Cork Pride Festival

31 Jul 2023

Celebrating the second year as an official sponsor of Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival, UCC hosted a range of events during Pride Week which ran from the 31^st July to the 6^th August this year. These events, coordinated by the EDI Unit, included a Pride Tea Party, a Pride ‘Stride and Ride’ cycle/walk and a screening of ‘The Quay Co-op’ documentary, celebrating an important hub for the development of Cork’s LGBTQ+ community and a base for social change activism. The Cork Pride at UCC week ended with UCC staff and students marching together in the Cork Pride parade.

Speaking at the beginning of the Cork Pride Festival UCC President Professor John O’Halloran said: “UCC’s partnership with Cork LGBT+ Pride is very important to us and this year, we look forward to championing and supporting our LGBT+ community. At UCC, we are committed to ensuring that our campus is inclusive, where every member of our community can feel a sense of welcome and belonging. As Ireland marks 30 years of decriminalisation, there’s plenty to celebrate but there’s much more to be done to make Ireland a safe, better place for LGBT+ people.”

Dr Claire Murray, Interim Director of UCC’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit and UCC law lecturer, said: “With LGBT+ youth in Ireland and around the world increasingly experiencing bullying, isolation and low self-esteem, and recent attacks on LGBT+ events and materials in libraries, including here in Cork, it’s vital that we stand together to support and show solidarity with Cork’s LGBT+ community. This year, with events that celebrate ‘pride as protest’, we’re excited to bring our students, staff and wider community together to celebrate our differences and also firmly declare our shared intention to continue to demand LGBT+ rights and equality for all.”