Blood Ban Photies

Petition signing and SU Men featuring Diarmuid

The Classy Lesbians..

Lets be honest we thought it was never goin to work but then we were almost fooled by this:




But then the true light was show upon those classless night dwellers~>

This weeks meeting (31st Jan 06)

Cause Diarmuids silly and gets months wrong, Yes folks the next meeting is on the 31st of feb....a month away on a date that never existed!!!!!

Meet up at 7:30 outside the student Centre on Tuesday, then head to le cheile for coffee and chats and then the movie at nine, what movie you ask? Why its Broke back mountain.....AT LAST!!!!

I think there may have been a revolt had it not come in the next week, a homosexual revolution, i would have paid to have seen it!!!!!

Rag Week

Just to congratulate everyone running Rag week, it has been an unbelieveable success and hopefully will have rasied a lot more money than last year. Well have to up the Rainbow week fever now lol

Sony

Tuesday the 31st of January

Hey all, this week we are going to see Brokeback Mountain in the cinema!
So we'll be meeting up outside the student centre at 7:30 heading down to le Cheile for a while and then going to the movie. See ye all there!

We will also be taking deposits for the mystery weekend away, so if you haven't got your name in yet get a move on!!! Deposit is €10 and the total cost will be €35, thats including transport, accomodation and 'refreshments'....

Past Auditor Story; Part 3 Tony 03/04

2003-2004.

The LGBT Society, if stripped of every other function and role, of which there are many, performs the crucial and unique purpose of being a doorway. This may sound odd, but bear with me. For anyone, like myself, who came to college closeted, feeling nervous and alone, the first and most daunting step in joining the LGBT was that doorway, on the other side of which lay the wondrous and unknown world of the gays. Entering meant, maybe, finally admitting to yourself the reason you were there, it probably meant entering a room full of generally loud people you didn’t even know, and it meant outing yourself to strangers, both within the room and you were sure whoever happened to be wandering past as well. So the first time many go to an LGBT meeting the doorway tends to take on the appearance of some unfathomable dread portal; entry into which is usually coupled with some combination of extreme nervousness, heavy sweating or lots of furtive glances, if not all three together.

Several weeks, however, and the nervousness begins to fade, gradually the glances become less furtive, and eventually, probably without realising it, the doorway becomes just another doorway. The LGBT, for many of us, was the first place we met other people who we connected to and who understood a large part of our lives that had only ever been a source of isolation before, the place that many of us felt comfortable for the first time about that part of our lives, and for many of us it was the first place that we felt genuinely proud of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. For me, the transformation of that doorway is the best symbol of this, and that is why I say it. I’m also conscious however, that I would like to start this article off with something positive.

My involvement in the LGB, as it was then called, began at the start of first year. I came to UCC feeling isolated and nervous, but determined to join the soc. My first year was shaped immensely by Anna and the tremendous work she did, and I became increasingly involved throughout the year, helping out during Rainbow Week and the Standing Conference. By the end of the year I decided that I wanted to become a member of the following year’s committee. For a number of reasons, I eventually decided to run for vice-auditor, which I was elected to.

Problems began to emerge fairly quickly. Our newly elected auditor, who was one of my, then, close friends, failed to work well the rest of the committee; refusing to discuss plans or delegate work, becoming increasingly dismissive and even becoming verbally abusive towards the rest of us. This continued until around November, when it eventually came to a head and, coupled with some other pretty serious reasons, they were asked to leave the committee. I filled the gap and, under some pretty crappy circumstances, became auditor. This entire incident was the source of much controversy, ended several friendships and the version of events changes depending on who tells it, some versions still pointing to me as a Machiavellian bastard who manufactured lies to discredit and remove the above person. All I can say is that this is not true, the above is a simplified version of events, but it is honest. My biggest regret from that time was that I didn’t talk to the above person sooner, as a fellow committee member and as, admittedly decreasingly, a friend. My failure to do so is, I believe, my main responsibility for what happened. The entire experience left me feeling bitter and angry. In the second term I, and several other committee members, used the society to officially discredit the above person. It was petty and stupid and I still regret it immensely. I offered my resignation, once I realised what a mistake we had made, but was asked to stay on by the society, with a level of support that I greatly appreciated. However, the rest of the year was, unsurprisingly, somewhat subdued.

I imagine the year continues to be remembered mostly as a result of these reasons, but it was certainly not all negative. We had quite a few good meetings and a large membership, who I hope gained benefit from the society that year. I was most happy when, at the end of the year, we had a healthily contested AGM. In fact, some of our new members that year are still heavily involved in the society. It was also the first year that the soc ran its blood ban protest, garnering attention from the media on a national level. Personally, it marked the end of my active involvement in the soc, but it also led to several deeper friendships.

It is, however, the year that I suppose should best be remembered more for things not to do, though I wish this wasn’t the case. Among others, for me it showed that committess and friendships should be separate and that personal is rarely, if ever, the same as important. I regret both are lessons that I did not learn sooner.

Tony Murphy.

25th of January

This week we're heading to Brunos bar for pool, and food. We're meeting outside the student centre at 8:00 and will head down from there.

We will also be collecting for the Mystery weekend away!!! Total cost of transport and accomodation is €35. So anyone who is interested in going please bring €10 as a deposit!

Diarmuid Angland

18th of January

This week we're off to the Greyhound track, sooo meet up is half seven outside the Western Star.

What the committee do?

Committee Positions

Listed below is a brief overview of the functions of each of the committee positions, as listed in the constitution. This list is by no means exhaustive and duties should be shared around as much as possible for fairness.


Auditor
The Auditor is in charge of the general running of the society, chairs committee and society meetings. Makes sure committee are carrying out their roles. Liaise with the guild and the SU. He or she Deals with any personal problems involving committee or society. They attend SU welfare working group meetings. They should attempt to get UCC LGBT students on to the USILGBTWG. They should delegate work to committee so as work in shared equally. They are responsible for any issues with committee non performance.

Vice-Auditor
They should be able to take over from the Auditor when they are indisposed. They should also be prepared to carry out ‘extra’ work which the committee agrees on, or helps other committee members if they are swamped with work. They should also be the conduit for any issues which the Auditor may not be addressing.

Secretary
They should book rooms for committee and society meetings. Take accurate minutes. And generally be in charge of society records, including the library and archive. They must check the society post box regularly, and are in charge of all society correspondence. They are also the person responsible for maintaining all society e-mail accounts with the Auditor. The officer should maintain a society member list.

Finance Officer
They shall be in charge of the setting of the annual budget, the application of money during the year as well as the capital capitation for the society. The officer is in charge of managing the finances, ensuring that the spending officers stay within allocated amounts. They must also keep the Auditor and the rest of the committee updated with details of the finances.

Public Relations Officer
They are in charge of the advertising of the society. In the society’s publication, the Express, the Student Union publications, the UCC publications and the College radio station. They are in charge of making and distribution the society’s posters. In this they may share the leg work with a society member of a committee member. The PRO or an appointed person will be in charge of updating the website regularly.

Events Officer
The events officer shall be in charge of the after society meeting social events as well as any trips away. Stays in contact with the various gay pubs but also plans trips away, costing and booking etc. They should be heavily involved in the planning of society meetings.

First Year Representative
The first year rep is on the committee to represent the views and opinions of the new society members. What they would like to see more or less of, and issues that may have. They or an appointee should also oversee the running of smaller more sociable events for new members.

Diarmuid

Bisexual workshop

A profile of 2004 2005

UCC LGBT 2004-2005

It was with mixed feelings that I took on the role of Auditor of UCC LGBT way back in distant 2004. The society had just weathered a ‘slightly’ turbulent year and I faced a committee that I didn’t really know, but it was a society that meant a lot to me and which formed a large part of my college experience! As such I had visions of moving the society in a new direction but I had no idea then what the year could possibly have in store.

My year in charge of the society began shortly after election and during the summer of 2004 a former auditor and I attempted to put on a play, The Laramie Project, at The Granary Theatre. The project had all the hallmarks of being a great venture for the society: the funding was in place, the date (August Bank Holiday) was locked in with the theatre and it was garnering great interest from the Cork Pride 2004 committee (of which I was a member). Alas the timing was wrong for casting the piece and it fell through. Yet it was an important formative event for me as it was my first taste of what could be achieved by the society firsthand, and also how difficult it would be to keep things moving. Partly because of my inexperience, and partly due to poor timing, my desire to produce a play during my term as Auditor never materialised.

Standout events for the society’s year were our trip to Fota On Ice, the hosting of USI LGBT Pink Training by UCC, and the hugely successful UCC Rainbow Week which was admirably pulled off by all who worked on it and demonstrated again what the society was capable of. My memories here, however, focus on the unusual or unremembered moments, like the above play.

A special night during Rainbow Week, for instance, involved me, three former Auditors and a yet-to-be-elected Auditor all gathered together for the first time. The small things like running up to the Accommodations Office to print posters. A Pub Crawl that seemed sure to fail when less than ten people turned up ended up being one of my favourite nights with the society! It was just me and a few of the society members enjoying ourselves during a night on the town and it really worked much better than if we had had a larger crowd. Another standout moment for me was our Games Night, in which we (oddly enough) played games! Our New Members Rep pulled off a fun night that successfully, and necessarily, broke the ice and allowed everyone to let their hair down, and in my case allowed me to embarrass myself as per usual!

The 2004-2005 college year turned out to be a great one for UCC LGBT. The committee began as a ragtag bunch of people pulled together (some by proxy!) by the powers of democracy (with just a pinch of popularity contest). Early on we lost two committee members from our ranks but the society still grew and changed over the year, most notably with a change of name to include Transgender in its’ mission. We certainly had our ups and downs, our differences of opinion, but for the most part we managed to keep afloat. I personally set out to create a more relaxed and fun tone for the society and in so doing to make it the best year for the society. Whether that was achieved or not I leave to others to decide. I obviously have my regrets for what was not achieved but mostly I look fondly, if exhaustedly, at the year and I am glad that the society continues to grow and to change in this its 25th year.

Michael Waldron - Auditor UCC LGBT Society 2004-2005

A profile of 2002 2003

2002-2003.

Life on the U.C.C. campus was a very different prospect for gay students only a few short years ago. The active nature of the society came in cycles: good years followed inactive or non-existent periods-any momentum achieved was never sustained. There was a palpable sense of isolation among gay students.

When I started college in 2000 I was a seventeen-year-old lesbian to whom ‘coming out’ was never an option. There was no visible gay presence in U.C.C. official or unofficial. There was a listing for a ‘Gay and Lesbian Support Society’ however a sentence in a Students’ Union booklet was the extent of it. A couple of students led by the determined and inspiring Aisling O’Loughlin attempted to get things changed. Aisling forged ahead with her ‘never accepting the limitations’ attitude. She succeeded in establishing an Internet message board for the society, one of the first societies to have such a resource in fact. This facility helped many new and very apprehensive students to get in touch with the society and become involved while still retaining their anonymity.

In spite of the passion and dedication of Aisling and others after her, the society never seemed to reach anything near its potential. This was possibly due to a lack of direction but also, like many young gay people at the time unaware of the services and support available to them in the wider community and on campus, they had little or no knowledge of the history of achievement and activities that existed before them. The students had no experience of a gay society let alone running one and were given little support as the society was viewed with suspicion, unease and good old fashioned prejudice from some quarters.

By the end of my second year at college the Society had fallen apart and meetings had stopped. Mary Nugent and I feared L.G.B. students were to loose an invaluable resource. I was determined that the following year would be the L.G.B.’s year. Projects were planned throughout the summer and come the new academic year the first meeting attracted a record number of new members. Amongst them were people who were to pitch-in and help during the year and beyond. Things were to change and permanence was finally realised. However students were still terrified of being seen with or even near openly gay students, of which there were only a hand full. Ironically, I myself was not out at the time either!

With the aim of raising funds and society spirit, I decided that a play would be staged at the Granary Theatre. Apart from ‘Dramat’ and ‘An Chulacht’ the idea of another society staging a play was pretty unheard of. Initially I was unsure whether it would be permitted let alone possible! Yet J.P. Quinn, Societies Guild President gave us tremendous support and encouragement throughout that year. With the help of the remarkable Jo McNamara, and the whole-hearted support of the Granary and Guild, ‘Juliet’ was performed in early November just four weeks after starting production. Jo and I dedicated ourselves to the time consuming project. It was not a great piece of theatre by any stretch of the imagination but the very fact it ran at all was nothing short of a miracle. Among our many problems was being unable to get anyone to act! Most of our small number of gay students were not out, or could not be out to such an extent publicly. With time running out but blind determination still intact we roped in our straight classmates who were aghast at our shortage of willing actors. Over half our cast comprised of friends, some of who attracted disapproval from family for ‘associating with such a production’. Hearing Cathal Kerrigan speak about the founding of the Society with the help of straight Students’ Union friends reminded me of the selflessness of my friends at the time. To those wonderful people I remain eternally grateful.

Despite being without a leading actor two weeks before opening night we somehow managed to stage the show! As the week of the run approached the idea of a ‘gay play’ captured the interest and imagination of many people. Posters were stolen from the notice boards, not in homophobic incidences but for keepsakes! The Gerry Ryan Show sought an interview (which unfortunately had to be declined as there was no one ‘out’ to be able to give it!) The Mirror Newspaper also found the subject of a lesbian ‘Romeo and Juliet’ of great interest for their readers. The theatre was full almost every night and the finances of the Society were plentiful for the year ahead. While all of this was important I believe the real impact of ‘Juliet’ can be summed up by this anecdote. The week after the show one of the actors was given a card for the cast by a young girl in the audience who thanked them for making her feel proud to be gay.

The next big event that year was the securing of U.C.C. as host institution of the Union of Students in Ireland L.G.B. Standing Conference 2003. At this event we liased with other societies from across the country and learned more about the issues facing gay students on a national level. The conference formed the focal point of ‘Pride Week’, the first to be held in U.C.C. in many years. Some gay students went ‘underground’ for that week: anxious at the attention it may have indirectly drawn upon them. Numbers at events were very small: people were comfortable at going to weekly meetings unnoticed but were afraid of being publicly gay, so much so that the Society came under criticism for being ‘too out and proud’. This attitude, I am glad to say no longer seems to exist.

The Society certainly made its presence felt on campus that year. Over half of the U.C.C. Students’ Union delegation to National Congress in Killarney was made up of L.G.B. Society representatives. The position of National L.G.B. Rights Officer was under threat at Congress yet again. The strong position of the Society on campus ensured such numbers could attend and consequently vote in our best interests at National Congress.

Our labours were rewarded at the Clubs and Societies Ball at the end of the year. A table of gay students representing the Society at such a formal social event was significant but winning the awards ensured the entire room knew just which society we were! The Society was honoured in winning ‘Most Improved Society’. I was awarded the ‘Bene Merenti-Society Person of the Year Award’ and ‘Juliet’ was nominated in the ‘Best Event’ category.

It may seem trite to say that the simple matter of visibility and the exposure of a wider audience to so many gay characters in public life and the media (both positive and negative) has had a huge impact on people’s attitudes. Students then, existed in a virtual ‘gay desert’ both on campus and in the wider world. Things are different now; students are coming out in second level, have gay friends before coming to college and most important of all, have the confidence to be ‘out’ without giving it a second thought. While circumstances may not have changed to that extent for all, the Society is there to help everyone be proud of who they are. Visibility and ‘strength in numbers’ plays a vital part in this.

Gay rights have come in leaps and bounds over recent years-long may it continue. Some may suggest that the raison d’etre of the Society no longer exists with changing times, but I believe that a representative body on campus, a resource service, a rights watchdog and a social space are all necessities on a modern University campus for its L.G.B.T. students. My time at U.C.C was life altering and thoroughly enjoyable. The wonderful friends I made through the Society have become my ‘gay family’ and I hope many years from now that will remain so.

Anna Mac Carthy
Auditor 2002-2003

Cloud 9

Christmas Poster 2005

Blood Ban Poster Nov 2005

Silver Jubilee Poster

First meeting 2005 Poster

UCC LGBT Constitution

Name

1. The Society shall be known as UCC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT Society).

Objectives

2. The objects of the Society shall be to educate, inform and offer a supportive and safe environment to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and staff of University College Cork. It shall strive to eradicate homophobia, biphobia and transphobia on campus.

Membership

3.1 Membership shall be open to all currently registered students and staff of University College Cork.

3.2 The society welcomes potential members who do not attend UCC.

3.3 Attendees shall be deemed members upon attending three meeting of the UCCLGBT society, in one term.

3.4 Voting rights shall be extended to all members, by writing their details on attendance sheets at three of the meetings in one term.

The Committee

4. The Committee shall consist of:

The Auditor,
The Vice-Auditor,
The Recording Secretary,
The Finance Officer,
The Public Relations Officer,
The Events Officer and
The First Year Representative,
Plus co-opted members.

As far as is reasonably practicable, the Committee should be balanced regarding gender and the different forms of sexual orientation and gender identification covered by the Society. The Society shall try to do this be encouraging members from a diverse range of backgrounds covered BY the society to run for committee positions at the AGM and EGM.

5. The Committee shall meet weekly during term at an agreed date and time. Quorum for Committee meetings shall be half the committee plus one, one of whom must be from the following three the Auditor, Vice-Auditor or the Recording Officer. Attendance shall be recorded in the minutes and absentees noted. Minutes shall be circulated to all Committee members within five days of the meeting. On invitation of the committee an ordinary member may be present at a committee meeting. An invitation shall be sent by the committee after voting on the proposal previously. If a society member wishes to address the committee they must e-mail the society or write a letter to the Auditor.

6. Any member of the Committee who fails to attend three consecutive Committee meetings shall be deemed to have resigned his/her post (following no notice of failure to attend), unless a majority of the remainder of the Committee votes to retain that member on the Committee.

7. In the case of a Committee member who forfeits his/her post under the circumstances outlined in article 6 above, or resigns by informing the Auditor, in writing, of his/her resignation, the Committee will co-opted a temporary replacement or, delegate the functions of the relevant committee member to a suitable committee member, the position may also be put to election through an EGM, but this is at the discretion of the committee. All committee members must be prepared to share the work of the committee equally.

8. Notwithstanding the provisions of article 6, members of the Committee may be removed from office before the completion of their term of office only by a majority decision of voting members of the Society present at an EGM or a unanimous vote of the full committee excluding the member in question. This committee meeting shall be open to the society members who may speak at the meeting but may not vote at it. A motion to remove any such Committee member(s) must be proposed and seconded by two members of the Society, and must be submitted in writing to the Committee at least three days before the date for the EGM. The member in question shall have the right to address the society at the EGM, or the committee meeting whichever route the proposal was originally mooted through.

9. All meetings of the Committee shall adopt standard committee rules and procedures as follows. Reading of the minutes of the last meeting, reports by committee members on progress in delegated areas, other relevant business, a discussion based on suggestions by committee members or society members.

10. The finances of the society shall be available to members within one week after a formal request in writing, minutes of a society meeting shall also be available within one week after a formal request in writing.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM)

11.1The AGM shall be held in the second term of every year for the purpose of electing a new committee and ratifying any amendments of this constitution. A notice shall be posted on the Society's notice board and posted on campus notice boards. Notice for an AGM/EGM shall be one week.

11.2 The quorum for the AGM and for any EGM shall be ten persons, or one tenth of the membership of the Society, whichever is the larger.

11.3 Membership shall be defined as in article three of this constitution.

12. Only members of the Society shall be entitled to vote at an AGM or an EGM, see article three.

13. The agenda for an AGM or EGM shall be set out as follows:
1. Reports:
(a) Auditor
(b) Recording Secretary
(c) Finance Officer
(d) Other officers
These reports, which should be brief, may be delivered either verbally or in writing.

Elections for all positions on the Committee

14.1.1 In order as laid out in article four of this constitution, except the First Year Officer which shall be held within the first month of the first term of the next academic year.

14.1.2 Each candidate shall be allowed to address the AGM, if he/she wishes for a maximum of two minutes prior to the election for all positions except the Auditor election for whom candidates may speak for up to five minutes. Longer speeches shall disqualify the candidature.

14.1.3 Each election shall be a secret ballot using the first past the post system of election. In all election there shall be a re-open nomination candidate (RON).

14.1.4 The votes for all elections shall be counted by not less than two tellers, chosen at the AGM and none of whom shall have any material interest in the election, invigilators for each candidate may also oversee the counting process.

14.1.5 The results from the first election shall be announced before the second election takes place, and so on throughout the elections.

14.1.6 There shall be a questions and answers session for all positions.

14.1.7 Motions may be submitted for consideration not less than five days before the date of the AGM. Any such motions must have been publicised to all members of the Society not less than three days before the date of the AGM.

14.2 Nominations for all elected positions must be submitted to the society's e-mail account or the Auditor in writing in the period before ten working days before an AGM, applications after this date shall NOT be accepted, with two society members names are nominators. A motion of no confidence in the committee or a particular member of the committee shall be announced one week before the proposed voting on the motion. Rules pertaining to the running of such a meeting shall be laid out in standing orders of the society.

14.3 An EGM of the Society may be called by any ten members of the Society or ten percent of the society presenting to the Committee a signed petition stating clearly the purpose of the requested EGM. Notice for an EGM shall be as provided for an AGM in article 10.1

15. An EGM may consider only the items announced.

16. Candidates for election to the Committee must be current members of the Society as well as current registered students or staff of University College Cork, and each candidate must be nominated and seconded by two current members of the Society. Candidates for Auditor must have attended one third of meetings. Candidates for auditor, vice-auditor, PRO and finance officer must be registered student during their period of office.

16.1: In the event of the resignation of the auditor in the first term, to be eligible to stand for election to this position at this time in an EGM, candidates must have attended one-third of the previous year’s meetings, as well as one-third of the current year.

17 At the discretion of the Committee, a student may be appointed Ex-officio, to act as consultant for the good running of the society. It shall also be at the discretion of the committee how involved the ex-officio shall be in the day to day running of the society.



The Officers

18. The Auditor shall oversee the general running of the Society and shall be answerable to the Committee, and chair all meetings of the Committee and the AGM and any EGM which shall take place. Should the Auditor wish to contribute materially to a discussion at an AGM or EGM he/she shall relinquish the chair to a substitute agreed by a committee meeting for the duration of that discussion.

19. The Vice-Auditor shall preside over committee and society meetings in the place of the Auditor. He/She is answerable to the committee in his/her role as Vice-Auditor. Upon the resignation of the Auditor during the first academic term, the Vice-Auditor shall assume the role of the Auditor until an election can be held for the position after which he/she will return to his/her original position. If the Auditor resigns during the second term the Vice-Auditor shall assume the duties of the Auditor and there shall be an election for a new Vice-Auditor.

20. The Recording Secretary shall Keep all the correspondence of the Society, and shall keep a written record of all such correspondence; take and record the minutes of all meetings of the Committee; be answerable to the Committee; compile an archive of all members through use of the register.

21. The Finance Officer shall be responsible for all the finances of the Society, including the formulation of the annual budget, preparation of capital grants and special application. He/ She is answerable to the committee.

22. All cheques and withdrawal forms from the Society's bank account shall be conducted by the Finance Officer who must notify one of the following designated officers, namely the Auditor, Vice-Auditor and Recording Secretary. If the Finance Officer is unable to conduct his/her role two of the three above designated officers shall be allowed to conduct financial transaction on behalf of the society until such time as the Finance Officer can return to his/her duties.

23. The Public Relations Officer (PRO).The PRO shall be responsible for the functions of public relations. He/She shall deal with the media, put up posters and more generally make the University aware of the existence of the Society.

Ordinary Members

24. The Ordinary Members of the Society shall assume any duties as agreed by the Auditor and the Committee and the member is question.

Confidentiality

25. Confidentiality and respect for the society and its members is of utmost importance. Anyone who breaches this provision will face discipline by the committee. Details pertaining to members of the Society shall be held in strictest confidence by the committee. Committee business in the interest of a smooth running society shall be held in strictest confidence; committee members who break the article shall face disciplinary action by the rest of the committee.

Expulsion and suspension

26. The Auditor with agreement of the committee by a majority, shall be entitled to suspend a member from any or all his/her rights for a period not exceeding four consecutive meetings of the society for behaviour detrimental to the good running of the society. Expulsion from the society shall only be agreed if 2/3 of the membership or 20 voting members whichever is larger vote in favour of a motion proposing it.

Voting

26. Each member, except the Auditor, has a single vote on each issue. In the case of an equality of votes cast the Auditor has a single casting vote, therefore in such a case the Auditor or chair of a meeting may have two votes. The Committee bears collegiate responsibility for all its actions. Thus, if a matter is agreed by majority vote, each member must give that decision full public support, regardless of private feelings.

Co-option

27. The Auditor may exercise his/her discretion to nominate suitable candidates to the committee. Such candidate shall have the title as decided on by the committee. A candidate is suitable if his/her nomination is supported by a majority of the committee, not including the Auditor. However in the case of an equality of votes the Auditor has a casting vote.

28. Such a co-option may be overturned by a quorum of the members of the society within two meetings of the announcement being made to the society of the co-option.

Sub-Committees

29. A sub-committee shall be formed on any issue that the committee feels necessary for the effective running of the society. The Chair of the sub-committee shall be a member of the committee and shall report back to the committee on the actions of the sub-committee. If at any stage the society or the committee are dissatisfied with the progress of the sub-committee, the sub-committee, being answerable to the society and the committee, may be abolished by the committee or the society by a simple majority vote.

Referenda

30. This constitution may be amended only at an AGM or EGM.

31. A plebiscite (non-binding resolution) of the Society may be called with two weeks notice, supported by 10 members to debate a specific motion. The motion is deemed passed if over half of the member's present vote in favour, however this is subject to a quorum of members being present. The motion whilst not binding on the committee must be respect as the opinion of the society and carry weight as such. The committee must strive to follow the motion.

32. This constitution shall be freely available to all members of the Society upon request to a committee member. It shall also be available on the website of the Society.

Communications

33. If any society member approaches a committee member about serious society or committee business, it must be in written form and the committee member must bring the issue up at the next committee meeting.

34. Committee members must make it clear when they are communicating as committee members and when they are not.

Interpretation

35. If there is ambiguity over a matter in this constitution the committee by a majority vote interpret in the matter.

36. If a Society member approaches a committee member over a serious personal matter the committee member shall and must refer them to an appropriate body.

How do i debate at Standing Con?

HOW DO THE DEBATES WORK

Who Proposes the Motions?
The officer or Constituent Organisation (CO) who put the motion forward initially, normally proposes the motion in each session, i.e the name, which appears after the motion in the agenda. The motions are, however, technicaly the property of the Conference, and if people who initially proposed them do not turn up, or do not want t to speak, any delegate can start the debate by proposing the motion. Once the motion is proposed it is then open to the floor for discussion.

How often can you speak?
Unless you are the person who proposed the motion, you can only speak once on any motion. You can however speak on as many motions as you wish during the Confernece. If you proposed a motion, or if you have an ammendment to a motion successfully passed, then you can sum up before a vote is taken.

How long can you speak for?
The person who proposes the motion can speak for five minutes on why the motion should be passed. Once he or she is finished, LGBT Steering Committee will invite delegates to speak for or against the motion. Each of these speakers will have three minutes to outline their reasons for supporting or opposing the motion. The order of speakers will be as follows: Proposer, speaker against, speaker for, speaker against, and so on until a vote is called for. Note that you must speak for or against the motion. Once a vote is called for, the proposer of the amendment has the right to summit.

How do amendments work?
Amendments to the motions will have previously been submitted to the LGBT Steering Committee and are included in the Clár. LGBT Steering Committee will invite the proposer of the amendment to speak on why the amendment should be supported. A speaker will then be invited to speak against the amendment, then a speaker for the amendment and so on until a vote is called for on the amendment. All of these speeches, plus the vote on the amendment take place before the debate or voting on the original motion can continue.

What if an amendment fails?
If the amendment fails, then debate continues on the original motion as if the amendment had not been proposed.

What if the amendment succeeds?
If the amendment is passed, then the original motion together with the amendments agreed upon becomes the substansive motion. The motion is debated as if it was originally put forward in the amended format by the proposer of the amendment. The proposer of the amendment now ‘owns’ the revised motion and it is he or she who has the right to sum up when the vote is called


WHAT ARE PROCEDURAL MOTIONS, POINTS OF ORDER and POINTS OF INFORMATION

What are Procedural Motions?
Procederual motions are motions that can be proposed at any time, except during the act of a voting, a speech or a point of order. They refer to conduct or procedure debate and not to content or speeches. See Schedule D (Section 9) of the USI Constitution for details. Hence they are called 9a etc. They require a proposer and a seconder. The proposer can speak for one minute on why th emotion should be carried, followed by a speaker of one minute on why it should not be carried. The proposer of the substansive motion usually has priority in replying to a procedural motion. There is then a vote on the procedural motion.

What Procedural Motions can be put?
The following are the procedural motions their effect if passed:

(9A) That the question now be put.
If passed, there will be an opportunity for the proposer of the motion to summarise and then an immediate vote will be taken.

(9B) That the question not be put.
If passed, prevents a vote not being taken on the matter under discussion

(9C) That the motion be taken in parts.
If passed, divides the motion or amendment into specified sections to be voted on individually. Used if there are sections that you do not agree with. This must be put in writing and handed into the LGBT Steering Committee.

(9D) That the matter be referred back.
If passed, refers the matter back the specified Officer, or a specified Committee or to a National Council. It is therefore not voted upon at Conference.

(9E) A Challenge to the Chairperson’s Ruling
If passed, the chairperson must change his or her ruling on an issue in accordance with the motion.

(9F) Motion of No-Confidence in the Chairperson.
If passed, the Chairperson will vacate the Chair for the remainder of the session and will be replaced by another member of the LGBT Steering Committee.

What are Points of Order?
Points of order refer to the conduct of the debate, and arise if a delegate feels that something is happening that is not allowed for within the rules laid down for conduct of debate. A Point of Order does not relate to the motion being discussed, or any arguments for or against the motion. If you want to raise a Point of Order, you simply state that you are doing so and specify the point you are making. A Point of Order takes precedence over all other business except the act of voting, unless it refers to the conduct of the vote.

What are Points of Information?
If there is a factual piece of information you feel a speaker should be informed of, you may rise while she or he is speaking and state that you are raising a Point of Information. The speaker may decide whether or not he or she wishes to accept your Point of Information. If they do, you may speak for 15 seconds on this point. If they do not, you must accept this decision.

Express Article that started it all...

Islamic cultural awareness week held at UCC

Lynda Foley

As part of UCC’s Islamic Cultural Awareness Week, 25 year old Igor Riabtchuck, a recent convert to Islam, gave a first person account of his decision to reject Christianity, namely Russian Orthodoxy, and to live his life as Muslim last Sunday. Apporximately 20 people spent a portion of their afternoon in the Kane Building to listen to Riabtchuck give his unique perspective on Islam.
Riabtchuck’s Muslim name is Abdul Hafiz which in Arabic means Slave to the Guardian. He was born in Moscow to a Jewish father and a devoutly Christian mother, but at the age of fifteen he moved to Great Britain to study and avoid conscription into the Russian army. He studied Finance at the University of Manchester and is currently doing a Masters degree in law in London. He currently lives in there with his Moroccan wife, Loubna Bijdiguen, who is also a Muslim.
Riabtchuck, or Hafiz, began by saying that he never doubted the existence of God but doubted the way in which he was worshiped. He was always some what disenchanted by what he deemed the “blind belief” of Russian Orthodoxy. However it was not until he moved to Britain that he really began to question his beliefs. At the age of 15, Hafiz found himself living in a house with several Arabic people. Initially he was terrified, because he was aware of the tension between Russian Christians and Czechnian Muslims. Still, it didn’t take long for his prejudices of Islam to evaporate, and by 1999 he had become a full convert to the Islam religion. “My Muslim brothers helped me to discover many errors and contradictions in the bible and I was quite astonished by my findings.”
Hafiz continued by claiming that there are simply too many versions of the Bible to know for sure which is the true word of God. The various Christian denominations also proved a problem for Igor.
“All claim inspiration from God, but which one is correct?” he asked. “The divisions made it extremely difficult to come to terms with Christianity as a real way to worship God.”
Again with regard to the Christian method of the forgiveness of sins, Hafiz was very sceptical “With issues such as child abuse and homo-sexuality, can a priest forgive his own sins, aswel as mine?”
Hafiz also spoke of Practical issues including finance and divorce, on both counts rejecting Christian concepts in favour of Muslim Methods “The New Testament offers no practical guide for life. However I can relate every aspect of my life to the Koran and that helps me a lot”
When asked if there were any aspects of Islam he disapproved of, Hafiz replied, “The western world often has difficulty in distinguishing between Islam and Muslim culture. I am unhappy with soma aspects of Muslim culture, for example the treatment of women in Afghanistan is highly questionable; however there is no aspect of Islam itself that I disagree with. Nonetheless, there are some elements I do no understand! I believe Islam is perfect. Islam is the best religion for everybody all over the world, it is applicable to all times and places and accommodates different cultural practises. Its flexibility is inherent in its perfection…When I was a Christian I was full of doubt and had no certain knowledge, now I have no doubt.”
Hafiz did cite his parents’ reactions to his conversion as one negative aspect of becoming a Muslim. Both found it extremely difficult to terms with his decision. He said his mother asked him “how he could join this alien culture”. His Jewish father was horrified that he would accept the religion of his people’s enemies. Hafiz stated that their reaction led to a distancing and worsening of relations, but in the end he felt that he must follow his own path.
“I am worried about my own soul, and this must take priority over pleasing my parents.”
Another negative impact he talked about was dealing with prejudice in Britain. For job interviews Hafiz adopts western dress in order to avoid stereotyping. He describes society’s attitude towards Muslims as “a bit worrying, but the sort of thing you can cope with.”
Hafiz also spoke out against homosexuality, which is strongly forbidden by Islam. “Homosexuality is immoral and unnatural. If God says it’s a sin, it is a sin. I would not be willing to bend from God for society; society does not offer me paradise. I have to account to my god. I believe [homosexuality] is a test from God. One must refrain from that which displeases him. Submission is a major aspect of Islam” He continued to say that he strongly opposes the adoption of children by homosexual couples. Homosexuals adopting children is like serial killers adopting children, he explained, because the world view the child would form would be very problematic.
Hafiz spoke at length about many of the religious, social, and practical issues involved with being a Muslim in an attempt to paint an all encompassing picture of his experience with the Islamic religion.
At the end of the talk, a male Islamic student hinted at his concern that some aspects of Hafiz’s talk could give outsiders an unfavourable impression of Islam by saying “it is very difficult to understand every thing in an hour and a half.”

Rsponce to Marwans Article (in cut down Form)

We are writing this in response to the article 'It's Great to be Straight'(UCC Express, 9/2/05, Opinion, pg 15) in which the author, Marwan Boustany,describes homosexuality as "abominable" and "illogical".This article suggests that the LGB Society's letter to the UCC Express couldbe interpreted as propaganda. Propaganda is a biased presentation of half ofthe facts in order to advance one's views as the only one. It is MarwanBoustany who indulges in this crime that he accuses the LGB Society of. Hegives the illusion of scientific support while not referencing the studies orresearch that he is using such as the figure that "shows" the rate ofhomosexual attraction to be six to twenty times higher among paedophiles. Infact, statistics regarding child molestation prepared by the Boston Advocatesfor Human Rights reveal that, "the vast majority of child molestation - over90% - is performed by heterosexual males".For other claims, the evidence he does reference is highly dubious. Forexample, the article makes reference to the work of one Jeffrey Satinover,M.D. who works for both NARTH and Focus on Family. NARTH (the NationalAssociation for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) has an explicit goalto "clarify that homosexuality in not 'inborn'" (quoted from NARTH's webpage)and aims to 'cure' homosexuality. Jeffrey Satinover has also stated thathomosexuality "is one of the many forms of soul sickness that is innate toour fallen nature". Does this sound like the work of an unbiased man?The subsequent "scientific" claims that Marwan Boustany then makes arepresented as "clear and irrefutable evidence". The only fact that science hasgiven us with regard to homosexuality is that the scientific community isentirely uncertain on the matter. The article also holds the "1 in 10 figure"in contempt as a sinisterly held "falsehood". The article's own 2.5% figure
line with USI\'s very own studies for campus population nation-wide.In his article, Marwan Boustany states that "the homosexual community are[sic] proven to be at increased risk with regard to substance abuse,psychological and medical problems". We are no more inherently at risk than aheterosexual person for these problems. If people are driven in to substanceabuse, it is so that they can escape from this world that harbours so muchhate.We must address Marwan Boustany\'s presentation of the LGB Society as a close-minded group of propaganda-pushers who have made "a concerted effort to labeldissenters as backward, religious bigots".Following the LGB Society\'s letter to the UCC Express, Abdul Hafiz madecontact with the LGB Society and, taking up our invitation for a debatestraight to us, engaged in a very healthy and fair debate in which everyonegot to express his or her view. Abdul Hafiz himself thanked the LGB Society"for allowing [him] to address these issues" and went on to say praise theopen environment of the debate, saying he rarely has a chance to discussthese matters so frankly.Given all these flaws and generally unhelpful nature of this article, we feelthat the readers of the UCC Express could get the wrong impression of theIslamic Culture and that we view it as a totally flawed institution. Duringthe subsequent dialogue that the LGB Society enjoyed with Abdul Hafiz welearned a lot more about Islam and we have slowly broken down barriers. Whilewe may have differing views we can still choose to communicate in a peacefuland non-threatening manner. We respect what Abdul has to say because of theway he has communicated it to us.We do not like waging a war of words against fellow students but at the sametime we do wish for the right to respond to any criticism that is leviedagainst us, especially seriously hurtful and untrue words. While we may neveragree or find common ground with Marwan Boustany or others who have suchstrong views on homosexuality we do wish to convey to these people and everyMuslim that we respect their right to have their own views and we respecttheir right to express their views. This is something that we hope isextended to us too.",0]
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is unsourced. In fact, the 10% figure is more widely respected, and is inline with USI's very own studies for campus population nation-wide.In his article, Marwan Boustany states that "the homosexual community are[sic] proven to be at increased risk with regard to substance abuse,psychological and medical problems". We are no more inherently at risk than aheterosexual person for these problems. If people are driven in to substanceabuse, it is so that they can escape from this world that harbours so muchhate.We must address Marwan Boustany's presentation of the LGB Society as a close-minded group of propaganda-pushers who have made "a concerted effort to labeldissenters as backward, religious bigots".Following the LGB Society's letter to the UCC Express, Abdul Hafiz madecontact with the LGB Society and, taking up our invitation for a debatestraight to us, engaged in a very healthy and fair debate in which everyonegot to express his or her view. Abdul Hafiz himself thanked the LGB Society"for allowing [him] to address these issues" and went on to say praise theopen environment of the debate, saying he rarely has a chance to discussthese matters so frankly.Given all these flaws and generally unhelpful nature of this article, we feelthat the readers of the UCC Express could get the wrong impression of theIslamic Culture and that we view it as a totally flawed institution. Duringthe subsequent dialogue that the LGB Society enjoyed with Abdul Hafiz welearned a lot more about Islam and we have slowly broken down barriers. Whilewe may have differing views we can still choose to communicate in a peacefuland non-threatening manner. We respect what Abdul has to say because of theway he has communicated it to us.We do not like waging a war of words against fellow students but at the sametime we do wish for the right to respond to any criticism that is leviedagainst us, especially seriously hurtful and untrue words. While we may neveragree or find common ground with Marwan Boustany or others who have suchstrong views on homosexuality we do wish to convey to these people and everyMuslim that we respect their right to have their own views and we respecttheir right to express their views. This is something that we hope isextended to us too.

Marwans Greats to be Straight Article

It's great to be straight Homosexuality is not innate, but a lifestyle choice, writes Marwan Boustany. The UCC lgb society's recent criticism of the Muslim cultural society can be interpreted as propaganda: why is their opinion enlightened and the Muslims' backward? The truth must be spoken no matter who is displeased by it; the truth is not a democratic decision. For this reason I for one welcome the debate/discussion on Islam and homosexuality. The Muslim position on homosexual is indeed clear: the actions and society of homosexuals is a depraved and abominable one. The Qur'anic indication that it should be avoided clearly indicates that it is seen as something choice based, namely one chooses to act homosexually, or again, one is not forced to act homosexually by any biological factors. In the Qur'an, we are also shown how homosexuals revel in their perversion and mock those who would seek to advise them against what they are doing. In a Muslim society there is no place for homosexuals. In response to the implication of the LGB society that the Muslim position is unenlightened, I hope to now briefly indicate why it is the LGB that is in fact backward, logically and scientifically. Psychiatrist Jeffrery Satinover, M.D. notes "like all complex behavioural and mental states, homosexuality is ... neither exclusively biological nor exclusively psychological, but results from an as-yet-difficult-to-quantitate mixture of genetic factors, intrauterine influences... postnatal environment (such as parent, sibling and cultural behavior), and a complex series of repeatedly reinforced choices occurring at critical phases of development." There is clear and irrefutable evidence to the fact that homosexuality is not innate and immutable; there have been two major published registry studies, one based on the Minnesota Registry, the other based on the Australian registry. The larger of the two registry studies is the Australian one, done by Bailey, Martin an others at the University of Queensland. Using the 14,000+ Australian twin collection, they have found that if one twin was homosexual, 38% of the time, his brother was too. For lesbianism, the concordance was 30%. This study is important, because twins share idential DNA, hence if their homosexuality was geneticall forced or determined by genes we would expect closer to 100% concordance between the twins. This is enough for us to say that not only is homosexuality not genetically forced, it will in fact never be found to be as such. They can choose to be/do otherwise, it's possible. Homosexuals have continuously promoted the view that would say they are genetically forced to be who they are and hence do what they do; this is so that they could claim to be as innocent victims of genetic chance, as opposed to willing partakers in the homosexual lifestyle. Why should homosexuality be discouraged? Why is it illogical? Homosexuality leads to a host of medical and psychological problems for homosexuals and society at large. Consider that studies show that the rate of homosexual attraction is six-20 times higher among paedophiles. And consider that the homosexual community are proven to be at increased risk with regard to substance abuse, psychological and medical problems , promiscuity and even decreased average lifespan. Did you ever think that homosexuality is even illogical when it comes to the design of our bodies? It just makes no sense at all. Who is more logical and 'enlightened' on this issue? Homosexuals or Muslims? Let the evidence speak, not PC propaganda. Homosexuals want rights, Muslim's want what's right. Did you know that the '1 in 10 figure' for homosexuality (which was promoted in UCC in the last few years) is blatantly false? The figure is about 4 times smaller, and that's when you include 'bisexuals'. Why promote this and other falsehoods? The reason is simple, we have witnessed in the past a concerted effort to normalise homosexuality through the power of positive (and often false) imagery in media (and on campus, recall the blood campaign and '1 in 10' posters). They ahve also stifled opn debate and discussion by labelling all dissent as homophobia, a word that has become a propaganda tool. They have also made a concerted effort to label dissenters as backward, religious bigots - enough labels, more truth! Are Muslims against everything the homosexual lifestyle stands for? Yes. Are we going to change because homosexuals don't like it? No. Are homosexuals going to chagne because we disagree with them? No. We can agree to disagree, but at least let's be clear and open about where we stand and why. As a Muslim living in Ireland I agree that indeed we must live together, but let us make truth the basis of our interaction, not stifling political correctness. Otherwise, we all lose

Old UCC Logo

LGBT Rights in the Republic

Republic of Ireland
http://en.wikipedia.org

Homosexuality was formally decriminalised in the Republic of Ireland in 1993. Currently discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation is outlawed by the Employment Equality Act, 1998 and the Equal Status Act, 2000. These laws forbid discrimination in any of the following areas: employment, vocational training, advertising, collective agreements, the provision of goods and services and other publicly available opportunities. At present Irish law does not provide for gay marriage or civil partnerships.
The decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1993 was the result of a campaign by Senator David Norris and the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform which led to a ruling, in 1988, that Irish laws prohibiting homosexual activities were in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform was founded in the 1970s to fight for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, its founding members including Senator Norris and future President of Ireland Mary McAleese. Prior to 1993 homosexuality was not illegal in the Republic per se but certain laws dating from the nineteenth century rendered homosexual acts illegal. The relevant legislation was the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, and the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act, both enacted while the whole of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, the state had a long-standing policy of only prosecuting people in cases where minors were involved or sexual acts were committed in public or without consent.
In 1983 David Norris took a case to the Supreme Court seeking to challenge the constitutionality of these laws but was unsuccessful. In its judgement (delivered by a 3-2 majority) the court referred to the "Christian and democratic nature of the Irish State" and argued that criminalisation served public health and the institution of marriage.
In 1988 Norris took a case to the European Court of Human Rights to argue that Irish law was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The court, in the case of Norris v. Ireland, ruled that the criminalisation of homosexuality in the Republic violated Article 8 of the Convention, which guarantees the right to privacy in personal affairs. The Irish parliament (Oireachtas) decriminalised homosexuality five years later.

LGBT on Campus

LGB in college?Some lesbian, gay or bisexual students arrive in college totally at ease with their sexuality. Many LGB students see college as their first opportunity to be open about their sexuality. Being out at home may not have been an option they felt they had, due to fear of a negative reaction from parents, family or friends. Negative reactions are based on lack of knowledge and fear.
What's it all about?
At college, LGB students have to decide whether or not to be "out" about their sexuality. This does not necessarily infer being ashamed of being lgb but is because society assumes everyone is heterosexual. How many straight students ever have to come out to their parents? LGB students come out in order to be themselves, not what society assumes they are. They do it to be honest and to avoid the exhausting and often painful process of being "in the closet".Coming Out
The process of coming out is what you make it and can depend on the situation. You may stand in the middle of your campus and scream "I'm gay!", you may tell friends or colleagues out of the blue or you may just let it come out naturally in conversation, "Yeah, that concert was excellent - my boyfriend/girlfriend managed to get tickets". Often, the subtle approach is to be recommended: you may find that if you don't make it an issue, it won't be one.When you do come out, you can experience a variety of reactions. Positive: it's not seen as anything out of the ordinary, people are supportive. Negative: people are shocked, treat you as a different person. Unfortunately, you have to be prepared for a bad reaction because they still sometimes happen. Therefore, it is vital to carefully weigh up the pros and cons of telling particular people and have a plan of action in case things go badly: eg. have a supportive friend with you, arrange alternative accommodation.
When you come out to someone, you may be the first LGB person they have ever met and they may have questions they want to ask. It's a very positive thing to promote understanding of homosexuality and bisexuality but remember: at the end of the day, your sexuality and sex life is personal. Just because people find being queer fascinating does not give them the right to invade your privacy.
A final word on coming out: it is up to the individual - you should come out because you want to, not because someone else thinks you should.
LGB on Campus
The experience of being LGB on campus differs with the individual and the college. For the person themselves, it depends on how open they are and how comfortable they are with their sexuality. The atmosphere in your college can play a huge part too. Some colleges have an open atmosphere that is accepting of diversity. Some do not. The climate of tolerance can even differ between faculties. Some LGB students find that coming out in their particular situation would be more hassle than they can put up with and possibly even dangerous. If you encounter discrimination and harassment, whether overt or subtle, spoken or unspoken, verbal, physical or sexual, from fellow students or staff you do not have to put up with it and you do not have to endure it alone.
Within your course, you could bring it up with your class rep, talk to a sympathetic tutor or lecturer or contact your department head.
Seek advice and support from your Students' Union: they are there to defend the rights of students and to aid in their welfare. Your Union may have an LGBRO (LGB Rights Officer), if not contact your Welfare Officer.
The LGBRO of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) will also always be available to help, advise and support at lgb@usi.ie.
Above all, if your college has an LGB Society it can prove to be a source of support, understanding, fun, friendship and even refuge. Look out for the LGB Society during your Freshers' Week / Orientation Week / Clubs and Socs Day. Look it up on the LGB section of the USI website. If your college doesn't have an LGB Society, set one up. Talk to your Welfare Officer and contact the LGBRO in USI who will help you get underway.
Pink Training
Pink Training is one of USI's largest events. Every year, usually in November, LGB students from all over Ireland come together for a weekend of modules and workshops covering a wide range of subjects from coming out to activism on campus.
It's a great opportunity meet and network with other LGB students and societies, whether you're "in the closet" or "out and proud". If you're interested in finding out more, talk to your Students' Union or the LGB Rights Officer (e-mail lgb@usi.ie). Full details are usually available before the event on the website.
And finally... Being LGB need not be an issue at all in college but this can depend on circumstances. Either way, it shouldn't negatively affect your participation in and enjoyment of your time at college. In reality, college is where everyone comes out in one way or another. Students discover, develop and express their individuality and your sexuality is just one of the ways in which you are an individual. In your time at college, you will meet people from a whole range of backgrounds, with many different viewpoints and life experiences. College should be a place to celebrate that diversity.

Coming Out?

I'm sure as you're reading this you are very aware of the fact that coming out can be a very difficult time for some, while others just seem to take it all in their stride (or so it seems).
We live in a society where heterosexuality is accepted as the 'norm' and anything other than this is considered deviant, immoral and dirty. So it's no wonder really that we have such a hard time coming to terms with our non-heterosexual persuasion.
There are no hard and fast rules about coming out. Every person who comes out will have a different story to tell, whether it be good bad or indifferent. Below are a few points to take into consideration when thinking about coming out.
Being straight is not 'normal', it's just common
Coming out to yourself and accepting it is the most important thing. Once you have accepted yourself you can then start to think about coming out to others (if you wish to do so)
You don't have to come out-when is the last time you heard a straight person disclosing their sexual orientation to you? The question 'Why didn't you tell me you were lesbian/gay/bisexual?' is crying out for a 'Why didn't you tell me you were straight?' retort.
If you do come out
Don't expect everyone to freak out about it
Don't expect everyone you tell not to freak out about it
You can choose who to tell and who not to tell. However… you have no control over that information after you have given it to someone else. Some people you tell may well tell others who you don't particularly want to know.
Resist brining the topic of sexual orientation into every conversation you have. Like everything else, people will get fed up listening to you going on about it all the time. It's not that they are being homophobic or don't accept you, maybe they're just bored listening to the same old topic of conversation.
That's not to say that you shouldn't talk about it. This is something you've probably been dealing with by yourself for a while and you really need to talk to someone about it. But take it gradually and by doing this you are also giving the people you have come out to time to adjust and accept it all. You could also consider speaking to the student counselor, welfare officer or LGB officer in your Students' Union about coming out and the issues you are having.
Just because you best mate of 10 years doesn't have a pre-prepared speech on how he/she accepts you for being you, and your sexual orientation won't affect your friendship, doesn't mean that; A) They're homophobic B) That they're going to tell everyone else C) That they're never going to speak to you again.
The thing is, others sometimes need time to take it all in. Being told your best mate is gay can come as quite a shock to some people and that doesn't necessarily mean anything negative. You could maybe try explaining that you know it may take them a while to get their head around it all.

Letter to UCC SU Pres asking fro Support fro Rainbow week

Mr Milling my name is Sonya Donnelly and i am the campaigns officerfor UCC Lesbian Gay Bi Sexual Society this year. The society will beholding its Rainbow week from wed 16th feb to wed 23rd. This week isquite similar to Gay Pride but with more emphasis on gay culture,drama and activisim relating to young LGB students.We will be having speakers on key issues such a gay marraige, adoptionand comming out. We are hoping to raise awareness on campus abouthomophobia and what everyone cant do to prevent this. We will also behaving sexual health health workshops which will follow up on theissues discussed during sexual health week.To top off the week we hope to raise funds for several local charitieswho contribute greatly to the gay community. Such groups would includethe Southern Gay Mens Health Project, who manned a table at SexualHealth week and gave our society a workshop on Sexual Health andLinc, a lesbian resource center.As you can see this will be a very important week for us not only inraising our profile around college but also in the prevention ofhomophobia on campus and showing LGB students both out and those whohave not come out yet that their sexuality is something they can beproud of.Mr Milling i am writing this letter to ask your support of this week.Your support in our IBTS protest really bolstered our campaign and showed that the University is not afraid to shy away from issues suchas this.

Rainbow Week Poster Feb 2005

2004 Blood Ban Press Release

College Group Protests Gay Blood BanCork, November 15th. College students will this week begin staging a threeday peaceful protest when the Blood Transfusion Service comes to UCC fortheir blood drive. Every year when the BTS visits UCC, there is a protestto highlight the fact that gay men are banned from giving blood under adraconian measure first put in place 20 years ago.This blood ban stems from an emergency policy at the height of the AIDSpanic around 1985 when the FDA in America imposed a blanket ban on gay mengiving blood. At the time, procedures for screening HIV looked forantibodies for the virus, which could take weeks or months to develop.Policymakers had worried that during this window HIV tainted blood could gothrough the screening process undetected. Today, there are superior testingprocedures so that the window from infection to detection has been cut to 5days.Speaking at the start of this protest UCC LGB Society Auditor Mike Waldroncommented. " While modern testing procedures have increased insophistication and thoroughness, the gay blood ban is still in effect. Inlight of this we feel that the ban is nothing but discrimination,arrogantly veiled as protecting the public. As a result of this we aresending written complaints to the IBTS, the Minister of Health and theEquality Authority""The issue we have is that the gay ban is based on a persons status and notthe acts that may have exposed them to the risk. While risky acts performedby heterosexuals will incur a temporary ban, a gay man will be bannedindefinitely for the same acts. Double standards are at play and thereasons the IBTS gives for this are not in touch with modern day studies."said WaldronHighlighting the stark contrast between the rights of a gay couple andstraight couple, Campaigns Officer Sonya Donnelly stated: "Monogamous gaycouples in long-term stable relationships, who are tested regularly andhave a history of safe sex are barred from donating blood forever. Underthe same policy a single heterosexual female who can have many partners andwho doesn't practice safe sex will not receive the same lifetime ban. Weare asking the IBTS to re-examine their policy and allow healthy and safepeople to donate. "In America in 2002 an FDA vote to overturn the lifetime ban on gay men lostout by one vote: 7-6. The main opposition coming from the American RedCross who some groups such as the Liberty Foundation claim were doing itfor financial and PR reasons. At a meeting of the FDA Blood ProductsAdvisory Committee in September 2000 the American Association of BloodBanks (AABB) and America's Blood Centers (ABC) who together collect morethan half the blood in America, asked for the lifetime ban to be lifted.Auditor Waldon added "Whenever this is brought up on the agenda the IBTSfob it off by pointing to World Health Organisations Reports or talk aboutmost developed countries keeping the ban, but the fact is that the IBTSneed to start moving with the times and accept that there is no need to bangay men for life to maintain the same quality of blood. Other developedcountries are changing their attitudes and so should Ireland. "Speaking about interacting with the IBTS, Campaigns Officer Donnelly stated"We think with the new additions to the board of the IBTS a roundtablediscussion between them and all the gay welfare groups would be aprogressive step for all. Gay blood is safe blood and gay people arehealthy people, this must be recognized."MEDIA CONTACTS--------------Sonya Donnelly <sonya.donnelly@gmail.com> 085 737 8691Diarmuid Angland <diarmuid.a@gmail.com> 087 225 2437

Breaking News Archive

Students protest blood donation ruling 15/11/2004 - 10:51:46 Students at University College Cork will this week protest a Blood Transfusion Service ruling which stops gay men giving blood.The students will protest when the Blood Transfusion Service comes to UCC for their blood drive.Gay men are banned from giving blood under a measure first put in place 20 years ago. This ban stems from an emergency policy at the height of the AIDS panic around 1985 when the FDA in America imposed a blanket ban on gay men giving blood. UCC Campaigns Officer Sonya Donnelly said: "We are asking the IBTS to re-examine their policy and allow healthy and safe people to donate."

http://breakingnews.ie/2004/11/15/story175948.html

De Construction of IBTS Arguements

These are bits from the IBTS website:QuoteQ. Why does the IBTS not accept donations from men who have sex with men?A. In line with all blood transfusion services in the developed world, theIBTS refuses to accept blood donations from men who have had oral or analsex with another male. This policy was first introduced in the early 1980swhen it became apparent that HIV could be spread by blood transfusions, andat a time when gay men represented the largest identifiable source of HIVtransmission. The introduction of the ban on gay men was adopted before atest for HIV infection in blood donors was developed, and was verysuccessful in reducing transmission of HIV from transfusions.Right, so they are confirming that the ban was put in place at a time ofpanic and before testing. Good.But they continue:QuoteThis policy causes considerable offence: it is clearly discriminatoryagainst gay men, and categorises all gay men as being at increased risk ofHIV; it has also been criticised because it seems to single out gay men tothe exclusion of other groups in the community who also have an increasedrisk of acquiring HIV. In recent years heterosexual females have overtakenIV drug users and homosexual men as the largest group of new HIV cases inIreland.The IBTS accepts that they are being discriminatory; we discriminateagainst several groups in the community insofar as we refuse to allow themto donate blood on the basis of perceived increased risk of spreadinginfections through blood transfusion. These include anyone who has everbeen injected with non-prescribed drugs, anyone who has engaged in sex forwhich they have been paid with money or drugs, people who have lived inBritain or Northern Ireland between 1980 and 1996 (because of the vCJDrisk), people who have been in prison in the previous year, and severalother categories.Right, so they are saying they are discriminating but saying they are doingit for the safety of the population and they do exclude other groups. Thatalmost sounds good, doesn't it ?But here is where it gets interesting and they catch themselves out:QuoteQ. But what about testing?A. While the testing currently used by the IBTS is the most sensitiveavailable, no test can reliably detect HIV infection in the first ten daysafter someone has become infected. This means that a person who donatesblood soon after becoming infected with HIV can transmit the infection evenif the test for HIV is negative. For this reason all persons who areidentifiably at increased risk of HIV are excluded. (Most of theheterosexual females who developed HIV infection in recent years would havebeen rejected as blood donors on the basis of residency in sub-SaharanAfrica or other identifiable risk.)The window of non-detection is 10 days. After that they can pick it up. So,something like a year ban would be good enough one would think.QuoteHIV in the West appeared first among gay men in the eighties and had spreadwidely in the gay community before the nature of the threat was appreciatedor understood. This indicates that men who have sex with men may constituteone route in the future through which a new disease, transmissible by bloodtransfusions, could find its way into the community before it isdetectable. While heterosexual activity also represents a significant routeof transmission now, the extensive spread of HIV through heterosexualactivity in the West was considerably slower, and occurred predominantlyafter the disease was understood and methods to prevent its spread had beenidentified.And there we have the homophobia. In other words "You got a bad diseasebefore and you might again. We don't trust you or your kind. You aredangerous and a threat"It is this attitude which is homophobia. To exclude someone on theirsexuality and because down the line they may be prone to some new unknownvirus is highly controversial and just plain wrong. If all Germans werebanned from visiting France because in the past *some* of them invaded thecountry and there is no guarantee that they may not again there would beoutrage and everyone would agree it's wrong. But because it's the filthygays being blanket banned it's ok in some quarters.QuoteQ. Why can't you evaluate gay men on the same basis as heterosexual people?A. It is arguable that the total ban on men who have had sex with menshould be replaced by exclusion on the basis of activity rather than genderpreference. Up to a point the ban is on the basis of activity – someone whois gay but has never had oral or anal sex with another male is not bannedfrom donating blood.Nevertheless it is true that the blood transfusion community uses a veryblunt approach to the problem – but at present we know that this approachhas been successful in the past, and is likely to provide the best level ofprotection to patients in the future should a new but similarly insidiousform of infection appear again.It worked before they said, but above they said they put in the ban costhey had no testing in place. Now that they have the ability to test andhave backup testing in place they should be able to start including pepleagain. They used the word "insidious" there. That's a nice swipe.QuoteViruses can cause lethal infection with latent periods longer than ten orfifteen years. If a time limit were to be set so that men who had had sexwith men in the past could be reinstated as donors after a period ofabstinence, then that time limit would likely be very long.They say "yeah we could allow some people but the ban would be very long."So, it's a start, its a sign that you trust us in some small way.QuoteThe United States has recently modified its ban on gay men, to men who havehad sex with another male at any time since 1977. This means that gay menare accepted if they have been abstinent throughout the last 26 years. Itis possible that the Europeans would consider such a move in the future;however the practical consequences are likely to be minimal.And here they state that the 26 year time limit is so long they might notget anyone, so they'll not put it in place. They have no scientific reasonfor this exclusion so therefore it is nothing but indirect discriminationdue to laziness.

History of the society Part 5 LGBT Archive – a descriptive listing

2 LGBT Archive – a descriptive listing (Available from Society Library)

1. 1980/1981: Founding of GaySoc
1.1. “UCC GaySoc Accuses College” Sunday Tribune 15 Feb. 1981 p.2
A4 Photocopy of original – headline missing – photograph accompanies article: “Members of the UCC Gay Society photographed at the Students Union office” – keyed identification added by CK

1.2. UCC Students Handbook Diary 1980-81 – a students union production
Eds. Denis Lyons BA & Charles Kerrigan BA; A5 106p
P.31 - Diary entry @ Sat 29 Nov reads: “Philosophical Society – ‘That this house supports the Establishment of a College Gaysoc by the Students Union”

1.3. UCC Welfare Booklet 1980-81 – a students union production
Ed. Denis O’Donoghue, Deputy General Secretary; A5 81p
P.36-38 “Homosexuality” & p.38-39 “The Lesbian Movement” written by Cathal Kerrigan

1.4. a) “Disjointed Board – joint board: farce or faction”
b) “Clubs & Societies News: Gay Soc”
c) “USI Annual Congress 1981 - UCC the Kingmakers”
The Sage – A Students O(U)nion Publication 3rd Issue Febuaree..’81
Ten A4 pages – photocopies of pages (unnumbered) from issue – a) is on fourth page; b) is on seventh page & c) on the second and lists ten members of delegation.

b) reads in part:
“What is the function of the UCC Gay Society?
Many do not realise that gay organisations exist, while some of those who do are apprehensive about going to them, perhaps for fear of being ‘labelled’ and thus further isolated from society. Basically, the aim of the UCC Gay Society, is to promote the social, political and legal well-being of gay people in UCC and in society at large.
The societyis open to everyone – gay or non-gay. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE GAY TO JOIN.
Meetings are held every Thursday at lunchtime in the Committee in the Students’ Union Offices at 4, Carrigside, College Road.”

d) Photograph of UCC/SU delegation to 23rd USI Annual Congress

1.5. Photograph from S.U. Graduation Dinner Dance [Grads Ball]
Held on Friday 7 November 1980 – see Item 1.2, page 25
On left hand side of photo can be seen Mairtín Mac an Ghoill; further to his left can be seen the Cathal Kerrigan’s chest with the Students Union’s General Secretary’s chain of office.

1.6. Various photocopies related to Charles Kerrigan [aka Cathal Ó’Ciarragáin, Cathal Kerrigan]
1.6.1. a) UCC Record 1980 page 80 “Classics Society”
“Secretary: Charles Kerrigan”
b) “School urged to teach the classics” Cork Examiner (?) Feb. 1980
One page A4 photocopy of both

1.6.2. “Congress Report – 23rd Annual Congress White’s Hotel, Wexford
15-18th January ‘81” USI News January 1981 pages 4 & 5
One A3 page - photocopies of original.
Page 4 contains photo of Denis O’Donoghue & two photos of Charles Kerrigan (one mislabelled ‘Brendan Smith UCG’!)

1.6.3. a) Press Release dated 12 February 1981 from UCC Students Union
b) “Students Condemn Harassment” Cork Examiner 7 Mar 1981
c) Press Release dated 23rd February 1981 from UCC Students Union
d) Press Release dated 25th February 1981 from UCD Students Union
e) UCD Students Union Compliment slip with greeting from
Marguerite Ahern, President of UCD SU to ‘Charles’
Three A3 pages - photocopies of originals
All relate to arrest of Mairtín Mac an Ghoill on 21st Feb. 1981. Part of greeting on compliment slip reads: “I’ll come to see you in jail if I’ve not been lifted myself by then!”

1.6.4. Various press cuttings
One A3 sheet with three press cuttings:
Sunday Independent 4 May 1980
“I hear that a son of the late Cork labour TD…….”
Sunday Independent 11 May 1980
“Charles Kerrigan, son of former labour T.D. Pat Kerrigan, claimed his first electoral victory recently when he topped the poll for the position of general secretary of the students’ union in UCC”
Evening Echo 4 March 1978
“Drama by Robert O’Donoghue: Granary Experiment…among people involved in the forthcoming double bill are Charles Kerrigan, Denis Donoghue, Theo Dorgan, Tony Galvin…”

1.6.5. “Cathal O’Ciarragain” Munster Queer (G)CN May 1992 p.1
One A3 page – photocopy of original
Profile of Cathal written by Dónal Sheehan. Munster GCN was a four page pull-out supplement to Gay Community News


2. 1981/1988: Interim Years
2.1. “Working Group on Gay + Lesbian Rights – 1 Nov. 1987 USI”
One sheet A4 notepad handwritten minutes of meeting on both sides.
Attendance includes Deirdre Mortell – UCC and concludes:
“If no one comes to UCC Group, meet in Quay Co-op!”

2.2. “Sexuality Conference: to be held on 6th and 7th February 1988”
One sheet A4 paper
Contains Preliminary Agenda with handwritten notes [by Deirdre Mortell?]

2.3. “Agenda 24/2/88”
One sheet A4 notepad handwritten on one side only.
Reads in part:
“1) Where are we going? Aims + priorities
6) Possible research into our history”

2.4. Letter from Dublin University Gay Society to UCC Gay Society Secretary dated 28th April 1988
One sheet A4 headed paper.
An invitation to a 60’s party.

2.5. a) “To UCC Lesbian and Gay Group” The Gazette 28 April 1988 page 3
A4 page torn from original publication; printed both sides.
Letter from Dermot Kelly complaining about an article in the same publication [Vol. 3, Issue 17 – 18th Feb. 1988] announcing the founding of a gay society. Followed immediately by a letter from Deirdre Mortell headed Rights Officier Replies

b) “Lesbian and Gay Group” The Gazette 28 April 1988 page 14
A4 page torn from original publication; printed both sides.
Piece written by Anne O’Donnell reporting on a public meeting held by the GaySoc on 13th April 1988

2.6. Various flyers
Three stapled A4 sheets with two smaller cut-up flyers attached to top sheet.
Flyers publicising:
a) “Lesbian & gay Support Group Meeting every Tuesday 6pm – 7pm
b) “Videos 1-2 Tue. 14 mar. ‘Before Stonewall’”
c) “UCC Lesbian \ Gay Support group + WRAC + Women’s Group – ‘The right to love’ – public meeting Wed. 30th Nov. W5”
d) “UCC Lesbian \ Gay Support group + WRAC + Women’s Group – public meeting on ‘Sexuality’ – Speakers: Donal Sheehan(‘Unite for Change Group), John Calnan (Cork Gay Collective), Geraldine McCarthy (Cork Lesbian Collective) Wed. 30th Nov. W5”

2.7. “First A.G.M. of UCC Lesbian and Gay Support Group”
One sheet A4 notepad handwritten on both sides. Not dated
Consists of a listing of possible agenda items / ideas – includes towards end: “Put articles in The Gazette – excerpts from ‘Out for Ourselves’’”

2.8. a) “David Norris”
Two stapled sheets A4 notepad handwritten on both sides first sheet. Not dated.
Notes taken of a talk given by David Norris.
b) 14 notecards [2”x 11/2” approx] from same talk.
Handwritten in red ink.
Includes notes such as:
“1980 GaySoc proposed 4-3 against JB”
“Norris: Sean Teegan banned Law Soc homosexuality meeting”
“UCD Gay Soc denied recognition / Line > Quay Co-op”

2.9. “Gay group in UCC would like to extend an invitation to any gay or lesbian student who would like to meet others in the strictest confidence – Contact Rights Officer c/o Student Union Building, College Road.”
Fragment of notepad paper. Not dated. Handwritten draft text.


2.10. USI related texts?
Four stapled A4 type-written sheets. Not dated.
a) “Sexual Rights Group”
b) “Lesbian and Gay Rights and Students Unions”
c) “Lesbians & Gay Men”
d) Address list of college Rights Officers – includes Sandra Buckley, UCC.

2.11. “Proposal – Gay Society”
One sheet A4 notepad handwritten on both sides. [18th Nov. 1986?].
Written as send up? Signed ‘proposed president Alex (UCC Gay Society)’.

2.12. Collette Sheridan “Campus Crusade” Hot Press March 1988 page 7
A3 photocopy of original article.
Article reviews history and then state of college gaysocs including UCC. Includes quotes from Charles Kerrigan, Deirdre Mortell and Arthur Leahy. Includes statement that “five people now attend the weekly meetings. Two of the members, including Deirdre and a friend, are straight.”




3. 1988/1989: Recognition

3.1. “Lesbian + Gay Support Society members”
Two A4 sheets and five ruled foolscap pages of signatures.
First A4 sheet contains: Mick Quinlan Arts / DSW 2
Second A4 sheet contains: Josephine O’Halloran LLM 2 and William O’Connor Soc Sc 2
Second foolscap sheet headed:
“You do not have to be lesbian or gay to join. This is our first year. We fought very hard to beat descrimination [sic]. Support us to continue.”

3.2. Various flyers
Two stapled A4 sheets with two smaller cut-up flyers attached to top sheet.
Flyers publicising:
a) “UCC Lesbian/Gay Support Group - ’There is more to love than boy meets girl’ – we meet every Thursday at 1p.m – confidential for further information – ring Gay Information … Lesbian Line ../ or Contact John Kelleher 276871 Ext. 2367 / Sandra Buckley c/o Student Union building”
b) “UCC Lesbian and Gay Support Group – Meeting Thursday at 1p.m. – Venue: contact John Kelleher (SU President) or ring Gay Information (Cork)…
a appears to be draft for final version b


3.3. Launch of campaign
3.3.1. Copy of Gazette Vol. 4, Issue 19 March 19th 1989
a) Page 4 is full page boxed advert reading in part:
“The Lesbian and Gay Support Group
has embarked on a campaign to get
recognition as a society in UCC
Both the Societys [sic] Guild and the
Students Union have granted our request.
We now face three other hurdles:
1. The Joint Board
2. The Academic Council
3. The UCC Governing Body
The Joint Board will meet on Thursday
16th March to reach a decision
As a lead upto that meeting we intend to:
Contact all the Clubs/Societies and Heads of Departments
to write to the Government [sic] Body and support our request
………………
Some weeks ago the Academic Council in UCD in their wisdom (?) turned down a similar request ..by 23 votes to 20

b) Page 11 under heading Rights Officer contains:
“Sandra Buckley 2nd Arts, who is running for re-election, has helped in getting the gay and lesbian group on the next Joint Board adjenda [sic] in its attempt to get society recognition”

3.3.2. Eight copies of same A4 flyer stapled together on pink/rose paper
Photocopy of 3.3.1.a

3.4. Various leaflets
3.4.1. “Why we need a Lesbian and Gay Support Group in UCC”
Five stapled copies of same A4 leaflet. Dated: February 1989
Contains three names at end of text:
Josephine O’Halloran LLM1 Mick Quinlan DSW1 Emmet Flynn Soc. Sci. 1

3.4.2. “Why we need a Lesbian and Gay Support Group in UCC”
Two stapled typed A4 sheets.
Original draft of 3.4.1

3.4.3. “The Lesbian and gay Group exist [sic] to provide a setting for Students/Staff who consider themselves Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual.”
One typed A4 sheet. Undated.
Five short paragraphs – draft for aims / purpose?

3.5. Joint Board
3.5.1. Flyer
On blue paper Undated.
Advertising support meeting opening reads:
“In 1981 the college authorities refused to recognise a Lesbian/Gay Society in UCC. Joint Board will again be voting on this issue on Thursday February 9th.”

3.5.2. Flyer
Same as 3.5.1
Advertising support meeting opening reads:
“In 1981 the college authorities refused to recognise a Lesbian/Gay Society in UCC. Joint Board will again be voting on this issue on Thursday [February 9th – crossed out by blue marker].”

3.5.3. Clubs & Societies petitions
a) Letter dated “Feb/89”
One A4 sheet
Reads in part:
“We feel that now is the time, especially in the light of the Norris Decision to …seek[ing] recognition. We hope that this letter and petition will be presented to the committee meeting and that your club/society will support us with as many members as possible signing it.”
There are four names at end of letter:
Josephine O’Halloran, Sandra Buckley, Emmet Flynn & Mick Quinlan

b) “This is a petition supporting the Official Recognition of the Lesbian/Gay Support Group as a Society”
Four copies of A4 blank petition sheets.

c) “This is a petition supporting the Official Recognition of the Lesbian/Gay Support Group as a Society”
Thirteen copies of A4 signed petition sheets.
One each from: Law Society, Earthwatch Society, Classics Society, UCC Macra na Feirme, Historical Society, German, Fianna Fáil, Medieval and Renaissance Society.
Five from: Free Legal Aid Society (F.L.A.C.)

3.5.3 a-c all stapled together.

3.6. Academic Council
3.6.1. Flyer
Two stapled copies of A5 flyer. Undated.
Adopted from 3.3.1a. Reads in part:
“..is continuing its campaign for recognition…On March 16th the Joint Board voted 4 – 2 in favour of our request. We now face two other hurdles: 1) The Academic Council; 2) The UCC Governing Body”

3.6.2. Draft Text
A4 typed sheet. Undated.
Original drafting for 3.6.1

3.6.3. Letter template
Three stapled A4 typed sheets. Undated.
Opening paragraph reads:
“As you will have seen from your Agenda for Friday’s Academic Council, the Joint Board has recommended the provisional recognition of a Gay and Lesbian Support Group in UCC. Since I am unlikely to be able to attend the meeting and since I have been closely with the students making the request I am writing to ask you to vote in favour of the Joint Board’s recommendation.”
Salutation: Yours sincerely, Garrett Barden

3.6.4. a) Handwritten Letter dated 8 February 1989
From: Dr. Garrett Barden, Dean of Arts
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads:
“This is not perfect but better I think than the other. (I am only a beginner in the TEX programme which was used to print this [3.6.4a is stapled to the letter].) let me know if you want corrections made. Sincerely, Garrett.
p.s. I think you should go out of your way to see the President as I am hopeful that he will support you. If I get a chance I shall speak to him. Garrett.”

b) Letter template.
One A4 typed sheet stapled to 3.6.4 which it accompanied.
Reads:
“Students Union, 4, Carrigside, College road, Cork.
Dear [Blank]
On behalf of the Lesbian and Gay Support Group we would hope that you would agree to a meeting with two of our members to discuss our application for official recognition. We believe that such a meeting would be of benefit as it would allow us to clarify our position and answer any questions you may have.
Yours sincerely, Josephine O’Halloran (LLM1)”

3.6.5. “In addition to the submission enclosed…”
Two stapled A4 copies of same text. Photocopies of poor quality. Undated.
First paragraph deals with AIDS, second with Norris case. Addendum to lost submission to Academic Council?

3.6.6. Letter dated 23 February 1989
From: Dr. S. Condon (Acting Head), Department of Food Microbiology
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads:
“I acknowledge receipt of your recent document re Lesbian and Gay Support Group in UCC. I expect that this item will be debated at the next meeting of the Joint Board. As your position is detailed in the document, a meeting to clarify issues is not necessary at this time. If however, the debate at the Joint Board meeting indicates that I need further clarification, I will get in contact with you.”

3.6.7. “Academic Council – April 14th 27 – 7”
Two stapled A4 sheets.
Photocopy of list of Academic Council membership (from College Calendar?).
Second sheet has department affiliation handwritten beside names; under ‘President’ Dr. T. Ó Ciardha is struck through and ‘Mortell’ written below.
Top sheet is photocopy of second and has ‘April 14th 27 – 7’ in large handwriting across the top.

3.6.8. “Meetings”
Eleven stapled A4 sheets. Photocopies (from College Calendar?) detailing college meetings and staff by department.

3.7. Governing Body

3.7.1. Flyer
One copy of A5 flyer. Undated.
Adopted from 3.3.1a. Reads in part:
“.has reached the final stage in its campaign for official recognition…Every representative body in UCC has supported us.
The Students Union Executive 9 – 1 in favour.
The Clubs and Societies Guild 9 – 2 in favour.
Joint Board 4 – 2 in favour
Academic Council 27 – 7 in favour.
The UCC Governing Body will finally decide the issue on Tuesday 25th April.
With the exception of Trinity College, Dublin, no other University has recognised Lesbian and Gay Society. Recognition has been consistently refused. We hope UCC will be the first College to recognise the Rights of Lesbian and Gay Students. ”

3.7.2. “University College Cork – Governing Body, 1/2/ 1989 – 31/1/ 1992”
Three A4 sheets. Photocopies of Governing Body membership list.

First sheet has some names inked out; ‘can’t attend’ written against two names; seven names highlighted in yellow; and a tick opposite ten names. Written large in blue at end: “28 members – 2 def. Can’t attend – 26 votes max. – 10 def. Votes?”

Second sheet is identical original to first. This has no names inked out; ‘can’t attend’ written against two names; no names highlighted in yellow; and each name has either a tick an ‘x’ or an ‘o’ opposite it. Written large in red at end: “14 No – 10 Yes – 3 not attending”.

3.7.3. Handwritten Letter dated 20 April 1989
From: Rt. Rev. R.A. Warke, Bishop of Cork Cloyne and Ross
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads:
“I write to confirm receipt of your letter and enclosure of 18th April. Unfortunately I will be away for the meeting of the Governing Body on 25th April but I have read your supporting document with interest.”

3.7.4. Letter dated 24 April 1989
From: Fr. Aidan O’Driscoll, Assistant Diocesan Secretary
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads:
“I write on behalf of His Lordship, Bishop Murphy, to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 18th inst., for which he thanks you. The Bishop regrets that he will be unable to attend the Governing Body Meeting on the 25th of April, as he is on the Confirmations circuit.”

3.7.5. Handwritten Letter dated 20 April 1989
From: Prof. S. Doonan, Dept. of Biochemistry
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads in part:
“I am in favour of recognition of the Group by College and expressed this view in the vote at Academic Council.
Unfortunately I will not be present at the Governing Body on 25th April where I would certainly again have voted in favour.”

3.7.6. Handwritten Letter undated
From: Ian Spillane (Secretary) & Members of the Sociological Society
To: unstated
Reads in part:
“We recall the previous decisions of UCD and Maynooth as petty attempts to cling to a Catholic censorship. As students we deplore any forms of censorship..”

3.8. Celebration

3.8.1. “University College Cork officially recognises lesbian / gay society”
Press release dated 25.4.89. Two stapled A4 typed pages.
Reads in part:
“Jubilant at the success of their long campaign for recognition members of the group today called on other NUI colleges to follow the example of UCC.”

3.8.2. Handwritten Letter dated 26 April 1989
From: Tom Cooney (Chairperson ICCL) c/o Faculty of Law UCD
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads in part:
“I am writing to express my delight…The ICCL would like to write to UCD…I’d be glad of any advice your group could provide us with regarding contents…”

3.8.3. Handwritten Letter dated 26 April 1989
From: Cathal Ó’Ciarragáin [aka Charles Kerrigan]
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads in part:
“Congratulations! A GREAT VICTORY!! …I enclose a copy of a letter I’ve sent to the newspapers…p.s. Ye’re great!”
Stapled to letter is two page photocopy of hand printed letter sent to national newspapers (but never published). Reads in part:
“In 1980 I was told by some among the UCC college authorities that the only reason they could not support the recognition motion was because ‘all the NUI colleges would have to act simultaneously to recognise GaySocs.’ I feel sure that the same excuse has been used recently in UCG, UCD and Maynooth. Now that UCC has led the way there can be no further camouflage for these colleges to hide their homophobic prejudice.”

3.8.4. Letter dated 28 April 1989
From: Gay Switchboard Dublin
To: Ms. Josephine O’Halloran.
Reads in part:
“We see this as being a very significant step forward for gay people in Cork and hopefully through the Lesbian and Gay Support Group many more lesbians and gay men will be able to ‘come out’. Congratulations!”

3.8.5. Greeting card - undated
From: Cork AIDS Alliance
To: UCC Lesbian and Gay Support Group.
Invitation to Celebrity Charity Auction attached.

3.8.6. Gazette Vol. 4, Issue 20 Thursday April 27th 1989
Top of cover reads:
“NEWSFLASH: UCC has become the first NUI College to officially recognise the ‘Lesbian and Gay Society’. The Governing Body vote last Tuesday was 13:7.”

Page two contains start of letter to editor from K.B. Reads in part:
“Well here we are in the third term…the best time or the safest time to sneak in anything controversial such as a ‘gay/lesbian soc’…Gay/Lesbian people are generally unacceptable and are not encouraged outside of college so I don’t see why UCC should be different…”
Letter continues on page 22 where a reply from Josephine O’Halloran follows. Reads in part:
“We decided in January to apply for official recognition as a society. …At every stage we circulated flyers in the library, Common Room and the restaurants…We hhad motions put before the Law Society and Philosoph, both of which were supported…We encountered very little opposition but met with a lot of support…what is unacceptable is ignorance and prejudice which is something this group aims to confront..”

3.8.7. “Gay group get UCC recognition” Cork Examiner 26 April 1989
page one.
Blown up photocopy of original on A3 blue coloured paper. Reads in part:
“We are often told how conservative and intolerant Irish people are on issues like this, Ms. O’Halloran said. The experience of this campaign suggests that, whatever fears and prejudices may have been instilled into us, Irish people are fundamentally tolerant and respectful of individual rights when they are faced with real people rather than abstractions.”

3.8.8. “April 26th 1989”
Collage on buff coloured A3 paper of three press cuttings and one photograph.
Press cuttings are without source or date:
“College recognises gays group” Irish Independent 26/4/89
“Gays win official status at UCC” Irish Press 26/4/89
“Sex – who cares: Micheline McCormack Column”
Sunday World (21/4/89?)
Photograph is of two people unfolding a large scroll in the beer garden of Loafers Bar. Scroll has lesbian & gay symbols, ends with ‘Soc 25 Apr 1989’ and is covered with individual signatures in red marker.

3.8.9. Photos
Five colour photographs from Victory Party – held 25 April 1989?
a) Josephine O’Halloran & Dr. Garrett Barden
b) John Calnan, Josephine O’Halloran, Arthur Leahy and A.N. Other – scroll is seen hanging from ceiling in background.
c) William O’Connor
d) William O’Connor and A.N. Other
e) Unidentified couple

3.8.10. “Cork Pulls It Off!” Gay Community News February Issue 1990
pages 3 & 5
Article describing the campaign for recognition. Reads in part:
“..the first meeting of the group (in October 1988) agreed that there would be no point in even applying for recognition from UCC!… on the 15th [December] a public meet ing was held. The idea for official recognition took shape around this time. Two prominent liberal academics took the initiative of approaching the group to offer their support…
All 70 members of Academic Council were sent a submission and also received a letter from Garrett Barden…thirty potential supporters were lobbied personally by him, Prof. John Maguire and John Kelleher, President of the SU…
The discussion of the proposal occupied over an hour…the greatest impact was made by John A. Murphy’s speech in favour… the vote was 27 – 7 in favour. The President abstained…
..Governing Body..discussion was prolonged occupying most of the meeting. The vote went 13 – 7 in favour …the President voted in favour…Mick Quinlan’s arrival as a mature student certainly sparked off much of this activity…”

3.8.11. “L & G Support Group”
Two A4 typed sheets stapled together. Undated.
A draft of 3.8.10. Slight variations. Main difference is absence of last two sentences of the published article; the final sentence reads:
“One could scarcely imagine a lesbian or gay group being recognised by the College under the previous President, Tadhg Carey.”

On back of second page is handwritten note which reads:
“Joe + Brendan –
This needs to be put in paragraphs etc. I spoke to Josephine & she will need to see the final draft before printing. Arthur was suggesting it might be held over for a ‘student edition’ in the autumn. I don’t mind how you choose to publish it.”
4. Miscellaneous
4.1. a) Greeting card - undated
From: Cork AIDS Alliance
To: UCC Lesbian and Gay Support Group.
Reads in part:
“Many thanks for the very welcome bank notes we received
from you before Christmas.”

b) Letter dated 26 October 1988
From: Cork AIDS Alliance
To: Ms. Sandra Buckley
Reads in part:
“We’re delighted that you are interested in the possibility of
setting up an Aids [sic] group in UCC.”

4.2. Handwritten note – undated - on back of 3.4.1
Reads:
“Josephine – The file is in the bookshop upstairs for collection
– Dónal Wed. 1:30p.m.”

4.3. Letter dated 20 July 1989
From: Alasdair Paterson, Acting Librarian, Boole Library, UCC
To: Mr. M. McGrath, President, Students’ Union, UCC
A4 sheet. Reads in part:
“Thank you for your letter regarding the alleged misbehaviour
of Security Staffin the Library towards a student [sc. Josephine
O’Halloran].”
Stapled to the letter is a single sheet a photocopy of a policy statement on Sexual Harrassment from University of California.

4.4. UCC Photo ID of Josephine O’Halloran as 2nd Law student 1986/87

4.5. Tom O’Malley “Norris v Ireland – an Opportunity for Law Reform”
Irish Law Times December 1988 pages 279 – 284
Photocopy of article

4.6. Letter dated 14 June 1985
From: Bill Foley, Gay/Lesbian Pride Week Group, Dublin
To: Circular letter seeking support for march on 29th June.

4.7. Letter undated
From: Edmund Lynch & Maurice McCafferkey, Out Editorial Board
To: Circular letter seeking financial support – ‘donation form’ at
end of page torn off – indicating contribution made?

4.8. “Homosexuality is not a disease” The Sunday Tribune [28 January 1989?]
Press cutting torn from newspaper containing Letters to the Editor regarding gay law reform.

4.9. NGF News August / September 1985

4.10. The Sage – Christmas Issue Issue 2 December 1980
Twenty A4 stapled sheets first 15 are of the original magazine; 16th page is copy of insert apologizing for increase in cover price; 17 – 20 are copies of leaflets distributed in connection with catering campaign.

4.11. “The Student Union in UCC 1972 – 1981”
Eight A4 sheets - Photocopy of typed piece
– dated at end: 23rd February 1981, Cork