2009 Award Winners

Person of the year

Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan

Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone have been in love, have been in life-partnership and have lived and worked together for the past 28 years.

In 1986 they co-founded The Shanty/An Cosan, a community education organisation dedicated to eradicating poverty through empowering education. They have taught separately and together (within universities and communities) the philosophies, theologies and educational approaches of feminism, liberation, human rights and post-modern social justice.

More recently, they have co-founded The Centre for Progressive Change, Ltd, established to develop resources for community and social change.

At the beginning of the third millennium they initiated a legal journey towards freedom which resulted in a loss in the Irish High Court in 2006, and they currently await a meeting with the Irish Supreme Court to have their Canadian marriage recognised in Ireland.

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Community Organisation of the year

BeLonG To

Established in 2003, BeLonG To, is an organisation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered young people, aged between 14 and 23. BelonG To envisions a future in which all LGBT young people are safe and supported in their schools and communities, in which they can access all their rights as equal citizens, and they can participate as agents in positive social change.

BeLonG To’s work includes national advocacy and training. Their National Development Program supports LGBT youth services around the country. They offer four LGBT youth groups in Dublin, and a pilot online support service for LGBT youth.

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Volunteer of the year

Joint winners: Noel Walsh and LGBT Noise

LGBT Noise: Noise is an independent non-party political group of volunteers, founded in November 2007, which is campaigning for the provision of civil marriage for all people in Ireland, irrespective of gender or sexual identity.

Noise is currently made up of six organisers - Liam Connolly, Paul Kenny, Anna McCarthy, Mark McCarron, Eloise McInerney and Noelle Moran - and a number other volunteers who donate their time in various ways. Through a campaign of public and community engagement and education, street protests, and other events Noise has helped to mobilise the community and focus media attention on the issue of marriage equality.

Noel Walsh: Noel was an ardent campaigner for HIV and Aids awareness as well as the Health Editor for GCN, until his passing in 2008. His voluntary work promoting understanding and tolerance for HIV positive people in Ireland and throughout Europe is an enduring legacy to a life cut short.

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Employer of the year

Google

As a company, Google fundamentally believes in proactively supporting individual uniqueness and diversity in its employee community. Google supports the LGBT employee group 'Gayglers' in Dublin and around this world. Google aims to attract and recruit LGBT talent and establish Google as a top company to work for in the LGBT community.

Google has a proud history of supporting Pride - including funding Gayglers & Googlers to attend Pride parades in Dublin, London, Spain, Zurich Ann Arbor, Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.

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Gay friendly politician of the year

Senator Ivana Bacik

Ivana Bacik has been Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) Law School since 1996, and was a made a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 2005. She was elected a Senator for the Dublin University constituency of Seanad Éireann in July 2007.

She practises as a barrister, and teaches courses in Criminal law; Criminology and Penology; and Feminist Theory and Law at Trinity. Her research interests include criminal law and criminology, constitutional law, feminist theories and law, human rights and equality issues in law.

She was a regular columnist with GCN from 2003 to 2006 and is a vocal supporter of equality for LGBT people.

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Business person of the year

Rory O'Neill

Rory O'Neill, aka Miss Panti Pandora Bliss, has been involved in a business capacity on the Dublin gay scene since the mid-90s, when he co-created HAM, a fetish club in the docklands. HAM developed into Powderbubble, which was a staple of late 90s clubbing at The Red Box and was followed by Gag, which ran for several years at Pod and Hilton Edwards at Spy.

In 2008, Rory decided to re-open the closed gay bar, Gubu, christening his new business venture, Pantibar. Since then, as the only gay-owned gay bar in Dublin, it has become a staple of the scene, hosting regular nights including the hugely popular Make and Do-Do and The Panti and Bunny Show.

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Journalist/Broadcaster of the year

Jackie McKeown

Jackie McKeown is the Editor of the Newry Democrat and her editorial and advertising team facilitate the local LGBT Community in the Newry area with regular features.

Her on-going and sustained support of LGBT issues in Newry and Mourne is though provision of a weekly gay column by the Newry Rainbow Community as well as facilitating regular prominent positive features and articles addressing issues of importance to LGBT people in Newry and surrounding local areas.

McKeon is helping to ensure that LGBT people are more visible and seen as an integral part of local communities throughout Newry and Mourne.

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Media Representation of the year

Margaret Gill

In 2007, Margaret Gill's daughter, Barbara was tragically killed in a road accident. Eight weeks before Barbara's accident, she had a son, Stephen with her partner, Ruth. Since then, Margaret has become a strong and eloquent supporter of gay marriage and has appeared on television and radio speaking for the cause.

"I was thrilled to be asked to appear, first of all by satellite link from my own kitchen on RTE's Primetime with Miriam O'Callaghan, and then on the Late Late Show," Margaret says. "Barbara always encouraged me and helped me in ever way to do media. Little did she ever think, or me for that matter, that I would one day win a media award. This surely something one can really only dream about.

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Event of the year

The Bingham Cup, Dublin 2008

Commonly known as the 'Gay Rugby World Cup', The Bingham Cup was the biggest international sporting event in Ireland in 2008. Organised by an executive formed by the Emerald Warriors Rugby Club, the cup welcomed gay ruggers from all over the world to compete at the highest level for a trophy named in honour of Mark Bingham, an heroic victim on United 93 that fateful September in 2001.

This marked a highpoint in the development of the Emerald Warriors, from a club that struggled to field a team for the Bingham Cup in London in 2004, to hosts of the biggest and most successful incarnation of the event to date in 2008.

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Online Award: Blogger/Website of the year

Gaelick

Gaelick consists of a group of Irish women who are sick of pretending to listen to one another, and basically just want an audience. They are a motley crew of creatives, media and political junkies, bookworms, film fanatics, students and professionals - all with one thing in common. That is, we're lesbian/gay/bi/whatever you're having yourself.

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The Noel Walsh HIV Campaigner Award

Mick Quinlan

Mick Quinlan has been involved in LGBT community and HIV and AIDS and sexual health awareness since the early 1980s, from the Dublin Lesbian and Gay Men's Collective to Gay Health Action and Dublin pride. Originally from Ballyfermot, Mick manages the Gay Men's Health Service HSE and continues to support the work of LGBT groups.

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