Former Society Auditors Spill All: No 2 Anna

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