UCC launches Proud Ally Student Network to support LGBTQ+ allies 

University College Cork (UCC) has become the first higher education institution in Ireland to launch a Proud Ally Student Network.

Led by UCC’s Graduate Attributes Programme, the network aims to support LGBTQ+ allies who actively support the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community.

They will be working towards ending discrimination and promoting equality through acting as advocates for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Adel Coleman, Graduate Attributes Programme Manager explained that a recent report by BeLonG To highlights that 76% of LGBTQ+ secondary school students don’t feel safe at school.

“These are the students who arrive each year at UCC, and who deserve to feel safe and valued in university”, she said, explaining that they aimed to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in UCC.

The network will host events and training opportunities, as well as online resources and information such as why it’s necessary to be a LGBTQ+ ally, the importance of pronouns, and the history of LGBTQ+ in Ireland.

It was launched on October 19 to coincide with International Day of Pronouns, which is celebrated on the third Wednesday of October every year.

Brian O'Kane, Chairperson of the LGBTQ+ student society, UCCSU Equality Working Group LGBTQ+ representative 22/23, said that he had “Never known truer allies” than the organisers of the network.

The International Human Rights Law and Public Policy student said: “Thank you for speaking in spaces where we cannot be heard - it has meant the world to us.” 

 UCC President Professor John O’Halloran added: “Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, compassion, and integrity.

“It is our responsibility to be effective global citizens who recognise and challenge inequality and are socially responsible.” 

To be a Proud Ally we need to educate ourselves on the challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face, and spend some time reflecting on who we are, what matters to us, and how we respond to different situations in our lives.

“We need to understand, acknowledge, and challenge our own prejudices - through this network, we aim to help make our campus an even more inclusive, warm, and welcoming place.”