LGBTI+ Awareness Week was opened yesterday, Sunday 16 May by the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Joe Kavanagh. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress were honoured to open LGBTI+ Awareness Week by raising the Intersectional Rainbow Flag at Cork City Hall.

This year, Cork City Council was joined by our Sister City, San Francisco to raise the Rainbow Flag at the same moment across time zones, with Cork City raising its rainbow flag at 6pm and San Francisco raising theirs at 10am. San Francisco gifted Cork City with its Rainbow Flag and in 2014 Cork City became the first city on the island of Ireland to formally raise a Rainbow Flag over a civic and public building. This year, Cork City gifted this new Intersectional Rainbow Flag to San Francisco.  

Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Joe Kavanagh said: “I’m delighted to raise this progressive intersectional flag over our great city. This act signifies our desire to be inclusive of the many diversities within the LGBTI+ community.  I am especially pleased that our friends in our sister city San Francisco are gathered right now at their City Hall to also raise this flag with us. It is truly heartening that right across the world we can join together, in safe fashion, to raise our voices and our flags to promote inclusion. Together we are welcoming IDAHOBIT Day (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia Day), and are committing ourselves to challenge prejudice and discrimination around sexual orientation, gender identity and all forms of intolerance and hatred.

Clair Farley, executive director of the office of Transgender Initiatives, San Francisco, said “We are delighted to receive such a wonderful gift from Cork City, the progress Pride flag with the logos of both of our cities. It symbolises our desire to continue to work together on issues of LGBTQ inclusion and equality, both as sister cities and hopefully in the future as members of the Rainbow Cities Network”

Cork City will mark international IDAHOBIT Day 2021 by bringing Cork City, public services, community groups and LGBTI+, and NGOs, together to challenge homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

Each year, Cork City Council raises the Rainbow Flag over Cork City and across public buildings, parks and community spaces. 2021 marks the first year that the Intersectional Rainbow flag will be raised.  

For updates on LGBTI+ Awareness Week please visit:

Facebook: Cork City LGBT Inter-Agency Group

Twitter: @CorkLGBTWeek 

Notes:

• A ‘Notes to Cork’ billboard campaign will run throughout LGBTI+ Awareness Week. Watch out for We are Cork campaign peppered across Cork city with a special rainbow theme, highlighting intersectionality and diversity.
• As a member city of the Rainbow Cities Network, we have submitted an entry to the shared RCN Photography Exhibition – Intersectionality in the LGBTQ Community and the exhibition will be available to view across our social media platforms during LGBTI+ Awareness Week.

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