# Sexuality

This year

2023

# LGBT

'The worst time of my life': Irish research shows lasting harm of LGBT+ 'conversion therapy'

Participants used words like ‘traumatising’, ‘destructive’ and ‘horrendous’ to describe their experiences.

19.9k

Feb 17th 2023, 12:26 PM

Last year

2022

# Struggles

'I became a self-harmer, I didn’t want to be here frankly' - Kelly Holmes

The double Olympic champion says she suffered a breakdown in 2020.

8.6k

Jun 20th 2022, 9:58 PM

All time

# Discrimination

'We had bottles thrown at us, a woman spit on us': Six in 10 LGBT people avoid holding hands in public

Three in 10 people avoid certain locations for fear of being assaulted, according to a new survey.

27.1k

May 14th 2020, 6:00 AM

# Consent

Why the conversation around Normal People's sex scenes shows how Ireland has changed

The issue of consent is to the forefront – and the complaints are at a minimum.

50.6k

May 2nd 2020, 10:00 AM

Voices

Opinion: Why we asked people on the streets of Dublin if they watch pornography

Cliodhna McAllister writes about how her experiences with Tinder, dating and porn got her thinking about how we view sexuality and gender in Ireland.

42.2k

Feb 26th 2020, 7:00 PM

# Child Protection

Irish government to consider similar legislation to UK 'porn block' law

From July pornography sites will be required to have robust age-verification systems in place for UK users.

27.3k

Apr 29th 2019, 6:10 AM

# Closer Look

'We have this intrinsic idea of masculinity. Talking about mental well-being or sexuality is stigmatised'

Dublin star Nicole Owens delves deeper into her story, and explores how and why the GAA is a heteronormative environment for men but being openly gay is accepted in the women’s game.

29.6k

Apr 6th 2019, 8:00 AM

# Mental Health

‘You’ve got everything now, you should be fine’: How youth workers are helping LGBTI+ people post-marriage referendum

Marriage equality and the Gender Recognition Act were two significant milestones in recent years, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

18.0k

Oct 20th 2018, 8:30 PM

# On Chesil Beach

Saoirse Ronan's new film is about sex, the sixties, and a doomed marriage

We talked to the director of Saoirse Ronan’s new film, On Chesil Beach.

26.4k

May 27th 2018, 10:30 AM

# none of your business

Harry Styles has won so much praise for his response to questions about his sexuality

“It’s tough to justify somebody having to answer to someone else about stuff like that.”

13.0k

May 16th 2017, 9:02 AM

# Stereotypes

Sex education often 'out of touch and taught by embarrassed teachers'

Research has found stereotyping is common, with women often depicted as passive and men as predatory.

11.7k

Sep 13th 2016, 8:41 AM

# it's science

Genes have a big influence on when you lose your virginity

That’s according to a study which looked at the lives of 380,000 people.

22.8k

Apr 19th 2016, 9:55 AM

# USA

This self-confessed, non-offending paedophile says society needs to accept him

American Todd Nickerson claims that the key to helping him, and others like him, is understanding not condemnation.

29.6k

160

Sep 22nd 2015, 10:19 PM

Voices

'I don’t date based on gender, for me, gender doesn't determine attraction'

Bisexuality wasn’t invented in 2015 and neither was the possibility of having a fluid sexual orientation, writes Oisín McKenna.

4.2k

126

Sep 5th 2015, 8:30 PM

# Sex Workers

'Prostitution should be legal because men want more sex than women'

An expert has proposed the controversial idea.

31.7k

Aug 11th 2015, 8:30 PM

# sexy mama

Your mam is probably having better sex than you

Go on mam.

13.4k

Jul 23rd 2015, 3:31 PM

# growing up gay

#GrowingUpGay is trending in Ireland and it's funny and heartbreaking

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend yet?”

7.0k

Jul 15th 2015, 9:26 AM

# ruby rose

People are talking about 'turning gay' for this girl, and it's not going down well

Ruby Rose is turning heads as a new Orange is the New Black character.

13.1k

Jun 17th 2015, 4:20 PM

# courageous

14 lovely reactions to Pat Carey's interview about being gay

The former Fianna Fáil minister spoke about his sexuality on RTÉ Radio One this morning.

20.0k

Feb 13th 2015, 7:38 PM

Voices

Opinion: Hold hands or hide? I'm going to stop adjusting my life to suit everyone else

I am fed up with being worried about other people’s reactions. My new year’s resolution is to hold my boyfriend’s hand when we walk down the street.

4.0k

102

Jan 22nd 2015, 8:00 AM

# sexual orientation

"Thanks so much": Leo Varadkar on the reaction to his announcement that he's gay

He hadn’t commented since the Sunday interview with Miriam O’Callaghan.

19.7k

Jan 20th 2015, 7:10 PM

# Speaking out

Here's what the world thought of Leo Varadkar saying 'I'm gay'

He spoke publicly about his sexuality on radio yesterday.

45.7k

Jan 19th 2015, 8:46 PM

# proud

Here's the heartfelt letter a 9-year-old girl wrote her teacher after he came out as gay

Beautiful.

5.4k

Dec 16th 2014, 4:17 PM

# ...and tell me that you love me

British porn enthusiasts stage face-sitting protest against new law

Some campaigners say the new law violates sexual freedom and is misogynistic.

31.0k

Dec 12th 2014, 3:24 PM

Voices

Opinion: Why do some straight people automatically assume a gay person fancies them?

Gay people aren’t sexual predators ready to pounce on unsuspecting straight friends and colleagues… so calm down.

6.4k

Nov 8th 2014, 12:00 PM

# dry atin'

Yes, Margo really did compare gay sex to a sandwich on the Late Late Show

OK then.

9.5k

Sep 27th 2014, 12:37 PM

Voices

Opinion: Employees can still be discriminated against over their sexuality – this must end

The private lives of teachers and health workers should never be used against them, writes Senator Ivana Bacik.

725

Sep 26th 2014, 8:00 AM

Voices

Opinion: When is the right time to tell a child that you're gay?

Should adults be open with children, as much as is age appropriate, or should they try to avoid questions about sexuality?

3.0k

Aug 31st 2014, 7:30 PM

# the birds and the bees

'Sex didn’t exist until the Late Late show': Can Irish people talk about intimacy?

A conference taking place in Cork this weekend aims to start a public discussion on sexual wellbeing.

14.6k

Jun 21st 2014, 8:15 AM

# Open

'I don’t see what a person's sexuality has to do with anything' - Ger Brennan

The Dublin and St Vincent’s footballer has stressed the importance of diversity and inclusiveness within the GAA and sport as a whole.

43.4k

Apr 14th 2014, 2:59 PM

# sellotape sex education

Pure in Heart: “We don’t have a negative view of sex”

The group were responding after claims that at one of their sex education talks they taped two students together by their wrists.

24.5k

172

Feb 24th 2014, 9:31 PM

# somebody to love

Irish people talk about romance, sexuality and disability

“We’re all people”.

2.1k

Feb 14th 2014, 8:30 PM

Voices

Column: I am gay. I have always been gay. I’ve never not been gay.

I’m happy with who I am and I love this country – but I am not happy with how I get treated for how I live my life, writes Christopher Chong.

1.0k

178

Feb 4th 2014, 7:30 PM

# Protest

Watch Panti's powerful speech about oppression of gay people

Rory O’Neill took to the Abbey stage last night to deliver oration on how homosexuality is still stigmatised in Ireland.

58.8k

198

Feb 2nd 2014, 9:28 PM

# RTÉ

RTÉ releases recording of controversial God Slot show in advance of broadcast

RTÉ was forced to respond to criticism after ‘curing gays’ tweet last night.

21.5k

Jan 17th 2014, 3:08 PM

# the god slot

RTÉ says ‘curing gays’ tweet was taken the wrong way

A Twitter account for an RTÉ Radio religious programme asked if ‘gays can be cured’, sparking outrage on Twitter.

41.8k

214

Jan 16th 2014, 10:48 PM

Voices

Column: Is it still taboo for a woman to carry condoms?

We have superficially become more ‘open’ about sex, but our core beliefs and attitudes haven’t really changed; female sexuality can induce a degree of fear in some people, writes Tony Moore.

3.3k

101

Oct 12th 2013, 7:00 PM

Voices

Lisa McInerney: Sharing of 'Slane Girl' pics does disservice to women and men

If you’re more upset about a sexual act occurring than about the malicious sharing of images of that act online, then you have a lot to think about, writes Lisa McInerney.

979

413

Aug 20th 2013, 11:05 AM

Voices

Column: We need education about porn, not censorship

While pornography can create dangerous misconceptions about sex, shutting down all such exploration only reinforces the notion that sex is something dirty and shameful, writes Genevieve Shanahan.

434

Jul 31st 2013, 7:00 AM

Voices

Lisa McInerney: Pornification of teen sexuality - but we can't just blame porn

The UK plans to make online pornography an ‘opt-in’ choice to try and shield children from it – but will that really protect kids from early sexualisation?

397

Jul 29th 2013, 7:00 AM