resistance In The Age of Trump will take place instead on Saturday, February 18 at 2:30pm. More information here.