‘Homosexuality is not a problem – it doesn’t do you any harm and can be lots of fun’: Students and Gay Rights Activism in Irish Universities, 1970s–1980s

Abstract

Using primary archival material, this article explores the role of students and universities in the campaign for gay rights in Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s. At a time when few organisations in Ireland involved themselves in the campaign for gay rights, student bodies facilitated the promotion of gay rights, interaction between gay rights organisations and students and challenged the legal and societal attitudes towards homosexuality in Ireland. In doing so, universities, both north and south of the border, became important spaces of gay rights activism, both in terms of the activities taking place there, but also symbolically, as gay and lesbian students challenged their right to claim a space within their respective universities, something denied to them in the past. Moreover, through the use of the student press, conferences and campaigns to gain official recognition for gay societies, students helped to promote a broader discussion on gay rights in Ireland. This case study analysis of gay rights activism on Irish universities offers an insight into the importance of exploring the efforts of students beyond the long 1960s, arguing that students continued to be important agents in challenging the status quo in Ireland and transforming Irish social norms.