Key dates in the history of the NLGF

1979: National Gay Federation (NGF) established

In 1979 the NGF was established and it leased a building, which it called the Hirschfeld Centre, named after the German Sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld, in the then underdeveloped Temple Bar area of Dublin. The community centre was the first full-time gay and lesbian venue in Ireland. It housed a meeting space, a youth group, a café, a small cinema and film club and it ran discos at the weekend where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people socialised.

1980: Pre-cursor to the Irish Queer Archive (IQA) set up

In 1980 a sub-group within the NGF began to collect documents and print cuttings of relevance to LGBT people, establishing an embryonic national lesbian and gay archive, the precursor of what was later to become the Irish Queer Archive (IQA).

1981: Firstt national gay conference in Ireland

Members of the NGF participate in the first national gay conference in Ireland, held in Cork and organised by the Cork Gay Collective.

1981 to 1984: Identity magazine published by NGF

A quarterly review published by the NGF, Identity was the first gay periodical, as distinct from a newsletter published in Ireland and it set an important benchmark in queer publishing. Eason’s refused to stock Identity, when the words “gay�� or “lesbian�� appeared on its cover.

Eight issues were published with contributions by Derek Jarman, David O’Connor and Frank McGuinness, among others. In a social and political climate that made advertising difficult to acquire, the magazine was a huge drain on the finances of a voluntary, non-profit organisation such as the NGF and it ceased publication in March 1984.

1984 �� 1988: Out magazine published by NGF

From 1984 to 1988 the NGF published Out magazine, Ireland’s first commercial lesbian and gay publication. Out was a news and review magazine aimed at both the gay community and a general readership interested in LGBT issues and culture.  Distributed by Eason’s, the magazine achieved more widespread national distribution  than any previous gay publication. Nell McCafferty, Walt Kilroy, Tonie Walsh, Nuala O’Faoláin and Thom McGinty were among its regular contributors. The final issue in October 2008 was delayed for some time, because the magazine’s printers, the Carlow Nationalist and Leinster Times, refused to print the previous issue due to an “offensive�� Gay Health Action advertisement on safer sex for gay men.

1987: Fire closes down Hirschfeld Centre

In 1987, the Hirschfeld centre was badly damaged in a fire �� presumed to be accidental �� that effectively closed the building.

1988: Gay Community News published

On February 10, 1988 an eight-page tabloid newspaper called Gay Community News (GCN) hit the streets for the first time. It was published from an office in the very badly damaged Hirschfeld Centre. “We wanted it to be irreverent and earnest at the same time and it had to look like a newspaper,�� says founding editor Tonie Walsh who developed GCN with the general secretary of the NGF, Catherine Glendon. Tragically, Catherine Glendon died from a stroke on August 5, 1987. Her loss was a huge blow, putting the launch of the paper back by several months.

GCN, Issue One, was designed by Niall Sweeney, who went on to become one of Ireland’s leading graphic designers and included a story about three lesbians abseiling into the House of Lords to protest against the notorious Section 28 in the UK, a feature about cross-dressing, and an item on criminal law written by barrister Jim Treanor.

The only professional journalist involved in Issue One was Walt Kilroy, who went on to become an RTE news reporter.  “GCN is the longest continuous queer periodical in Ireland,�� says Walsh. “It continues to be a unique and defining voice of gay people in this country and in time will become an invaluable historical document��.

1991: National Gay Federation changes its name to the National Lesbian & Gay Federation (NLGF)

In September 1990 the Board of the NLGF approved a proposal to change the name of the organisation from the NGF to the NLGF.  The proposal was ratified by an overwhelming majority of the members ( 84% in favour and 16% against). The change was made so as to ensure the greater visibility and representation of women, who preferred the term ‘lesbian�� to ‘gay women��. On 1 January 1991 the organisation officially changed its name to the NLGF.

1997: NLGF/GCN move to Outhouse & IQA public office opened

The NLGF/GCN moved from offices in the burnt-out shell of the old Hirschfeld Centre building, to the temporary new premises of Outhouse, the LGBT Community Resource Centre, on Wicklow St, Dublin 2.

The IQA archive and reference library was put on a more organised footing with the move to the new premises. Tonie Walsh directed a systematic re-organisation of its holdings. A limited public office was set up in a short time, facilitating researchers, students and journalists in addition to servicing the research needs of GCN.

1997: Publication of the 100th issue of GCN

1999: Establishment of Irish Queer Archives Working Group

In December 1999, the NLGF board appointed a working group of academics, historians and writers to focus on exploiting the collections of the Irish Queer Archive and making suggestions for a future safe home.

2000: The National Lesbian and Gay Federation (NLGF) is established as a not-for-profit-company limited by guarantee.

The NLGF formalised its status as a company limited by guarantee, and achieved Charitable Status. The organization continued to be responsible for the publication of GCN, and for the IQA.

2001: GCN moves to independent offices on Scarlett Row, Dublin 8

When Outhouse moved to new premises in Capel Street, GCN moved to independent offices in Scarlett Row, where it remains.

2002: NLGF secured significant funding from Atlantic Philantrophies to develop GCN as commercially viable resource for Ireland’s gay community.

2003: GCN was re-launched as a full-colour magazine in July 2003. Brian Finnegan was appointed editor. He came to the publication to change it from a political newspaper into a commercially viable magazine, without sacrificing the original ideals of the founding publishers.

2006: Publication of 200th issue of GCN

2007: First NLGF Symposium: ‘Marriage and Partnership Rights for Lesbian and Gay People�� held in Dublin

In December 2007, the NLGF organised a major symposium on marriage and partnership rights, with funding under the auspices of the EU ‘Burning Issues�� theme and the support of the Equality Authority. The symposium provided the catalyst for the establishment of the Platform for Equality, a network of LGBT organisations campaigning for full civil marriage rights for lesbians and gay men in Ireland.

2008: Handover of Irish Queer Archive (IQA) to the National Library of Ireland

In June 2008 the NLGF handed over responsibility for the Irish Queer Archive to the National Library of Ireland. The massive collection which is now housed in the National Library building on Kildare Street. contains 250,000 press cuttings, clippings from international gay magazines dating back as far as 1950, a complete set of every lesbian/gay title published since 1974 on the island of Ireland, a collection of Irish lesbian and gay films, an archive of letters, dating from 1970s onwards, from individuals all across the country and a fascinating collection of audiovisual material, photographs and slides, flyers, posters, badges and other ephemera.

2009: GCN Redesign

GCN was redesigned into a new format with a new logo, bringing it up to date and in line with the economic downturn.

2009: New stage in the development of the NLGF

With an expanded board, 2009 saw major new initiatives being undertaken by the NLGF.

The 21st birthday issue of GCN was published in February 2009 and the GCN ICON party was held in Tripod to celebrate this historic event in Irish LGBT history.

The NLGF symposium: ‘Marriage Matters for Lesbian & Gay People in Ireland��, was held in Dublin in May 2009, again supported by the EU and the Equality Authority.

The 1st annual Gay and Lesbian awards –the GALAS - were held in Dublin in September 2009.

In November 2009, two NLGF publications appeared: a major research report, Burning Issues: Listening to the Voices of the LGBT Community in Ireland, and the Symposium Proceedings: Marriage Matters for Lesbian and Gay People in Ireland.

2010: Launch of GCN Forever Campaign

With advocacy from every leading LGBT community organisation and individual in Ireland, the GCN Forever campaign was launched in an effort to keep the magazine publishing through the recession. To find out more about GCN Forever, visit www.gcn.ie/forever

2010: Further Developments

The NLGF becomes a member of the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Platform (FRP) which has been established by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).  The FRA collects data on fundamental rights, conducts research and analysis, provides independent advice to policy-makers, networks with human rights stakeholders, and develops communications to raise awareness of fundamental rights.  The Fundamental Rights Platform (FRP) is a network for cooperation and information exchange, set to act as the main channel for FRA's cooperation with civil society �� across the EU - and to ensure a close cooperation between the FRA and relevant stakeholders.

The NLGF becomes a member of ERA (Equality and Human Rights Alliance), and its chairperson, Ailbhe Smyth, becomes a member of the organisation’s Steering Group.

In 2010, the NLGF becomes a member of the Joint Working Group on Building Sustainable LGBT Communities, represented by the chairperson. 

In September 2010, the 250th issue of GCN was published.

Published by the NLGF ©2010