'Increase in hostility' - Mayo Pride organiser reacts to 'Child of Drag' backlash

The Mayo Pride Festival took to the streets of Westport last weekend. The event in Mayo was the first in the country to kick off Pride month.

But even though organisers are in general happy with the way the weekend turned out in Westport, it's especially rural Pride festivals across Ireland which are facing a difficult summer.

Pride events have increasingly come under pressure. There are multiple reasons: Inflation, shrinking sponsorship and an emboldened online backlash in a climate of cultural polarisation, warned Mayo Pride co-chair Seán Lavelle, in an interview with RTÉ Radio 1’s Today programme this morning.

PICTURES: The Mayo Pride Parade and festival on June Bank holiday weekend

Lavelle, himself from North Mayo town Crossmolina, said the hostility he has seen on social media is now being felt on the ground nationwide, even in towns long considered welcoming: “I’ve been monitoring social media for Mayo Pride for four or five years and I can really feel that increase in hostility,” he told the programme. “It’s a minority, but they make a lot of noise.”

One particular incident created some noise: Mayo Pride reshared an artist’s version of the Child of Prague, this one was coined 'Child of Drag — the Infant of Prague'.

INCLUDE LGBTQ PEOPLE IN CHRISTIANITY

Asked why Mayo Pride reshared that photo, Lavelle explained: “To include LGBTQ people in Christianity.” Within hours accusations of blasphemy flooded in.

He said, that the 'Child of Drag' was a good example of the difference between an internet storm and what happens in real life.

"So on Friday, we had taken down the image and I had gone onto the local parish priest, had a lovely conversation because it hadn't brought to our attention that people in the community weren't happy. So we did it the old fashioned way. We had a chat, face-to-face."

It just became like a stick to beat the Mayo Pride organisers with afterwards, because it caught the attention of users on X and groups based outside Ireland.

"And they have a real problem with Pride festivals and think that, women shouldn't have bank accounts. This is the kind of thing that you're dealing with. And they make a lot of noise. It's a minority, but they make a lot of noise."

Lavelle proposes that people get involved with their local Pride, with their local men's shed, with any local organisation that does the work on the ground of helping to build community and bring people together.

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