Though Dublin Pride celebrations are still fresh in our minds , the energy and excitement which surrounds them must keep rolling onward. Even after Pride Month is over, keeping its message of queer celebration alive throughout the year is an essential part of sustaining the place of LGBTQ+ folk in society. Pride is a fantastic opportunity to show the very best of the community, to reflect on queer heritage and remind ourselves to continue pursuing  visibility for those who are still underrepresented . To carry this passion forward, here are a few suggestions to keep you inspired. 

 

Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

Mock’s memoir is, like so many other memoirs, a walk-through of the author’s personal journey. Mock tells us stories of her childhood, her search for personal identity, relationships and her career. The memoir is many things: warm and touching in some parts, shocking and disturbing in others, but one thing it is not, as Mock herself has said, is a “trans memoir”. Instead, the memoir is something much more, it’s a piece of work that is emotionally affecting and uncompromising in its mission statement to represent her own lived experience. 

 

SoHo by Richard Scott. 

Scott’s debut – which did not last long enough in the spotlight – is brilliant. The collection explores homosexual male identity and its heritage, using language that is gentle yet alive. The three-part collection has impressive breadth. The poems, an exciting mix of traditional verse and modern form, create a thematically cohesive poetic landscape. The step from one poem to the next feels intentional, without seeming forced, smoothly flowing through scenes of queer love to monsterous violence and bitter isolation. The poems live by their own shocking rhythm, each one uniquely independent in perspective and purpose though always in the service of the collection. They bristle with the urgent energy of a lonely man eager to escape safety and embrace love. 

 

The Trans Music Podcast

The Trans Music Podcast is your next favourite commuting companion. The episodes are few, we only have ten, but they are all precious. The show is presented by Riley who interviews trans musicians who discuss their different journeys, inspirations and motivations for the music they create. The talks are casual and open, a lot of the time the interviewees answer tough questions with relaxed laughs, setting an easily addictive tone anyone could be comforted by. 

 

Tales of the City 

This Netflix reboot of the 90s show has been a huge success. The crowded cast, lead by Laura Linney (Ozark, The Big C), welcomes viewers into the lives lived inside and around the Painted Ladies of San Francisco. Set nineteen years on  from the original show, the reboot wins by bringing fresh-faces and relevant plotlines to the show. The show is impressive primarily for its ability to be honest without succumbing to pessimism. It avoids the trap which most queer fiction does not: they actually allow their stars to be happy, avoiding a sadistic narrative of self-loathing hurtling towards tragedy. This is refreshing, and a vital step in the diversification of queer representation for mainstream media.

 

Carol

This Cate Blachett/ Rooney Mara drama is stellar. The script, which is amongst the most honest and skillful you’ll see in films released in the last decade, follows the clandestine relationship between an upper-class married mother and a young shop clerk. The story progresses gently without the burden of a slow pace. The setting of 1950s New York is perfectly realised through costume and set design. However, the true value and merit of the film is its exploration and commentary on female sexuality and desire. In a film industry which largely keeps no interest in female  sexual interests or the physical fulfillment of women, the love scenes featured in Carol are bold and artistic, walking the line between sexually aggressive and sensitive magnificently.