Thread: For many this Pride is one of the scariest of modern times. Criminalisation of Trans kids & adults, banning of Pride, media campaigns against LGBT+ ppl, violence & persecution are found from the EU, thru the UK to the US.

I want to show how LGBT+ ppl are heroic. Willem Arondeus (1894-1943) was a Dutch artist & writer, a proud gay man, a founder member of the Dutch Resistance & Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jewish lives.

He demonstrated that LGBT+ ppl are not cowards & will not be cowed.

During the Irish same sex marriage [SSM] referendum I pointed out to a friend that the Irish media’s coverage was homophobic & dehumanising.

They, a straight cis guy, who supported SSM disagreed. I proved it to him, to his shock, & he donated to the Yes side in response. I asked him to replace every mention of Gay or Lesbian, in a newspaper article, with Jewish.

He came back to me saying ‘do you realise how bad this is?’ 👀

He was genuinely shocked.

It amazes me the number of ppl with ‘Christian’ in their bios who seem to be completely unaware of Jesus being Gay. There are gonna be some awkward conversations at the Pearly Gates [John 13:23]*

Happy Pride! *given that entire ‘churches’ are based on Leviticus & a disputed version of who can shag who, it’s amazing that Christianity overlooks how often JC is shown as Gay for Jonno. Leviticus, BTW, also says it’s AOK to own slaves, sinful to wear cotton-Lycra jocks & eat surf & turf…

The stupidity of ethnic English nationalism really is breathtaking. Europe is not miles away -
the British border is in Ireland [no wonder these tulips tied themselves in knots over it!]. In light of that ignorance, not knowing that GBS is Irish, is relatively minor!

https://twitter.com/drmatthewsweet/status/1664564025517121539

I think that colonial history should be compulsory in English schools. Being a nationalist is the norm in most of Europe. However being an ethnic nationalist, with its emphasis on exclusion, is [to put it mildly] problematic. Ask anyone who has studied the period 1939-45.

Thread: To celebrate Pride Month I put together a celebration of LGBT+ artists & writers who have been central to Irish culture & our sense of who we are. Given past persecution it’s impressive how important they have been or are presently! Mary Dorcey (b 1950) is a poet, writer & member of Aosdána. Her work is critically acclaimed & moving. She has campaigned for LGBTQI & has provided a voice for the community through activism & words

‘I have seen mad women in my time
- I have never seen them mad enough.’ (1991)

Thread: I love using bold vibrant colours, pattern & clarity of line in my ink on paper drawings. Sometimes they look deceptively simple, but if you zoom in you can see why they can take up to eight hours to draw. Here’s some more drawings Visit Etsy to see all my available drawings that you can purchase right now: etsy.com/ie/shop/robboh…

Wild Orchids (2021) | Original ink on paper drawing by Robert Bohan
Buy here: etsy.me/3MJHx9H

Happy Pride from Paris | It’s quite amusing how the far right are losing their mind over the Arc de Triomphe being used for [checks notes] ‘symbolism’ Using symbolic public landmarks for Pride is a way of highlighting that, actually, LGBT+ ppl are citizens too - despite centuries of persecution, murder & torture by those same states. It’s called sending a message that LGBT+ kids & adults belong.

Left YouTube playing as I went outside. Have now come back to KGBNews trial by insinuation, gossip, innuendo & a side-serving of homophobia. Does the U.K. have no TV regulation? [Pls don’t mention names] I’ve seen distinguished English lawyers on here point out that to date there has been no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. To which all the trolls answer - not yet. The UK media has hyped this into bigger than any other subject, even the Irish has jumped in 🙄

Thread: Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) was one of England’s greatest painters as well as a populariser of the art of landscape. He was a character in every sense & repays study big time! Here is a picture of his beloved daughters. Gainsborough was born in Suffolk & it’s gentle landscape informs many of his pictures. He left to study in London in 1740, where he was influenced by the French Rococo & Hogarth. Here’s a Self-portrait of that time, a Couple (c1740) & an early set of studies of a head (c1737)

This man has no sense of hypocrisy.

The English Labour Party is openly transphobic, accepts Holocaust denial if it’s against LGBT+ ppl & is shafting the LGBT+ ppl it needs to get elected. Saying Happy Pride when you plan to persecuteLGBT+ is a 1936 Olympics Vibe. Sit down.

https://twitter.com/keir_starmer/status/1664169396309303296

Here’s the Labour Party that pretends to support LGBT+ ppl. Save us the hypocrisy mate.

Fun fact: ~7% of the UK electorate are LGBT+ & they traditionally voted for Labour. Many are now moving to Gn/LD. Shameful thepinknews.com/2023/04/02/kei…

Thread: This month celebrates love & diversity. I think that’s really important - so much so that bold vibrant colours are central to my own artwork. The things that matter to me are what Pride is all about - love, hope & happiness! So Happy Pride! Visit Etsy to see all my available drawings that you can purchase right now: etsy.com/ie/shop/robboh…

Wild Orchids (2021) | Original ink on paper drawing by Robert Bohan
Buy here: etsy.me/3MJHx9H

Pride is protest.
Pride is demanding that LGBT+ ppl have the same human rights as everyone else
Pride is not a commercial opportunity
Pride is a deadly serious demand that prejudice, persecution & genocide end. With US States, the U.K. govt & the British & Irish media platforming Gutter Critters [so-called Gender Critical extremists & a branch of the far right] who seek to wipe out LGBT+ ppl it’s revealing that the attempted genocide of Trans ppl is ignored: lemkininstitute.com/statements-new…

To be fair, when you’ve kidnapped & forced women to work, taken their babies, forged their birth certs & sold them abroad, against the mother’s will, - being nasty to the homeless is fairly easygoing for the Irish Sisters of ‘Mercy’.

https://twitter.com/rivkahbrown/status/1664220405777805312

The Sisters of ‘Mercy’ are alleged to spend lots of time praying. It might be more worth their while reading the New Testament. These are the same group of sadists who dumped hundreds of babies in a sewage system. We don’t know if they were dead or not: irishmirror.ie/news/irish-new…

Thread: I love using bold vibrant colours, pattern & clarity of line in my ink on paper drawings. Sometimes they look deceptively simple, but if you zoom in you can see why they can take up to eight hours to draw. Here’s some more drawings Visit Etsy to see all my available drawings that you can purchase right now: etsy.com/ie/shop/robboh…

Wild Orchids (2021) | Original ink on paper drawing by Robert Bohan
Buy here: etsy.me/3MJHx9H

Thread: Walter Sickert (1860-1942) was a German-English painter who bridged the Impressionist & the Modernist styles. His art excavates the gritty urban life & claustrophobic entertainments of the working class. I love his authenticity. He was born on this day. Sickert was born in Munich & moved with his family to England in 1868 & they became British subjects. At first he tried acting & then art (1881), studying first at the Slade & then under Whistler. Café in Dieppe (1884-5), Dieppe (1885) & The Acting Manager (c1885)

Irish Anti-LGBT+ hate crimes almost doubled from 2021 to 2022

73 crimes were reported in 2021 & this increased to 135 in 2022

▪️LGBT+ hate crimes rose by 85% Anti-Gender hate crimes, as reported, decreased slightly from 30 to 25 reported incidents, a drop of 5 reports or 17%. The number of incidents is significant given that Trans & NB ppl represent less than 1% of the population.

Thread: Today/Tomorrow is the Feast of Bealtaine. It is one of the four major Celtic ancient feasts, the others are Samhain, Imbolc & Lughnasadh. It’s also considered the first day of Summer in Gaelic Ireland & Scotland. Let’s examine this 2500y old tradition! #MayDay The Feast name ‘Bealtaine’ is believed to be etymologically derived from the Irish words for ‘bright fire’. Thus the most significant part of this ceremony were the fires that were lit. It is also known as the Sun Fire Festival (Celtic Idol, Boa Island)

Drawing gives me incredible comfort & reduces anxiety. I think you get out what you put in. I use ideas from my study of nature & history to create my ink on paper drawings. I hope that my work gives comfort to others. See what you think of the works in this thread. Visit Etsy to see all my available drawings that you can purchase right now: etsy.com/ie/shop/robboh…

The Rabbit & the Moon (2023) | Original ink on paper drawing by Robert Bohan
Buy here: etsy.me/3HjesP4

Thread: Adolph von Menzel (1815-1905) was one of the greatest European artists in history. His enormous capacity for description, his empathy with his subjects & his fertility of expression make him one of my favourite German painters Here I’d like to just take you on a wander thru this mostly self-taught artist’s drawings & paintings. He is an enormously sympathetic describer of his time. He drew himself too! Here are his hands (1864 & 1848)

I like to use the colours of the spectrum. Here’s the idea of a human. First there’s the face you see. But then there are the rainbow colour sensory forms. Each person is different, based on the experience & favouring of those forms. Here’s some more drawings to consider Visit Etsy to see all my available drawings that you can purchase right now: etsy.com/ie/shop/robboh…

The Rabbit & the Moon (2023) | Original ink on paper drawing by Robert Bohan
Buy here: etsy.me/3HjesP4

On this day in 1945 one of history’s most depraved & evil people killed himself. His hatreds & Far Right vision led to the Holocaust, & WWII that spread around the world. Some 45 million civilians & 15m combatants were dead by its end*. The numbers killed are still debated with some countries probably having more deaths than those they reported. You can see the source I used here: nationalww2museum.org/students-teach…