LGBT culture in Ireland

LGBT life on the island of Ireland is made up of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise.
Politics.
There was all-party support in 2010 for the Civil Partnership Bill , introduced by the Fianna Fáil / Green government which provided for legal recognition for the relationships of same-sex couples.
As of August 2014, all parties in the Dáil supported same-sex marriage: the Labour Party, the Green Party, the Socialist Party, Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Before the 2011 general election, the Labour Party manifesto included a commitment to a referendum to allow same-sex couples to marry. This was mentioned as an item for the Constitutional Convention in the Programme for Government between Labour and Fine Gael after the election.
In 2006, at the opening of the new headquarters of the gay rights organisation GLEN in Dublin, the then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said:
The only Irish political party that has officially come out in opposition to LGBT rights is the small Christian Solidarity Party, which has never been successful electorally, at either local or national level.
On 23 May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise same sex marriage through nationwide referendum in favour of allowing same sex couples to wed.
Media.
Ireland's longest running LGBT publication is "Gay Community News", which was first published in 1988 before homosexuality was legal in Ireland. In April 2013, "EILE Magazine" was launched, serving as a new platform for Ireland's LGBT community.
The national broadcaster RTÉ provides various LGBT related programming, such as the television documentary "Growing Up Gay" or the drama series "Raw", which contained gay characters and gay-related storylines. The RTÉ programme "Telly Bingo" was presented from 2001–2004 by drag queen Shirley Temple Bar. The radio station RTÉ Pulse schedules Wednesday nights as "Gay Wednesday" where they broadcast programming related to the gay community. Drag queen Joanna Ryde is a presenter on regional youth station Beat 102 103.
Gay life in the country.
Cities and towns.
The gay scene in Ireland is quite developed. Irish society has become more open and tolerant as a result of increased levels of prosperity and rising liberal attitudes. Indeed, many foreigners comment that for such a small island nation of 6 million, there's so much going on, with vibrant gay scenes in all major Irish cities:
There are 8 gay & lesbian resource centres in Ireland – one each in Dublin, Belfast, Limerick, Derry, Waterford and Dundalk. Cork is home to two: one for gay men and one for lesbians.
There are also some gay communities in the smaller towns in Ireland. Strabane has a gay bar, and Castlebar, Dundalk, Drogheda, Ennis, Kilkenny Newry, Sligo and Tullamore all have occasional gay club nights.
Gay pride.
All Irish cities and many smaller towns celebrate Gay Pride with parades and festivals.
The town of Sligo with less than 20,000 inhabitants has its own annual Gay Pride parade and festival and is warmly received and supported by the local population, something which is becoming increasingly common in rural Ireland.
The gay scene across the island of Ireland is brought together during the annual Alternative Miss Ireland drag contest, Ms Gay Ireland and Mr Gay Ireland events.
Bear Movement.
As in many other countries around the world, the Bear Community has taken hold in Ireland and continues to grow. The bear movement considers itself a counter culture to the mainstream gay scene and works toward challenging the single archetype of the effeminate gay man. Most things traditionally considered masculine are celebrated within the Bear community, and Bears identify as a large subset of an already diverse demographic of gay men in Ireland. There are Bear events held monthly in Belfast and in Dublin. An all Ireland Bear Event called Béar Féile is first took place in 25–28 March 2010 and is now held annually every March. Béar Féile was the first event of its kind to take place in Ireland.
St. Patrick's day.
Saint Patrick's Day is another occasion for gay people to celebrate, as all of Ireland's ethnically diverse population including the gay community take an active part in the St. Patrick's Day parades and celebrations across the island in cities such as Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Derry, Galway and Waterford.
Annual events.
There are a varied range of LGBT-themed events throughout the calendar year in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland: