This article was originally written in 1991 by Brendí McClenaghan, a republican prisoner then interned in Long Kesh. It was published in the Winter 1991 edition of ‘An Glór Gafa’ (‘The Captive Voice’), a magazine written by prisoners. McClenaghan came out publicly while in prison, and his article was significant in giving voice to an invisible community within the Irish republican movement.
Reprinted here are McClenaghan’s original article, ‘Invisible Comrades: Gays and lesbians in the struggle’, along with a ‘Letter to the Editors’ which appeared in the following issue, in Spring 1992. This letter speaks of the importance of the article, and the strong impact that it had on the gay rights and republican movements.
These articles are re-published with thanks to Orla Egan and the Cork LGBT archive, who preserved and digitised them. The original scans of both articles can be found at the Cork LGBT archive HERE.
Invisible Comrades: Gays and lesbians in the struggle
Brendí McClenaghan
Originally published in An Glór Gafa, Winter 1991.
Gay men and lesbian women have been involved in the struggle for national liberation and independence as long as any other section of our people. You might claim that you have never known nor met a gay man or a lesbian woman but you have met one or more – today, last week, last year, 22 years ago – for they have been there among us, in struggle alongside you. The primary reason you have not noticed them is that the prevailing culture in our society in relation to sexuality in general, and to homosexuality in particular, compels gays/lesbians to conform, thus their sexuality becomes invisible.
Women as a whole were once also virtually invisible in the national struggle. In recent years, however, they have argued forcefully that women’s liberation must be an integral part of the struggle. In order that the concept of women’s liberation be recognised and accepted as an equal, valid component, women comrades confronted their male counterparts with the contradictions of sexist words and actions. While there is a long way to go to overcome male chauvinism and sexism, at least today women have succeeded in putting feminist issues on the agenda of the anti-imperialist fight.
It is now time, indeed long past time, to open up debate among republicans on the issue of gays and lesbians, our oppression and its causes, and on our right to be visible and equal partners. I believe that national liberation by its very nature incorporates gay/lesbian liberation as an integral part, and it is only through open debate leading to an understanding of gay/lesbian experience that our equality in struggle can be made a reality.
Social and economic oppression is something the people in the whole of Ireland have suffered, and in the North the weight of British occupation is an added burden. As gays/lesbians we are doubly oppressed for we have had to endure further oppression within our families, local communities and within the Republican Movement because of our sexuality. This manifests itself in many ways and affects every part of our lives.
Everyone has a role to play in the struggle to end all oppression. Those who are themselves oppressed have an obligation to ensure that they do not contribute in any way to the oppression of others. To do otherwise is to deny the essence of the struggle for ‘liberty, equality and justice for all’.
The state’s laws deny equality in marriage, education, social welfare, employment, adoption, life insurance… the list is endless. The state denies gay/lesbian relationships the same recognition as heterosexual relationships under civil law. While British law allows for consensual relationships between men over 21 the position in the 26 Counties remains that gay men of any age are liable to imprisonment because of their sexuality – and this in spite of the fact that the Dublin government has accepted, in theory, the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights that present legislation is in breach of the rights of gay men. Both the British and Irish states have appalling records in the area of gay/lesbian rights, especially when compared to other countries in Europe. The legal age of consent, for example, is 16 in Portugal, Switzerland and Holland.
The legal status of gays/lesbians reflects attitudes in the wider society. All the Churches promote traditional, stereotypical views in relation to matters like contraception, abortion, sex education for young people and the rights of women in marriage. The Catholic Church in particular seeks to maintain its control over our lives and our sexuality, and it has spawned organisations such as Family Solidarity whose views on homosexuality range from the patronising and arrogant to the downright chilling.
“If homosexual acts are legalised, the likelihood is that this will be interpreted as a major reversal in social policy, and as recognition by society that for those who are so inclined, engaging in these unnatural, unhealthy and immortal acts is now to be seen as a right… [Legislative reform] would send shock waves through every part of society, the structure of marriage and the family would be interfered with, the rights of children and their parents violated, and the freedom and autonomy of religious institutions and schools would be seriously breached” (Family Solidarity News, Spring 1991).
In short, the end of civilisation as we know it because of men loving men and women loving women! Such attitudes, which are based on intolerance, misinformation and fear, serve only to demonise gays and lesbians in the minds of the Irish people, evoking images of us as depraved men and women wreaking havoc throughout society.
As gays/lesbians we are doubly oppressed for we have had to endure further oppression within our families, local communities and within the Republican Movement because of our sexuality.
While oppression from the state and the institutions of society adversely affects the quality of life for gays/lesbians there are other forms of oppression which are as much, if not more, detrimental. Gays and lesbians face oppression daily from family, comrades, neighbours and friends due to the irrational fear of and deep prejudice against homosexuality.
The most direct expressions of such homophobia are insults, derision and threatened or actual violence. Indirect expressions are sometimes harder to pin down but are nonetheless just as offensive: the pressures to “be what you are but keep it secret and don’t rock the boat.” This is nothing short of moral blackmail as it is usually accompanied by comments like, “What will the family think?”, or, “It will harm the Movement/struggle.” Thus gays/lesbians are forced into invisibility within both the community and the Republican Movement, and consequently within the struggle.
This is a situation which must be confronted not only by gays and lesbians but by everyone who espouses the ideals of republicanism. “We declare that we desire our country to be ruled in accordance with the principles of liberty, equality and justice for all,” states the 1919 Democratic Programme of Dáil Éireann. Republicans who have always been to the fore on issues of justice and equality must begin to recognise the oppression of gays/lesbians and to identify with their needs. Republicans must acknowledge and resolve the contradictions in their attitude and behaviour which add to that oppression.
Our participation in the national liberation struggle is not a detraction from its nature and objectives; on the contrary, our involvement is a reinforcement that the struggle is indeed about the freedom and equality of all who are oppressed. No one should feel excluded. Gay men and lesbian women, especially gay/lesbian comrades within the Republican Movement, must begin the process of full integration and acceptance into the struggle by becoming more visible and making our voices heard on issues that affect us. The prejudices of others can be resolved only by confronting them and by exposing the oppression that those prejudices give rise to, with the resultant fear, isolation and violence. The experience of such feelings is not imaginary; they are a daily reality for gays and lesbians in the Bogside, Falls, Monaghan, Dungannon, Ardoyne, Ballymun, Crossmaglen and every other town and village in Ireland.
The key to gay/lesbian liberation lies in the success of the national liberation struggle. Gays and lesbians must be a visible part of that struggle so that everyone will recognise that we fought to end the oppression of all. This vital necessity is stressed by those involved in other wars of national liberation.
Simon Nkoli, a gay activist involved in the Delmas treason trial in South Africa in 1986, has this to say:
“There lots of gay activists involved in political organisations, but because of the pressure put upon the gay and lesbian community we are afraid to come out. ‘What will people think if they know I’m a gay person? I’d better fight against apartheid in a hidden way.’ The danger of that is that when South Africa is liberated we as gay people will seem never to have taken part in liberating our people. What will we say if people ask, ‘What did you do to bring about change in this country, where were you during the battle?’. We’d have to come back to them and say, ‘We were with you but we didn’t want you to know we were there’. That would be a foolish answer.”
Gays and lesbians need to seek out the strength and support of each other, and of those around us who are receptive to the cause of our liberation. There is a need for gay/lesbian comrades to discuss together the issues that affect our lives and which retard participation in the national liberation struggle. In isolation we stand alone and remain invisible, continuing to be oppressed not only by the state but within our own communities.
Through mutual reinforcement and support we can break down the isolation that each feels and discard the cloak of invisibility that has for too long made a misery of, and destroyed, the lives of gays and lesbians. Together we can articulate the relevance of gay/lesbian liberation, confront the homophobia that faces us and attempt to resolve it through dialogue and discussion. This can only be based on logic and facts, not on the myths and mistruths deliberately fed to our people by those who seek to maintain control over every aspect of our lives: social, political, cultural, economic and sexual.
Everyone has a role to play in the struggle to end all oppression. Those who are themselves oppressed have an obligation to ensure that they do not contribute in any way to the oppression of others. To do otherwise is to deny the essence of the struggle for “liberty, equality and justice for all”.
Letters to the Editor
Originally published in An Glór Gafa, Spring 1992.
Dear Editors,
‘Invisible Comrades: Gays and Lesbians in the Struggle’ by Brendí McClenaghan in the last issue of An Glór Gafa was excellent. We acknowledge the courage of Brendí in “coming out” in such difficult circumstances and we fully endorse his clear headed and critical analysis of anti-gay discrimination.
We commend the editors of An Glór Gafa for publishing what has been, no doubt, a controversial article. You have contributed in a practical way to improving the lives of lesbians and gay men. We are only too aware of the many subtle ways in which prejudice operates to silence and marginalise us. We know all the excuses for inaction: “we fully support you but we can’t do anything publicly right now”; “the membership isn’t ready”; “there isn’t enough space/time/money”: “what have lesbian and gay rights got to do with…?”; “get back to us next year.”
Brendí’s article is a significant contribution to the debate about lesbian/gay issues and a landmark in terms of the debate within the Republican Movement. The article is generating considerable interest internationally. It is being translated into Spanish and is being circulated in Latin America. It has been covered widely in the progressive media and was reprinted immediately in a number of papers including Gay Community News (Dublin) and Socialist Organiser (Britain).
Brendí’s activism is an important contribution to the development of an international awareness of how anti-imperialism and lesbian/gay rights are linked. Previously Simon Nkoli, a gay anti-apartheid activist in South Africa, and Lupita Sequeria, a Lesbian Sandinista in Nicarague, had done much to raise these issues and went through difficult times as a result.
We should all be open to challenge and we particularly appreciated Brendí’s honesty in stating that, along with the social and economic oppression suffered by people in the whole of Ireland and the added burden of British occupation in the North, lesbians and gays “have had to endure further oppression within our families, local community and within the Republican Movement.”
There has been a lesbian and gay movement in Ireland since the early 1970s. Over the years we have struggled hard, made some progress and learnt a lot. We know that, in the words of a feminist, “nothing short of equality will do and in a society marked by injustice and cruelty, equality will never be enough.” We are definite that the lesbian/gay issue should not be seen as a problem, but as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to undermine oppression and build a better society here and now.
Leadership is vital in subverting prejudice. It has been our experience in the trade unions and elsewhere that great progress is made when people in positions of power decide that prejudice must be challenged and positive action taken now. We hope that the Republican leadership will take the initiative to develop an anti-discrimination action programme in consultation with the lesbian/gay community. Such a principled stand would clearly show that the anti-imperialist struggle, in Brendí’s words “is indeed about the freedom and equality of all those who are oppressed.”
Signed: Kieran Rose, Donal Sheehan, Mick Quinlan, Eoin Collins, Cathal O’Ciarraigain, Arthur Leahy.