A thread about #meaged20 . Here I am, 20, and hiding in the corner of a photograph in a Belfast newspaper from 1983. The event was an NUS student conference on Lesbian and Gay Rights. And there lies a story of a wonderfully brave activist and a Ceilidh like no other.👇 
2./ I was invited by the NUS because at the time I was leading the campaign against my own homophobic student union at Glasgow University who'd banned our gay group meeting in its building. When we protested, buckets of piss were thrown over us and we were attacked by thugs.
3./ Hey ho. In Belfast our conference was picketed by a huge, rabid crowd of numbskulls from the DUP under their campaign slogan 'Save Ulster From Sodomy.' Catchy eh? The crowd was egged on by the disgusting 'Rev' Ian Paisley, a man who loved to push the boundaries of bigotry.
4./ The guy whose armpit I appear to be sheltering under was the fabulous Tarlach Mac Niallais, or Terry to his mates. It was him who rounded us all up to face down the bullyboys and the megaphone of Paisley. He was utterly fearless.
5./ Terry also lived and breathed the cause of a United Ireland, and it was this that soon triggered one of the strangest experiences of my life. After the picket subsided and the bigots went home to indulge in various forms of domestic abuse Terry revealed we had an invite.
6./ The NUS had made clear no mention must be made of the "Irish question". But Terry now rounded up a group of us and explained he'd organised a trip to the Republican social club in Turf Lodge. I was left in no doubt we might be meeting a few err...characters.
7./ As far as Terry was concerned every member of the IRA was a freedom fighter. But I wasn't about to argue. We packed into the minibus and made our way across Belfast. When we got to the community centre we were frisked and led into the main hall.
8./ Murals of Ireland in all its green splendour competed with those of boxom embodiments of Irish womanhood. As we entered a crowd of 80 or so huge muscle bound guys and even bigger and more muscle bound women looked us up and down as the Irish fiddle music played.
9./ And then the dancing began. A woman grabbed Tarlach. Another grabbed me. And we danced and drank the shit out of a long and exhausting night. At one stage I asked Tarlach shyly, "do you think some of these people are in the IRA?". He looked at me like I was an idiot.
10./ I never supported the "armed struggle" but the people I met there were warm, unbelievably friendly and wanted to talk endlessly about the role of gay rights in their struggle. All I knew at the time was that these people didn't seem to hate me like a certain 'Reverend'.
11./ Hey it was the 80s and we took support for gay rights where we could find it. The whole bizarre and unlikely episode was turned into what friends tell me is a wonderful play. Here's a review of it in the Irish News. irishnews.com/arts/2019/03/1…
12./ The backdrop on stage is that photograph with Tarlach screaming his defiance. Of course it's now somehow a Queer play though none of us at the time used the Q word but it's not the time to begrudge any of that cos there's a sad twist in this tale. alaninbelfast.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-quee…
13./ Tarlach stayed a formidable actvist and inspiration when he moved to the US and -unlike some of us- embraced the whole LGBTQi+ acronym. I didn't mind. He was after all personally responsible for forcing New York's St Patrick's Parade to accept a gay contingent.
14./ And why have I gone on about all of this?. Two weeks ago big fearless Tarlach succumbed to COVID-19. It's a real loss to the Irish cause, to LGBTQ activism to which he was such a shining light and, of course, his husband Juan and their families. irishcentral.com/news/community…
15./ RIP big man...and long may you continue screaming abuse at bigots and homophobes. You'll have to aim it downwards though if you want Paisley and his bigoted followers to hear you. I don't know if God is a Catholic but she's bound to enjoy your company more than his.
@threadreaderapp please unroll
