Ideas for a research M.A. in the history of LGBT in Ireland?

Freiheit

Hi was speaking to a lecturer about maybe writing something on an lgbtq theme,I was wondering if anyone here though might have idea to as what I could write about? and sources maybe? The below are just a key basic topics which would obviously need narrowing down.

Law,Irish and British,publications and censorship,the churches,education,emigration,mental health,political movements,womens movements,north v south.

Sources could be the Irish queer archives and Oral history

Any input valued

Thanks

F

Annasopra

Edmund Lynch is working on a project for next year - it will be 40 years since the Irish gay rights movement was founded, 30 years since the first pride march in Dublin, 20 years since decriminalisation of gay male sex

Maybe in terms of political movements look at how lgbt movements aligned itself with other social movements - e.g. womens movements, students movement (theres a project being undertaken in dcu on the history of student unions),


Or maybe look at how political movements have changed over time - initially very radical, strongly aligned to womens groups, trade unions, somewhat grassroots lead, then over time becoming top down approaches; lack of consultation; more telling people what they wanted

Or maybe looking at lgbt and disability such as intellectual disability or physical disability

Or you could explore maybe if there are hierarchies of privilege within lgbt by looking at social spaces and publications such as gcn

Or you could explore the big growth in regional groups outside of the main cities in recent years

Or you could explore the differences in views on marriage equality amonhgst different generations - would older more radical people feel marriage equality is just another reinforcement of heteronormativity for example?

Or you could look at updating the glen/nexus research on poverty!

Or you could look at the effects of the equality laws on lgb peoples and lives - maybe look at why there was resistance from some quarters to amend the equality legislation to specifically include T

Annasopra

Sorry - some of those are not specific to "history"

Freiheit

Thanks Manga,all those are relevant and hey everything becomes History sooner or later.

Was it only gay male sex that was legalised in 1993 incidentaly? pardon my ignorance,had it been legal for women previously or was there simply no reference to women in the law and therefore legal?

Annasopra

Freiheit wrote: »

Thanks Manga,all those are relevant and hey everything becomes History sooner or later.

Was it only gay male sex that was legalised in 1993 incidentaly? pardon my ignorance,had it been legal for women previously or was there simply no reference to women in the law and therefore legal?

Yes - only 1993;

Norris started his case in 1974

He failed in the high court, failed in the supreme court and won in the European court of human rights in 1988.
The FF/PD government that was elected in 1989 promised to bring in legislation but FF resisted.
In 92 when Labour entered government with FF, Labour strongly insisted on it.
Suzy Byrne who was CoChair of GLEN at the time and a labour member opposed entry to government with FF and said she'd eat her hat if decriminalisation came in.
Maire Geoghegan Quinn met with GLEN but she was most convinced by a woman called Phil Moore who spoke to her "mother to mother"
The legislation also bought in a lot of changes to do with prostition in order to get conservative FFers on side
Gay Mitchell, TD at the time tried to amend the law so that there would be an unequal age of consent (I think 21)


The law was from 1861 or 1885 (pre independence) so while the UK had got rid of it in the 1960s it remained in our laws. I've heard that the idea of lesbian sex never occured to law makers in makers in Britain (

L1011

Freiheit wrote: »

Was it only gay male sex that was legalised in 1993 incidentaly? pardon my ignorance,had it been legal for women previously or was there simply no reference to women in the law and therefore legal?

No reference to women in the original UK laws we inherited. Allegedly because the legislators didn't think it was even possible, although that's likely apocryphal. Frequently claimed it was Queen Victoria who insisted on that, but seeing as by then, the monarch had no control over legislation, its likely another level of story weaved over the top.

The general ignorance of lesbians when drafting legislation has led to some odd setups when it comes to age of consent (going on interpretations I've read its probably lower than 17, not that I'd suggest doing so!) and the incest laws which also don't seem to assume it could possibly happen.

Freiheit

So any suggestions for sources? The Irish Queer archives,newspapers,magazines,oral history would be huge,there's surely the capacity for a topic and hopefuly partial publication? going to meet my proposed supervisor in early decemeber so will spend the next few weeks trying to formulate something.
Thanks
F

Annasopra

Freiheit wrote: »

So any suggestions for sources? The Irish Queer archives,newspapers,magazines,oral history would be huge,there's surely the capacity for a topic and hopefuly partial publication? going to meet my proposed supervisor in early decemeber so will spend the next few weeks trying to formulate something.
Thanks
F

It kind of depends where you are going

I would reccomend work written by;
Suzy Byrne/Junior Larkin
Kieran Rose
Glen/Nexus research on poverty
Eibhear Walsh
Book edited by Eoin Collins/Ide O Carroll
Glen O'Brien

I would reccomend talking to:
Suzy Byrne
Kieran Rose
Mick Quinlan (a fascinating topic would be looking at Gay Health Action from the 1980s formed to respond to AIDS)
Tonie Walsh
Edmund Lynch
Tonie Walsh
Former editors of GCN
Former USI LGBT officers

wonderfulname

MYOB wrote: »

No reference to women in the original UK laws we inherited. Allegedly because the legislators didn't think it was even possible, although that's likely apocryphal. Frequently claimed it was Queen Victoria who insisted on that, but seeing as by then, the monarch had no control over legislation, its likely another level of story weaved over the top.

I dug into this a while back when I went through a phase of researching queer history, I got the impression lesbians went unmentioned in law as they went unmentioned in polite society, what little I found I posted in history and heritage;

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=71427044&postcount=55

Interesting topic, but nothing really to read into on it.

Freiheit

Thanks Manga,very appreciated. Have told my potential supervisor that Il take a few weeks to consider things further and meet her in December (could easily be January). Will try to contact at least some of the mentioned people and go through more of the Irish Queer Archive catalogue. Surely there is a theme somewhere,just need to narrow it down,thanks for ideas!:)