As the year draws to a close, Sarah McKenna Barry takes a moment to look back at some of the best LGBTQ+ news stories and queer highlights from 2025 in GCN Issue 391.
In many ways, 2025 was a deeply challenging year for the LGBTQ+ community, both at home and around the world. Over the past 12 months, we bore witness to a global rollback on LGBTQ+ rights from the US to the UK, Slovakia to Hungary. Critical climate events claimed lives, tech oligarchs gained unprecedented levels of political influence, and Israel’s genocide in Gaza entered its second year.
Throughout the year, however, activists pushed back against the powers that be. Progress was made, hate was challenged, and the changemakers organised, striving continuously for a more equal world.
Meanwhile, in the fields of arts, entertainment and sport, LGBTQ+ trailblazers continued to thrive. From music to film to basketball, queer talent shone through, offering the wider community a beacon of hope in particularly tough times.
As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to look back on some of the year’s biggest queer highlights.
January
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5th: Irish comedian Gearóid Farrelly makes dazzling debut on Dancing with the Stars Ireland.
12th: The Vatican issues new guidelines allowing gay men to become priests, provided they remain celibate.
17th: Bernárd Lynch is awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his LGBTQ+ activism.
23rd: Thailand legalises same-sex marriage, making it the first country in South East Asia to achieve marriage equality.
February
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2nd: Chappell Roan takes home the Grammy for Best New Artist and uses her speech to tell the world that trans people “have always existed and will always exist”.
7th: Ailbhe Smyth receives the National Order of the Legion of Honour from the French ambassador in recognition of her advocacy work.
14th: Non-binary Irish actor Lola Petticrew wins the IFTA for their portrayal of Dolours Price in Say Nothing. In their acceptance speech, they criticised the Irish Governments (North and South) for their treatment of trans youth.
24th: Spanish city A Coruña hosts a ceremony honouring two Senegalese migrants who intervened in a homophobic attack.
March
2nd: Paul Tazewell makes history at the Oscars as he becomes the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for his work on Wicked.
14th: GCN’s So You Think You Can Drag makes a triumphant debut with an unforgettable night of fundraising and drag performances in The George.
14th: Wilson’s Hospital School receives an inclusivity award from Belong To. The school made headlines over its legal row with former teacher Enoch Burke.
21st: Belfast Pride bans the political parties that make up the Northern Ireland executive from marching in the parade due to their support of the ban on puberty blockers.
April
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6th: Ireland marks 10 years of the Children and Family Relationships Act, which introduced more rights for LGBTQ+ families.
14th: Emerald Warriors’ president Richard Fagan is announced as one of the recipients of the Irish Rugby Football Union’s Services to Rugby medal.
16th: Irish star CMAT is named on Forbes’ prestigious 30 Under 30 list in the European entertainment category.
17th: Nicola Coughlan raises over €76,000 for Not a Phase, a charity committed to uplifting and improving the lives of trans people in the UK, in response to the UK Supreme Court’s exclusionary ruling on the definition of “woman”.
17th: Gay Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson is named artistic director of Dior’s Men’s Division.
24th: Poland officially abolishes its last remaining “LGBT-free zone”, marking a win for queer rights in the country.
May
3rd: Lady Gaga performs in front of a record-breaking crowd of 2.5 million people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
4th: GCN takes over the Abbey Theatre for the Roast of Panti Bliss, a special event to mark the 10th anniversary of Marriage Equality.
12th: Ireland’s Gay Health Network celebrates 30 years in operation with a powerful exhibition in the Naughton Institute in Trinity College Dublin.
22nd: Ireland marks 10 years of marriage equality. Several events take place across the country
in recognition of the historic milestone, which saw Ireland become the first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote.
June
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8th: Non-binary actor Cole Escola becomes the first non-binary performer to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for their performance in Oh, Mary!
13th: The Dublin Pride Run 2025 takes place, raising €76,000 for Irish LGBTQ+ charities: GCN, LGBT Ireland, and TENI.
18th: The US Food and Drug Administration approves the long-acting injection Lenacapavir for the prevention of HIV.
23rd: Na Gaeil Aeracha makes history as the first LGBTQ+ team to win a GAA league title after being crowned AFL Division 11A league champions.
27th: LGBTQ+ women come together to reclaim the streets as part of the Dublin Dyke March.
28th: 100,000 people gather in Budapest in defiance of the Hungarian government’s ban on Pride events.
July
1st: A new bill that aims to disregard historic convictions for consensual sexual activity between men is introduced in the Dáil.
12th: Thousands march through Dublin for the largest Trans and Intersex Pride to date.
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13th: Ireland marks 10 years since the passing of the Gender Recognition Act, allowing trans people to change their legal gender.
19th: Two LGBTQ+ GAA teams, Na Laochra Aeracha and Aeracha Uladh, face off in the first-ever match between LGBTQ+ inclusive teams in Ireland.
25th: Irish LGBTQ+ basketball team Shamrock Síoga wins silver at EuroGames 2025.
August
6th: A planned far-right festival in Drumshanbo is cancelled after 500 prominent Irish artists sign a letter calling for its cancellation.
18th: The George is crowned Best Bar in Dublin by People’s Choice at the Irish Bar of the Year Awards 2025.
21st: Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community restores the Pulse memorial in defiance of its removal by the state of Florida.
September
22nd: Ireland celebrates Dublin Independent Fashion Week, with a host of queer talent, including Mihai Mar, taking part.
23rd: A new primary school syllabus is unveiled in Ireland, with sexual orientation and consent being phased in for the first time.
October
7th: The Council of Europe adopts an intersex rights framework, marking a historic milestone for equality, dignity and human rights.
11th: The West of Ireland wins bid to host EuroPride, bringing the celebrations to the Emerald Isle for the first time.
18th: Irish kinkster Jamie Ryan becomes the first Irish person to take home the title of Mr Leather Europe at the competition in Amsterdam.
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25th: Catherine Connolly is elected the 10th President of Ireland following a landslide victory.
November
5th: Heartlands Pride returns to Ireland’s Midlands with an expanded 10-day programme of events.
6th: LGBT Ireland issues a powerful statement condemning recent instances of violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
10th: The US Supreme Court decides not to revisit the ruling that legalised same-sex marriage a decade ago.
13th: Brazilian singer-songwriter Liniker wins big at the Latin Grammy Awards, making her the most-awarded out trans woman in Grammy history.
December
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1st: The first World AIDS Day Festival concludes with the premiere of Out of Shadows, a powerful film spotlighting the experiences of queer migrants living with HIV.
4th: Ireland decides it will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after organisers state that Israel will be allowed to participate. Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia also announced they will boycott this year’s competition.
6th: Drag Queen Pattie Gonia raises over $1 million for charity by hiking 100 miles in full drag.
10th: Ireland’s first-ever Know Your Rights guide for trans and non-binary people is launched.
This concludes our list of queer highlights from 2025. Follow GCN on socials to stay up to date with LGBTQ+ news from Ireland and the world.
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