Online Webinar: Tuesday 10th August @ 20:00
Sporting Pride, the association tasked with getting the LGBTQ+ community active, have partnered with Galway Community Pride to bring you what promises to be an insightful open discussion on getting out and active, with a focus on the wonderful county of Galway!
Galway Community Pride celebrates its 32nd consecutive year this summer, with Pride week celebrations kicking off this coming Monday August 9th.
Joining us for this particular event will be:
Connor Shine - Event host
Alexis McHale - Cycling & Camping
Megan Reilly - Flaming Feathers LGBTQ Badminton
Jude Little - Sea Swimming
Dublin Pride have kindly offered to support us and will stream live via their Facebook and Youtube pages on Tuesday 10th August at 20:00.
This discussion will feature LGBTQ+ athletes talking openly and honestly about their personal experiences in sport with the aim of encouraging more community members, especially those in Galway, to get out and be active. The panellists will focus on a number of topics, including (but not limited to):
What inspires them to get out and stay active
Experience as an LGBTQ+ person who has benefitted from physical activity
What needs to be done to encourage higher levels of physical activity in LGBTQ+ community members
Towards the end of the live interview, viewers will have the opportunity to ask the panel questions via the forum, a unique offering that enables viewers to interact directly with the participants.
Connor Shine, a member for the Galway Community Pride Committee, believes that “being able to get outdoors and avail of all of the fantastic amenities on offer in Galway has had a hugely positive impact on my life over the past 10 years I've lived here, but particularly over the last 15 months. Taking part in sport, physical activity and connecting with nature have all helped me manage my mental health throughout the pandemic and also over the years as I've navigated my LGBTQ+ identity. I'm delighted that as part of Galway Community Pride this year we are able to partner with Sporting Pride and Dublin Pride and cohost what I expect to be an enjoyable, inspiring and worthwhile event”.
To watch this free webinar, go to the live streaming links below on Tuesday 10th August at 20:00
About the Panel
Connor Shine - Presenter
Connor is a biomedical engineer working in industry in Galway. He is an Ordinary Committee Member on the Galway Community Pride committee for 2021, and he is actively involved in the LGBTQ+ community in Galway, where he plays soccer with the local LGBTQ+ football team, Teach Solais Tribes FC, is an active member of the running group set up by AMACH LGBT+, and where he regularly attended drop-in at the local resource centre Teach Solais, prior to its closure. Connor was recently appointed to a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Panel created by Fulbright Ireland, and he is a board member of the Irish Fulbright Alumni Association and of Fulbright Prism Ireland.
Alexis McHale (She/Her) - Cycling & Camping
Alexis is an avid cycling and outdoors enthusiast based in Galway City. She loves camping, hiking, and researching outdoor adventures whilst being cooped up at home during this pandemic. Her bike is her primary method of transport, but she also enjoys attending local cycling events with the Galway Cycling Campaign and the Galway Urban Greenway Alliance.
Megan Reilly - Flaming Feathers LGBTQ Badminton
Megan is a youth worker currently based in Dublin, but she spent many years working and studying in Galway. While in Galway she was involved with Galway pride and Teach Solais, and played badminton with the University team. She now plays with the Flaming Feathers LGBT+ Badminton club and is on the committee as Secretary and Diversity officer. She helped set up an initiative called Femme feathers to encourage more women and non binary people to join the club. During the pandemic she took to playing Tag rugby to stay active, but badminton remains her true sporting love! Megan is also a volunteer with LGBT Ireland and sits on the board of the Irish Family Planning Association.
Jude Little - Sea Swimming
About the Hosts
Sporting Pride
Founded in 2018, Sporting Pride is Ireland’s sport, fitness and exercise body, tasked with inspiring the LGBTQ+ community to get active. Research shows that 55% of LGBT men and 56% of LGBT women are not active enough to maintain good health, compared with 33% and 45% respectively of the general public. As a member of the EGLSF and the Federation of Gay Games, Sporting Pride also offers LGBTQ+ sportspeople the opportunity to represent Ireland in international competitions. For more: www.sportingpride.ie
Galway Community Pride
The annual Galway Community Pride Festival – the longest continual Pride event in Ireland – will take place from Monday August 9 to Sunday 15 and this year’s theme will be ‘Hope’. This event will encompass everything that makes our city the cultural magnet that it is. The aim is to encourage involvement from the wider community, and to highlight the great variety of people that make Galway such a vibrant and exciting place to live and visit. Events throughout the week will include online panels on a variety of topics, online workshops and safe spaces, a Vigil, an BTQIA picnic, and a number of live music and performance events. In place of the usual Pride Parade, there will be a Pride day in Salthill, which will include a Picnic, entertainment and a Pride swim. Find out more by visiting their Facebook Page or email infogalwaypride@gmail.com
Dublin Pride
Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival & Parade happens every year in June and celebrates respect, inclusion, diversity, and equality. Dublin Pride is one of the biggest people's parades and festivals in Ireland now, Pride is 365 days not just for one day. Dublin Pride runs events, workshops, and talks throughout the year and has hosted successful Winter Pride and Pride at Work events in recent times. Find out more here: www.dublinpride.ie
Sporting Pride Contact
Karina Murray: karina.murray@sportingpride.ie