Michael McDowell @ 13th Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

by McD Fan Club Wed Jul 27, 2005 18:08

McDowell's role splits gay festival
Mon, Jul 25, 05
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0725/3211611302AG25LINEHAN.html

A behind-the-scenes row in the gay community over this week's gay film festival in Dublin is drawing attention to gay politics. Hugh Linehan reports on those for and against Michael McDowell opening the event.

'Look out!" is the catchy new name of Dublin's 13th Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, which takes place next weekend at the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar. But Minister for Justice Michael McDowell should perhaps take that title more literally than the organisers intended when he officially opens the event on Thursday evening.

The online bulletin boards and discussion forums of gay community groups have been buzzing with debate and argument over whether McDowell is an appropriate choice to launch this year's festival. There has been talk of egg and tomato throwing, organised protests and boycotts, while one member of the festival committee has resigned in protest at the invitation.

After the annual Gay Pride festival, the Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is the biggest social and cultural event in the calendar for gay men and women in Ireland. About 5,000 people will attend movies, themed this year around the subject of "family values". There's the French family farce Cockles and Muscles, the drama Queer Parents and the homoerotic The Clan, along with the documentary Andrew & Jeremy Get Married.

The controversy over whether McDowell's role points up divisions within a section of society which is usually described (often by itself) as a "community", but which is just as socially, politically and demographically diverse as the rest of Irish society.

The protesters are largely drawn from those who see the struggle for lesbian and gay rights as part of a broader political agenda which includes other minorities such as Travellers, the disabled and refugees (all of whom are represented within the lesbian and gay communities as well, of course).

Those who support the invitation argue that McDowell, as the government minister who will make the crucial decisions on issues such as legal partnerships and family rights for same-sex couples, is a completely appropriate choice.

"We were delighted and surprised he accepted," says festival director Brian Sheehan. "It's very significant that a lesbian and gay event can attract a senior minister's attention."

Marie Mulholland, chair of the Irish Council for Civil Liberty's Partnership Rights and Family Diversity Initiative, disagrees strongly. "I informed the board members of this, one of whom was very upset and has since resigned."

In an open letter to the festival board, Mulholland argued: "To provide a platform at a lesbian and gay community event to an individual who has done more in a short time to ensure through his legislation, policies and statements that equality remains a privilege and not a right, is an extremely difficult and disturbing development."

By the end of last week, according to Sheehan, the festival had received almost 50 letters and e-mails of protest. It responded with its own open letter, arguing: "While there has been significant progress in equality legislation in the last decade in Ireland, implementation of equality remains a significant issue, and not just for LGBT [ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered] people. Recognition and protection of our family relationships remain as key areas of inequality for us, particularly in relation to the lack of civil marriage or partnership provisions for same sex couples and the lack of recognition of same sex partnerships in immigration and residency regulations.

"There has been increasing public discussion on these subjects over the last year, and there is a growing consensus that change is required. The challenge for LGBT people is to ensure that policy and legislative changes in these areas are implemented on the basis of full equality.

"In this context, to open the festival, the DLGFF invited the Minister charged by the Government with the responsibility for Law Reform in the key areas of partnership and immigration. This Minister has huge responsibilities to our community. The Minister will be presenting on behalf of the Government the Bill to establish our civil rights to partnership and as such should meet a wide membership of our community, at a time when we can at least remind him of the urgency of our concerns."

Marie Mulholland rejects the notion that the McDowell's appearance will represent some form of engagement with lesbians and gays.

"This is not engagement. I've put several options to the festival, that there should be some kind of Q&A or that somebody should be given equal time to him on the platform. None of these has been accepted. What we've got here is the hijacking of an event which up to now has been a celebration."

Kieran Rose, chair and co-founder of the Gay & Lesbian Equality Network, accuses the protesters of practising "more radical than thou" politics.

"I don't see disability or refugee groups calling for a boycott," he says. "It's an immature kind of politics, as if nobody else has opinions on immigration. You must engage with the democratically elected government. The only way not to be criticised is to do nothing. We think it's entirely appropriate to invite the Minister to a festival around the theme of 'family values'.

"The festival has a right to invite him and there's no connection between sexual orientation and politics. Your social class has more to do with it."

On the face of it, there is no particular reason why gays should be on the left. In other countries, particularly in the US, many have seen their interests as being more closely aligned with the libertarian right and with neo-liberalism, agrees Sheehan.

"Lesbians and gays don't fit into any particular political group," he says. "Maybe activism has tended to be of the left, but there are also many people who identify socially but not politically with the community. But a lesbian and gay film festival will always be a political event when a gay couple can't walk down a Dublin street hand in hand."

Beneath the surface of the debate there are tensions surrounding the accountability of organisations such as the Gay & Lesbian Equality Network and the festival.

"Brian needs to take responsibility," says Mulholland. "There was no consultation with representative groups or with his own board. I think what's happened is indicative of a deeper malaise within the community's organisations, which are run by the same people all the time. They don't actually consult."

Rose retorts: "The other words for 'same old faces' are 'long-term commitment'. The whole question of representing the entire community is difficult. We see ourselves as accountable and transparent, with clear reporting structures."

This controversy takes place against a backdrop of expectation of changes in the law as it pertains to same-sex partnerships. Rose believes that the Oireachtas committee on the Constitution is likely to come out in favour of civil partnerships.

"Although, as an equality organisation, our position was that there should be a right to marriage, with the same duties and responsibilities," he says.

Last year, McDowell spoke in the debate in the Seanad on Senator David Norris's Civil Partnership Bill, which has been postponed pending the committee's deliberations. While drawing attention to what he said were "major constitutional, philosophical and discriminatory issues", he acknowledged on behalf of the Government "that the position before the law of same-sex couples and others in caring relationships, including extending State recognition to civil partnerships between such persons, needs to be addressed. We cannot walk away from, ignore or postpone this issue."

Rose believes the speech was a "positive enough analysis of the need for change". He also accepts that the gay community was extremely unhappy with changes introduced by the Government last year, which excluded same-sex couples from recognition for social welfare purposes, and with Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Coughlan's comment that Ireland was not ready and "may never be ready" for gay couples with children in a family unit.

"This is not our ideal government, but we'd be waiting around a long time for that," he says.

Mulholland doesn't believe that there'll be any fruit or vegetables thrown in the Irish Film Institute this Thursday and is wary of the protest being hijacked by groups such as the Socialist Workers Party, but she points to a late fundraising drive by the festival as proof that "people have spoken with their money" and will be staying away. There is also talk of a petition and of leaflets being circulated.

Michael Cronin, a former board member of the festival, is also opposed to the invitation, but reflective about what it means.

"To me, the festival has always been about openness and equality," he says. "Michael McDowell seems to me to be opposed to that. There's no doubt he's a divisive and controversial figure. The people who are involved in lobbying groups appear to think they always know best. But the reason I can be publicly critical of them is because they have helped create the conditions in which I, as a gay man of my generation, can do that. This may turn out to be a good thing, if it gets people like me thinking about these issues of accountability."

by Barry Wed Jul 27, 2005 18:23

Does anyone know if Michael McDowell is married or not ? Ive never seen his wife on telly...

funny enough .

hhmmmm.

by Devil Dog Wed Jul 27, 2005 18:41

Yes, Barry, hilarious. His wife is Prof Niamh Breatnach, an academic at UCD.

by McD Fan Club Wed Jul 27, 2005 19:16

rumour on the street is that
asylum seekers will be presenting the Minister
with a one-way ticket to Nigeria

stay tuned.

by :-) Wed Jul 27, 2005 19:44

I suggest a community grass roots Fatwa on 11 year old girl on boy or boy on girl action whether or not it results in the Mammy Harney morning after pill.

by Mags Thu Jul 28, 2005 02:27

Dear Friends,

As you are probably aware the committee for LookOut!, The 13th Dublin
Lesbian ad Gay Film Festival have invited the Minister for Justice, Equality
and Law Reform Michael McDowell to open this year's festival. The Minister
has accepted this invitation. This decision was taken without any
consultation with the community and following information of the decision
being communicated to members of the community a substantial number of
objections were lodged by means of letter and emails.

These objections were discussed by the committee at a meeting on Thursday
July 14th.

However, the committee refused to consider withdrawing the invitation and
were not prepared to consider putting in place any arrangements whereby
attendees at the Launch could engage with the Minister in a meaningful and
democratic way, neither was consideration given to having representation of
the diversity within the LGBT community on the platform to respond to the
Minister.

The theme of this year's festivals is *Family Values*, and in response to
this decision to invite Michael McDowell to launch the festival, thereby
providing him with a public platform at a community event, a coalition of
concerned members of our community as well as other minority groups has
formed to protest this decision and ask the question: *Whose "Family
Values"?*

While supporting the film festival and the committee and selectors who have
worked to put together this year's programme, we feel strongly that the
decision to invite Minister McDowell to open the festival was ill-advised
for a number of reasons:


- During his tenure as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the Minister has introduced legislation that reduces the rights of members
of minorities below an acceptable standard. Examples of such legislation
include the Disabilities Act 2005, Equality Act 2004 and the Immigration Act
2004.
- During his tenure as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the Minister has overseen a policy of night-time/secret deportations
instilling fear into asylum seekers who have come to our country to escape
from persecution. The Minister has also described his international legal
obligation to comply with the UN Convention on Refugees as an inconvenience.
This, coupled with the Constitutional Amendment on citizenship, is
indicative of the Minister's 'Fortress Ireland' approach to immigration,
inclusion and diversity.
- The Minister has asserted in public that "gay people do not want to
get married" and has expressed support for some kind of legislation that
would equalize tax as well as provide for some additional supports in terms
of immigration but which would not in any way provide an adequate level of
security for LGBT families, particularly families with children.
- The Minister forms part of a Government that has, in the last year
and a half alone, introduced a number of pieces of legislation that
specifically discriminate against people in same-sex relationships, namely
Civil Registration Act 2004, Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act
2004, and Residential Tenancies Act 2004. These pieces of legislation are
the first overtly homophobic laws to be passed within the established EU
states for over a decade.

Given all of the above it is clear that the Minister's policies are in
opposition to what we perceive to be family values, *i.e.* equality,
diversity, respect, caring, and a feeling of shared endeavour. We strongly
believe that inviting the Minister to launch the festival does not reflect
our family values or the family values of a substantial portion of our
community who are unwilling to accepted partial equality for the some
members of the LGBT community on the back of extreme inequality for other
minority groups.

We understand many people have decided not to attend the festival and that
several donors have withdrawn their funding in protest. We also realise that
the festival is a very important event for many members of the LGBT
community and that many people still wish to attend to support the festival
but not the invitation to the Minister to launch the event.

If you agree that this invitation was ill-advised we ask you to carry out
the following actions at the launch and during the festival itself:


- If you are inside the cinema on the launch night we ask you not to
applaud the Minister or his announcement in the IFI;
- If you are outside of the cinema on the launch night we ask you to
stand quietly when the Minister passes through either the front entrance to
the IFI or the back entrance (Market Square). Please note that we are
*not* organising a protest outside of the cinema although we support
those who decide to do so;
- On the film feedback sheets please note your unhappiness with the
decision to invite the Minister;
- Please approach the committee members throughout the weekend to
express your disappointment at the decision. Committee members are usually
identified by means of a name badge and this year's committee are Brian
Sheehan and Kris McGuirk (Directors), Feargha Ni Bhrion, Nick Costello,
Maurice Farrell.
- The issue of the invitation is currently being covered in national
and local media. Letters to the editors of the Irish Times, GCN, Village
Magazine, etc. may be of use in outlining the concerns of those against the
invitation.

Thank you for your support. We would ask you to share this email with your
friends and colleagues. If you wish to contact Whose Family Values please
email us at [email protected]

by Micky McDicky Thu Jul 28, 2005 17:07

pehaps McDowell would be tempted after his trip to Nigeria to get some of his own daughters a Female Genital Mutilation - seeing as he thinks Nigeria and FGM are safe and acceptable things?