TRAILER: Ireland's Young Warriors

Clip recap:

Earlier this year, VICE News filmed with a republican youth movement in Ireland called Na Fianna Éireann (“Warriors of Ireland” in English), a small group of around 30 boys considered to be hardline dissidents. They support a violent IRA splinter group known as the Continuity IRA, and believe that a renewed armed struggle is needed to free Ireland from British occupation in the North. Considered “junior terrorists” by some, the Na Fianna sees itself simply as Ireland’s true republican boy scouts, training with the main aim of being ready for a new resistance — a fight that they believe is inevitable.

Ireland Approves Gender Identity Bill

Buzzfeed reports:

Ireland’s parliament adopted one of the world’s most progressive gender identity laws on Wednesday, following the country’s historic popular vote for marriage equality in May. In June, Ireland’s cabinet announced that it had agreed to change a draft gender identity law first unveiled in December last year to remove a provision that would require a doctor to sign off before someone can change their legal gender. The final version approved just over a month later means Ireland will go from being one of the last countries in Europe to give trans people a way to change their legal gender to one of just five countries in the world where someone can make their change simply by filing a declaration.

The law will go into effect by the end of the summer.

Colin Farrell Celebrates Ireland Marriage

Colin Farrell appeared on the Tonight Show on Thursday where he celebrated Ireland's marriage referendum and mocked the response of the Catholic Church. At the end of the clip below, he mentions the photo of Gerry Adams and Panti Bliss that was brought up in the JMG interview published today.

JMG Interview: Ireland's Panti Bliss

A few day after Ireland's historic marriage referendum, I interviewed activist / drag legend Panti Bliss for Pride Magazine. An edited version of the interview is now in print and the full interview is below.

JMG: First of all, huge congratulations on the marriage referendum! What's it like to find yourself on the front pages of newspapers and websites around the world?

PANTI: It depends which picture they used! But clearly even God Herself was thrilled about marriage equality coming to Ireland because Dublin was bathed in glorious unseasonal sunshine that day so everybody looks great in the pictures. And even a bad picture couldn't dampen a drag queen's mood that day. It was a magnificent, joyous, tearful, happy, celebratory day, not just for Ireland's LGBTI community, but for our families, friends and allies too. I suspect that on that day, even some of our opponents secretly wished they were drag queens too.

JMG: We've read that your activist days go back to the 90s. Who came first, Rory the activist or Panti the gender discombobulator?

PANTI: I guess they've always gone hand-in-hand. I've always been stubborn and willful, and I am the child of two principled parents who have never been afraid to stand up and call out what they see as unfairness, and some of that rubbed off on me. But as Rory I am quite reserved, and drag gave me a kind of armour from behind which I felt more comfortable being the focus of attention. And in a way it amplified my voice - people pay more attention to an annoying 6'6" colourful drag queen than they do to an annoying 6' brown-haired guy in a shirt. Though of course as a twenty year old drag queen I was more interested in the free drinks and the boys than I was in changing the world! And I took all the free drinks and all the boys.

JMG: You first got wide notice in the USA with your now-legendary noble call video. How did that speech come about?

PANTI: At the time I was embroiled in a big news story here (which became known as "Pantigate") after I suggested on a TV chat show that Ireland had a problem with homophobia, and named a number of well known journalists and an ultra-Catholic, right-wing organisation which campaigns against equality for LGBTI people. This led to both me and Ireland's national broadcaster being sued for defamation, which in turn led to a national debate about homophobia, free speech, censorship, and the role of the national broadcaster. It was in the middle of all that when the Abbey Theatre (our national theatre) invited me to speak and I agreed because I already had a good relationship with the Abbey, having had my show there previously. But I had absolutely no expectations of that speech. As far as I was concerned I was just making another speech, and assumed the only people who would ever hear it were the five hundred people in the auditorium that night. If I had known then how many people would eventually end up watching it I would have brushed my fucking hair!

JMG:  Following the noble call clip going viral, you made an equally viral TedX talk. Many here commented that you would make a great chat show hostess. Any plans for becoming the Irish Graham Norton?

PANTI: Right now I'm still enjoying traveling with my theatre shows and "discombobulating" people with my activist work, but I've always thought I'd like to do a chat show sometime. I've had a few approaches over the years, but they were never quite right. I haven't ruled it out. I never rule anything out! Except maybe sex with Michael Flatley. I've definitely ruled that out.

JMG: Tell us a bit about your popular Dublin club Pantibar. What kind of crowd do you get? How often do you perform? Do you "channel" any particular artists?

PANTI: I've had the bar for eight years. There aren't many options for aging drag queens (!) so as I approached my forties I thought it might be my pension plan. I imagined myself growing disgracefully old, hanging out behind the bar making a fool of myself over hot Brazilian boys and pulling pints for the gays. Thankfully it all worked out, if not quite how I imagined (except for the growing old part). All the hot Brazilian boys now work behind the bar so hitting on them would be called "workplace sexual harassment", and I ain't ruining my nails by pulling pints! We get a fairly mixed crowd (mostly gay boys of all ages, but plenty of lesbians too, and gay tourists) and although I don't always succeed because I travel a lot with my show, I try to be in Dublin at weekends and hang out and perform there. I don't really "channel" any particular artists, though I am a big Dolly Parton fan. My biggest drag influence is the 1969 movie The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Maggie Smith. (I know! I can hear the younger gays scratching their heads. Sheesh! Download it kids!)

JMG:  Maury Povitch in 1998. Spill!

PANTI: Haha! You've been doing your research! One day (not long after I got my first e-mail address) I got an e-mail from The Maury Povitch Show who were looking for men, who lived as women, to go on the show with their mother or sister. And the mother/sister would then ask Maury to give their son/brother a 'back to boy make-over'. Of course I’m only a part-time woman (and my poor mother would rather die than go on TV with her drag queen son!) so I just thought it was mildly amusing and forgot about it.

But, that night I was in the pub and told my friend Katherine about it and she said, "I should pretend to be your sister and we could get a free trip to New York out of this!" Well, I young and broke, and that sounded like fun, so I said, "Katherine, welcome to the family!"

So the next day I e-mailed them back and told them about my "sister" Katherine and before we knew it we were getting on a flight to New York. We spent the flight getting drunk and inventing a whole new family background for ourselves and making up stories of our childhood. The whole thing was a hoot and we got a few days in New York hanging out with friends and doing the usual touristy stuff out of it. Of course we also had to record the show, and I had to get an embarrassing "back to boy makeover" on TV, but of course this was many years before YouTube (and Maury wasn't shown in Ireland at the time) so we thought nobody we knew would ever see it! But the Goddamn internet put paid to that, LOL. Oddly, I tell the whole story in my current show. It is a really good story!

JMG: Back to the referendum. One of the most fascinating moments on Saturday was watching you being interviewed alongside Gerry Adams, who is fairly well known among the Irish-American community here on the US east coast. How did you two get on? What did he say to you?

PANTI: Well, I am not a Sinn Fein supporter (these things are much more complicated on this side of the pond), and I was very aware that those photos would get a lot of attention. But I ended up with Gerry simply because he and I and the Minister for Justice were being interviewed together on the live TV broadcast. However, Sinn Fein have long been supporters of gay rights, and long before any of the other major parties they would have a presence in Pride parades here etc. Also earlier that same week Gerry met and was photographed shaking hands and chatting with Prince Charles so I thought I'd top his English prince with an Irish queen!

And it was such a wonderful and celebratory day that I was happy to be pictured with all comers. And on that day there were all comers! Every politician from every party was only too thrilled to embrace the gay that day, and you don't get gayer than me! Gerry is very personable and was very enthusiastic about the result. Everyone was swept up in the incredible atmosphere that day. He's also very quirky-fun. If you haven't already you should check out his Twitter. It's nuts! A mixture of political stuff and the adventures of his stuffed toy bear and his bath toys. Seriously. It is.

JMG: This year you marched in the LGBT-inclusive St. Pats For All Parade in Queens. Do you think the result of the referendum might finally convince NYC's St. Patrick's Day Parade to allow LGBT folks to participate?

PANTI: I'd like to think so but I doubt it. The Ancient Order of Hibernians who organise the Manhattan parade are so calcified and so stuck in a bizarre 1950's view of Ireland I'm not sure they are capable of change anytime soon. However, even if they do, I hope the St. Pats For All Parade continues, because it's a really wonderful, grassroots, charming event with real heart that stands on its own.

JMG:  Now that marriage is settled, what's next for the LGBT movement in Ireland?

PANTI: There are a few small legislative issues that still need to be tackled, in particular law that allows institutions with a "religious ethos" to discriminate against LGBTI people. It is particularly a problem here where primary schools are almost entirely under the control of religious orders. Historically, back when the Republic was young and broke, the state ceded the responsibility of primary schooling to religious orders and so LGBTI teachers are often forced into the closet for fear of losing their jobs. However hopefully that will be tackled soon as this government has committed to removing it. After that, like all minorities, we will still have to agitate to maintain our respect. Marriage equality and the achievement of full and equal citizenship under the law is huge, but as they say, "hearts and minds" change more slowly.

JMG:  Finally, let's get a wee bit personal. Is there a man in your life? What would your dream date look like?

PANTI: No there isn't! Which is a goddamn crime! I think part of the problem is that I'm a national fucking treasure, and nobody wants to fuck a national treasure. I think they think it'd be like masturbating on Mount Rushmore! But I live in hope. I live in hope of a mocha-skinned big-dicker top. But don't we all...

Matt Barber Has The Ireland Super Sadz: Cancerous Redefinition Brings Shame

Via Right Wing Watch:

"What we saw happen in Ireland was clearly a mass rebellion against God's design, clear design, millennia-old design for the institution of marriage. As history has shown over and over again, any society that abandons monogamous man-woman marriage as a central aspect of that culture and embraces sexual relativism as they have now done in Ireland, that culture and that society is not long for the world. I don't know how much longer we can expect [to survive]. Certainly, this novelty of so-called gay marriage is going to be one of the primary, I believe, drawbacks that end up potentially leading to the end of western civilization as we certainly know it now, at least."

Pat Buchanan Has The Ireland Sadz: St. Patrick Missed Some Of The Snakes

"Ireland appears to be going the way of Europe and America. Christianity is everywhere in retreat before the onslaught of secularism, materialism, and hedonism, especially among the young. And I think it holds.When the faith dies, the culture it produced begins to die, then the civilization goes, and, then, the population. As for the Catholic schools, I am sure that many of the priests, nuns and lay teachers are doing their best, but in the 21st century, the devil has all the best tunes. And, clearly, St. Patrick did not drive all the snakes out of Ireland." - Pat Buchanan, speaking to WND.

Cardinal Raymond Burke: Marriage Vote Means Ireland Is Worse Than The Pagans

"I mean, this is a defiance of God. It’s just incredible. Pagans may have tolerated homosexual behaviours, they never dared to say this was marriage." - Cardinal Raymond Burke, speaking Wednesday at Oxford University's Newman Society. More from The Tablet:

Though the talk consisted primarily in an overview of Pope Benedict XVI's chiefest intellectual contributions, Cardinal Burke adopted a more personal note in his answers to questions at the end. Responding to a question about the marginalisation of faith in the public sphere, he stressed the primary importance of fortifying the family in its understanding of how faith “illumines daily living”. ‘The culture is thoroughly corrupted, if I may say so, and the children are being exposed to this, especially through the internet.’ He told the audience that he was “constantly” telling his nieces and nephews to keep their family computers in public areas of the house so that their children would not “imbibe this poison that’s out there.”

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Burke says he would deny communion to pro-gay legislators. Burke gets booted from Vatican post after clashing with Pope Francis. Burke says families should not expose their children to their evil gay relatives.

NEW YORK CITY: Panti Bliss To Perform Five Shows At Irish Arts Center

Via press release:

On the heels of the recent Marriage Equality referendum in Ireland, Irish Arts Center is proud to present Ireland's High Queen, National Treasure, Performance Giant and Accidental Activist Panti in her smash-hit comedy show, High Heels in Low Places. Brought to New York City by Irish production company THISISPOPBABY, High Heels in Low Places runs at Irish Arts Center (553 West 51st St, New York) for five nights from Monday June 8th until Saturday, June 13th with an official opening on Tuesday, June 9th at 7:30 pm. Performances are Tuesday-Wednesday at 7:30 pm and Friday-Saturday at 8 pm. Tickets are from $15 and can be booked online or by calling 866-811-4111. [Photo credit: Conor Horgan]

High Heels in Low Places is Panti’s riotous stand-up show about life after “Pantigate,” which played to rave reviews and chock-a-block houses across Ireland. Critics called it “Hilarious” (Hotpress) and “a wickedly funny evening” (Irish Independent) with “impeccable one-liners” (The Evening Herald). Charting brushes with infamy, near misses with fame, and adventures in the seedy underbelly, the High Queen of Ireland invites you in to her ultra-padded, hyper-real, stiletto-shaped world, as she swaps stories from the gutter and trades secrets of the stars.

Get your tickets here. I'll be there on opening night.

Quote Of The Day - Daniel O'Donnell

"As for many, there is a deeply personal element to this historic victory for me. I am very recognizably Irish-American, from my face to my name, but until these last few weeks, I have often felt that I don’t belong. Last month I was invited to Ireland by the Lawyers for Yes Campaign to help kick off the final weeks of advocacy. As the legislative sponsor of Marriage Equality in New York State, I shared my experience on the fight to achieve equal rights. Irish people from all over the world returned home to vote in this election. I returned to the birthplace of my family to help in any way I could. I feel proud to be Irish in a new way today after the people of Ireland declared that one can be Irish and gay and recognized in loving same-sex relationships. Thank you, Ireland, for voting for another step toward universal human rights for all." - New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, in a letter published today by the New York Times.

GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel Spokesman Says Same-Sex Marriage Is "Not A Goal Of This Government"

Via Reuters:

Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition agreed on Wednesday to make small changes to same-sex civil partnership rules but staunch opposition from conservatives in her party means Germany will not follow Ireland in allowing gay marriages any time soon. Although there are growing divisions within the party, Merkel's Christian Democrats are still overwhelmingly opposed to same-sex marriages partly due to fears it could upset voters on the right. However, polls show 75 percent of Germans are in favour of legalising gay marriages, as are the Social Democrats (SPD) and all opposition parties. The overwhelming "yes" vote in Ireland for same-sex marriage had triggered a discussion in Germany about the lingering gap in rights between registered partnerships and marriages. "Today was an important milestone in dismantling discrimination and the chancellor is pleased about that," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said. "But same-sex marriages are not a goal of this government." "Every country makes its own laws - some countries go one route while others go another," said Seibert, when asked about Ireland. "In Germany we'll take a path that suits Germany."

Merkel was elected to a third term in 2013.

AUSTRALIA: Opposition Leader Says "Grab The Opportunity" Given By Ireland's Vote

"Bill Shorten believes it's time for marriage equality and that's why he'll introduce a bill into Parliament next Monday."

Joe Biden Celebrates Ireland, Calls On More Nations To Improve LGBT Rights

Vice President Joe Biden today published an op-ed in the Advocate, the Washington Blade, and the Irish Times in which he celebrates Ireland's historic vote for same-sex marriage and calls on more nations to improve their own laws on LGBT rights. The White House provides us with the text:

Last weekend, more than 1.2 million Irish voters took a courageous stand for love and family when they overwhelmingly chose marriage equality. They recognized the fundamental truth that every person is entitled to dignity and respect, and that there can be no justification for the denigration or persecution of anyone because of who they love or who they are. I want to thank my good friends Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and Tanaiste Joan Burton, for their forceful leadership and eloquent advocacy on this critical issue.

I cannot improve upon the perfectly Irish statements they made following this historic vote, but I can echo the Taoiseach’s words when he described the Irish as “a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people,” and that their choice will be “heard loudly across the living world as a sound of pioneering leadership.” In 22 years, Ireland has gone from a nation where simply being LGBT was against the law. Now, it is a nation where the people resoundingly stand for equal rights.

And here in the United States, in just the past three years we’ve gone from six states recognizing marriage equality, to 37 states, comprising 224 million Americans. It’s about love. It’s about equality. It’s about dignity. It’s about our most cherished values. That’s what this is about – it’s all it’s ever been about.

There is still work to be done. There are still too many nations that deny people even the right to be safe from violence and severe discrimination, and too many states here in America that allow a person to be fired simply for being lesbian, gay, transgender or bisexual. But the progress is undeniable. As advocates in Ireland, the United States and around the world have proven time and again, where there’s passion and commitment, there is opportunity.

I continue to believe that in every corner of the world, people want to do the right thing. You should never underestimate the epiphanies that follow when a culture makes a breakthrough of conscience. But it takes leadership. It takes courageous individuals who are willing to step forward, to turn adversity into positive change, and to truly live the words of the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats: “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”

IRELAND: Another Celebration Video

We're not tired of these yet, are we? This one is from Dublin's International LGBT Film Festival.  JMG reader Vivian gets the final line in the clip.

An American Follows The Yes Campaign

Tweet Of The Day - Panti Bliss

RELATED: Just in via press release: "For 2015, Pride Toronto will co-host with The 519 the highly-anticipated outdoor soirée Starry Night, with guest of honor Panti Bliss, the famous Irish equal marriage advocate and drag queen extraordinaire (Thursday, June 25)."

The Vatican Has The Ireland Sadz

Via Ireland's RTE News:

The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano has said that Ireland’s passing of the same-sex marriage referendum constitutes as a "defeat" that highlights a gap between the church and modern society. While neither the Pope nor the Vatican have reacted officially to the referendum result, the newspaper reported of "a challenge for the whole Church," and of "the distance, in some areas, between society and the Church." It said: "The margin between the 'yes' and the 'no' votes was too large not to be accepted as a defeat. It was the result of high voter turnout, notably among young people,". On Saturday the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said the marriage referendum results show that the church has a huge task in front of it to get its message to young people. He said the Catholic Church "needs to have a reality check across the board."

(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

IRELAND: Dublin Gay Bar Crowd Reacts

Clip recap:

The results of the public vote for the Marriage Equality Referendum in Ireland, the first country in the world to approve gay marriage by popular national vote, and it was done with a massive 62% voting yes. The broadcaster, Vincent Brown couldn't even close his broadcast because of the noise of the place singing "Ole Ole". Sorry 'bout the camerawork being all over the place... It's hard to think about recording quality when you're in a moment like that!

IRELAND: Employment Anti-Discrimination Bill To Follow In Wake Of Marriage

Via the Irish Times:

Legislation to prevent schools and hospitals discriminating against current or future employees because of their sexuality will be in place by summer. Minister of State for Equality Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said he is working hard to ensure the Employment Equality Act will be amended by September, when the new school term starts. The Act allows religious-run schools and hospitals to discriminate against employees or prospective employees whose sexuality or family status is not perceived as conforming with the religious ethos of the institution. The legislation would offer protections to staff of religious-run medical and educational institutions who are members of the LGBT community or those who are single parents. At the same time, the Bill would allow institutions to maintain their religious ethos. The amendment is to be drafted in the Department of Justice and Mr Ó Ríordáin hopes to have it passed through the Dáil and Seanad by the end of the year.

(Tipped by JMG reader Gerard)

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

"Alabama has sent a minister to jail for 30 days for defying a local judge and marrying a lesbian couple. Irish voters support marriage equality in a landslide, but marriage could still start in America before they start in Ireland. And one more study shows support for equality on the rise."

Catholic Vote: 40 Days Of Marriage Prayer

Posted several days ago by Catholic Vote:

The Supreme Court is deliberating right now whether or not there is a constitutional right to same-sex ‘marriage.’ This ruling could impact children, the family, and the future of America for generations to come. The court is expected to announce its ruling by the last day of June, which is precisely 40 days from tomorrow. In preparation, CV has launched a national prayer campaign starting tomorrow. We’re calling it 40 Days of Prayer for Marriage and it will go from May 22 to June 30.

There are any number of ways to participate in this 40 Days of Prayer for Marriage: Offer specific sacrifices or do something generous, however small, for your spouse and children; offer this up for the cause of marriage (your marriage and family life will benefit too!). Fast on Fridays, which is still the normal practice of the Church — specifically for the cause of marriage. Pray the rosary for marriage, as we recommended last month, or perhaps you could pray nine rosaries during these 40 days — one rosary for each of the nine justices on the Supreme Court. Organize a Holy Hour for marriage in your parish. Simply pray a Hail Mary each day for this special intention.

In a separate Catholic Vote post, former NOM staffer Thomas Peters writes today:

Ireland just voted to redefine marriage (I will comment on this calamity soon). But we Americans have to respond first to what is happening and is about to happen in our own country. Catholics who wish to remain faithful to their baptismal vows and continue to remain Catholic must support marriage as God created it, Christ proclaimed it, and the Church has always defined it. Belief in marriage as the union of one man and one woman is not optional for Catholics. That means, for Catholics, our spiritual lives are in jeopardy if we deny marriage publicly. Which in turn means when powerful individuals, government officials and agents of the law force us to deny marriage “or else”, they are saying our Catholic lives don’t matter.

In Roman times, Christians knew they could not offer incense at the altar of false gods. In Reformation England, Saints Thomas More and John Fisher knew they could not say Henry VIII was validly married to Anne Boleyn. In both of these historical examples, elected officials cared more about enforcing the orthodoxy of the state than the lives of the Catholics under their thumb. So I think we need to start asking those in power who now claim it is illegitimate for Catholics to adhere to our beliefs about marriage, do they think Catholic lives matter?

(Tipped by JMG reader Sam Handwich)