The Intercultural Dialogue Award
Address by Brian Merriman Artistic Director of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival at the launch of the Festival's programme 2008 at the Cultivate Centre in Temple Bar on Wednesday April 2nd 2008.
The Context for the Festival
I think this European Year of Intercultural Dialogue is a valid context for the Fifth International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival one that embraces the challenge, along with many others, to dialogue with wider society and to explain who we are. The anticipated Gay Rugby World Cup the Bingham Cup in DCU in June and our newly revamped Pride celebrations will make a most positive contribution to our growing sense of self esteem and celebration, as does the work of new groups like Marriage quality and Noise in cooperation with the many long standing pioneering groups that have realised so much positive change for gay people in Ireland.
It is appropriate that The European year of Intercultural Dialogue is not narrowly defined or confined to visible diversity such as race or ethnic origin. It is an opportunity to give space to many diverse aspects of the cultures that co-exist on this Island. That is what this Festival does well. We engage mainstream Ireland in a standards driven arts dialogue which presents our culture and explores and discusses its characteristics, value and relevance through theatre as an art form.
It is essential that we do explain ourselves as we still struggle for our human rights in a modern pluralist society. Noel Coward said in 1969 that he didn't want to offend people's prejudice by coming out. Today politically it's still the same. When it comes to human rights, like the right to love, marry and raise a family, we find ourselves in that peculiar situation in Ireland. Certainly progress is being made. Indeed compared to some countries which submitted proposals to the Festival, it is wonderful to see this Festival in Ireland, and Dublin, the birthplace of Oscar Wilde, being that international centre for intercultural dialogue on gay theatre, life and culture
Politics and Marriage
We may be on the brink of finally getting civil union. Following defeated legislative proposals from Senator Sheila Terry of Fine Gael, Deputy Brendan Howlin of Labour and of course our Festival's esteemed Patron, Senator David Norris Bill looking to have same sex relationships recognised on a par with marriage, the Government parties are committed to bringing forward new legislation. What is emerging may be a very welcome development in one way, but it is in danger of being the first piece of legislation to formalise a lesser status of citizenship for gay people since criminalisation was erased in 1993. I hope it won't come to that.
Why is same sex marriage proving difficult, especially when one appreciates the sincere bona fides of many politicians in pursuing this rights agenda on our behalf? Opinion polls show 58% in favour of gay marriage, only 26% are in favour of gay people forming civil union's but not marriage and yet it appears this view may prevail. With such overwhelming support for gay marriage, the political system still struggles with the consent for equal legal provision. It is not because gay people are different per se it is because we are treated differently, because we have been constructed differently, by those who seek to oppress us through the negative stereotype. The Festival plays an important cultural role in challenging this prejudice, alongside the many policy and political groups that campaign actively for change within and beyond the gay community.
The sensitivities of the prejudiced always seem to take precedence over the need for civil society to ensure access to basic human rights for all its citizens. Like Noel Coward, Irish society still regards the prejudice over the human right, for fear of offending the sensitivities of those who show us no sensitivity, as they offend us by their discriminatory utterances and beliefs. This is why the work we do in the Festival, especially in this European Year of Intercultural Dialogue is so important.
Gay Identity
Gay people are often defined as just and only gay. We, as people, apparently have no other significant attributes other than the negative stereotyping of our sexuality. In the Festival we use the term gay as part of the concept of the whole identity of the artist. I am fully aware that there are gay artists, administrators and people who don't like, or are not comfortable with, what we do emphasising the whole identity of the valuable contribution gay and lesbian people make to society clearly in the cultural context here through theatre as an art form. Internalised and externalised homophobia, developed as a result of witnessing discrimination, is ongoing and deeply felt in Ireland. The quality and richness of the art presented I hope will help combat that barren homophobia while hugely entertaining and informing our diverse and growing audience.
This Festival and many other great gay community initiatives, are the best response to such learned negativity. Gay people are many things, but we are confined by wearing only one label. In proudly acknowledging that label, we do so as a defining part of the whole identity of the artist. It is not acceptable to laud the art and loath the artist. This is the challenge of gay theatre.
Being gay is not just a description of a sexual orientation but a description of a culture of expression, of love, of struggle, of oppression and of liberation. It is an emerging culture. We struggle for the whole identity of the artist to be acknowledged in the works we present. We present high quality works without censorship, that allow us a unique opportunity to dialogue with other cultures in our society. I salute all who participate in this event for their openness and their willing to communicate culturally with a society, like so many others, that is far behind in its appreciation of the full nature and diversity of human life and love. I salute the ambition, artistic integrity and high production values achieved often with scarce resources.
The Context for the Festival
I think this European Year of Intercultural Dialogue is a valid context for the Fifth International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival one that embraces the challenge, along with many others, to dialogue with wider society and to explain who we are. The anticipated Gay Rugby World Cup the Bingham Cup in DCU in June and our newly revamped Pride celebrations will make a most positive contribution to our growing sense of self esteem and celebration, as does the work of new groups like Marriage quality and Noise in cooperation with the many long standing pioneering groups that have realised so much positive change for gay people in Ireland.
It is appropriate that The European year of Intercultural Dialogue is not narrowly defined or confined to visible diversity such as race or ethnic origin. It is an opportunity to give space to many diverse aspects of the cultures that co-exist on this Island. That is what this Festival does well. We engage mainstream Ireland in a standards driven arts dialogue which presents our culture and explores and discusses its characteristics, value and relevance through theatre as an art form.
It is essential that we do explain ourselves as we still struggle for our human rights in a modern pluralist society. Noel Coward said in 1969 that he didn't want to offend people's prejudice by coming out. Today politically it's still the same. When it comes to human rights, like the right to love, marry and raise a family, we find ourselves in that peculiar situation in Ireland. Certainly progress is being made. Indeed compared to some countries which submitted proposals to the Festival, it is wonderful to see this Festival in Ireland, and Dublin, the birthplace of Oscar Wilde, being that international centre for intercultural dialogue on gay theatre, life and culture
Politics and Marriage
We may be on the brink of finally getting civil union. Following defeated legislative proposals from Senator Sheila Terry of Fine Gael, Deputy Brendan Howlin of Labour and of course our Festival's esteemed Patron, Senator David Norris Bill looking to have same sex relationships recognised on a par with marriage, the Government parties are committed to bringing forward new legislation. What is emerging may be a very welcome development in one way, but it is in danger of being the first piece of legislation to formalise a lesser status of citizenship for gay people since criminalisation was erased in 1993. I hope it won't come to that.
Why is same sex marriage proving difficult, especially when one appreciates the sincere bona fides of many politicians in pursuing this rights agenda on our behalf? Opinion polls show 58% in favour of gay marriage, only 26% are in favour of gay people forming civil union's but not marriage and yet it appears this view may prevail. With such overwhelming support for gay marriage, the political system still struggles with the consent for equal legal provision. It is not because gay people are different per se it is because we are treated differently, because we have been constructed differently, by those who seek to oppress us through the negative stereotype. The Festival plays an important cultural role in challenging this prejudice, alongside the many policy and political groups that campaign actively for change within and beyond the gay community.
The sensitivities of the prejudiced always seem to take precedence over the need for civil society to ensure access to basic human rights for all its citizens. Like Noel Coward, Irish society still regards the prejudice over the human right, for fear of offending the sensitivities of those who show us no sensitivity, as they offend us by their discriminatory utterances and beliefs. This is why the work we do in the Festival, especially in this European Year of Intercultural Dialogue is so important.
Gay Identity
Gay people are often defined as just and only gay. We, as people, apparently have no other significant attributes other than the negative stereotyping of our sexuality. In the Festival we use the term gay as part of the concept of the whole identity of the artist. I am fully aware that there are gay artists, administrators and people who don't like, or are not comfortable with, what we do emphasising the whole identity of the valuable contribution gay and lesbian people make to society clearly in the cultural context here through theatre as an art form. Internalised and externalised homophobia, developed as a result of witnessing discrimination, is ongoing and deeply felt in Ireland. The quality and richness of the art presented I hope will help combat that barren homophobia while hugely entertaining and informing our diverse and growing audience.
This Festival and many other great gay community initiatives, are the best response to such learned negativity. Gay people are many things, but we are confined by wearing only one label. In proudly acknowledging that label, we do so as a defining part of the whole identity of the artist. It is not acceptable to laud the art and loath the artist. This is the challenge of gay theatre.
Being gay is not just a description of a sexual orientation but a description of a culture of expression, of love, of struggle, of oppression and of liberation. It is an emerging culture. We struggle for the whole identity of the artist to be acknowledged in the works we present. We present high quality works without censorship, that allow us a unique opportunity to dialogue with other cultures in our society. I salute all who participate in this event for their openness and their willing to communicate culturally with a society, like so many others, that is far behind in its appreciation of the full nature and diversity of human life and love. I salute the ambition, artistic integrity and high production values achieved often with scarce resources.
