June is Pride month, in case you haven't noticed the onslaught of rainbows on every corporation's logo over the last two weeks, but we've got another matter in mind to address: Dating apps.
Most of us haven't yet realised that the most popular dating apps around are heavily tailored towards heterosexual, cisgender people.
Why not spread the love around, eh? Give queer people, gender non-binary folk, trans people, gay men and lesbians a shot at swiping right.
We've gathered our top five best dating apps for queer people, so grab your Pride and get on the Swipe Slide.
1. Her
Her is, without a doubt, one of the best dating apps for lesbian, bisexual and queer women.
Why? It's simple: It was made BY queer women FOR queer women, rather than just creating a heteronormative app and then tailoring it for lesbians.
We absolutely love Her's unapologetic approach to love, and their respect for intersectional inclusion for those of all races, sexes and gender-identities.
Don't let the name fool you: The site is one of the most popular dating apps for both cisgender and non-binary people looking to meet other queer women or non-binary people.
The app allows users to create a social media-like presence through profiles and queer event suggestions, allowing you to meet people in the flesh. Love is in the air, for everyone this time.
2. Lesly
Dating apps created specifically for lesbians and bisexual+ women seem like few and far between; enter Lesly.
The site works similarly to Tinder, and uses photo-based profiles that you can swipe left or right for.
On this app, however, you'll only find queer women and no straight men looking to creep on lesbian women…Thank the Lord.
Image: Lesly
3. Fem
Fem is a dating app geared towards lesbians and those interested in meeting lesbians. Despite the language, which appears to exclude trans people and gender-non binary folk, the app isn't only for lesbians.
Queer women of any and all sexual orientations and gender presentations use it successfully, and the app encourages users to make video profiles. There's also a group chat setting.
Making a video profile isn't compulsory, so don't worry if being in front of the camera isn't your thing. Just upload a killer selfie, and get swiping.
Image: FEM
4. OkCupid
While OkCupid began by focusing almost exclusively on straight people, it has now developed to become far more welcome towards the queer community.
The site have added a rake of new gender identity and sexual orientation option, and has more extensive user profiles so it's great for finding a real, romantic connection for a long-term, relationship/
They ask a huge amount of questions when you download the app, but the detailed profiles definitely pay off.
Hinge sets up potential partners through their mutual friends on Facebook.
It only matches you with friends of friends, so you're never meet with someone too far outside of your social circle, rather than basing matches on location.
The site allows you to answer questions about yourself in your profile, meaning it's more in-depth than Tinder or Bumble. Hinge also sends you daily ‘batches’ of matches, so it's pretty good for progress.
That sums up our top five dating apps for queer folk, but don't forget that Bumble and Tinder still work for the LGBT+ community, they just weren't initially made for them.
There are other great LGBT+ dating apps like Taimi. And not forgetting Grindr and Chappy that are KEY for gay men, with Grindr working incredibly successfully for hook-ups and Chappy supporting long-term gay relationships. All we can say is…YAS.
Happy Pride, folks. Find some romance, even if it's just self-love. If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love anyone else?"
Amnesty Ireland are hoping to host a disco at Dáil Éireann to protest US Vice President Mike Pence's visit to Ireland/
The visit has been moved forward, and Amnesty has began crowdfunding to organise the event in time.
On their crowdfunding page, they said:
“He’ll be in Dublin on the 3rd of September. We want to have a Disco outside the Dáil (at 1pm) in protest. A celebration of all the people that Pence and Trump’s cruel policies are hurting; women, refugees, migrants, and LGBTI people."
Hey @VP Mike Pence, you might have heard we’re having a disco outside the Dáil tomorrow at 1pm when you’re here, and you’re invited!
Come and see what it means to be Irish these days – we are a country that wants to love and accept people! pic.twitter.com/ypQJcBPPAm
“We want to show him, and people that support him, that we’re a different country now and that he can’t go back to the USA and say that Ireland supports him, Trump or their policies of hate.
“We’re going to need plenty of colourful banners, a sound system for music, a stage for dancing and maybe even a disco ball! Leftover funds will go to support our other related campaigns.
“And we’re going to invite Mr Pence to our disco. We hope he RSVP’s.”
Pence is renowned for defending the horrible conditions in US immigrant detention centres recently, and tweeted his excitement at the prospect of celebrating his "Irish roots".
Of course, many Twitter users were highly disgusted at the hypocrisy. His grandfather immigrated to the US from Co. Sligo in 1923, so his anti-immigrant views are even more ridiculous.
Pence’s trip is expected to cost up to €10 million in security costs.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his partner Matt Barrett attended a breakfast with Pence and his wife Karen, which must have been awkward considering the Vice President’s track record on LGBT+ rights.
Hey @VP, we haven’t received your RSVP to our disco outside the Dáil today at 1pm.
Pence voted against hate crime laws during his stint in Congress, and has allegedly endorsed cruel gay conversion therapy. His wife also teaches in a school which refuses to accept LGBTI pupils.
Pence opposed the repeal of the US military’s controversial 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' policy in 2010, citing that he did not want to see the military become ‘a backdrop for social experimentation’. Wow.
To make Disco at the Dáil happen, donate here. You can find full details of the event here.
In an age of television that is still blatantly anti-LGBTQ+, one reality show rises above the rest. Love Island, in our view, didn't get enough criticism for it's heteronormativity among other flaws.
Representation of queer people remains massively lacking, especially on reality TV where most people involved are of the same weight, race, age and sexual orientation. They look filtered, pretty much.
MTV's latest series of Are You The One? is back for season eight, but with a beautiful twist: every one of the cast members are sexually fluid. Thank the good Lord, it's what we've been waiting for.
This glittery MTV show will fill the empty void of your life now that Love Island has ended. 16 singles from all over the US have flown to Hawaii for the summer to try and find love, without gender limits.
“Welcome to the most ambitious matchmaking experiment ever attempted,” said host Ryan Devlin. The cash prize is a little more than the ITV dating show…try $1 million.
The contestants have 10 weeks, and 10 match-up (recoupling) ceremonies to try and find out who their perfect match is. All 16 contestants are fair game, so it's far more challenging this time around.
Topics surrounding gender identity and sexuality will be approached, and progressive narratives that the LGBTQ community wholeheartedly deserve.
Competitions, dates and truth booths will be part and parcel of the experience every week, but drama, fights, heartbreak, sex and juicy content ensues as a result.
The 2019 cast's perfect matches are discovered through a dating algorithm, based on a vigorous process involving comprehensive interviews, IQ and personality tests, interviews with family, friends and exes.
“The matchmakers got pretty deep into all of the contestants’ past relationship history, so they would do these interviews with the contestants and their family, friends, and exes. All that information was combined and analysed,” executive producer Tiffany Williams revealed toEntertainment Weekly.
The discourse surrounding gender identity still needs to be opened up further, and queer representation is a great place to start. Awareness and education about sexuality can be provided through the medium of reality TV (Drag Race changed the damn GAME).
“It’s still a fun, drama-filled salacious ridiculous reality show but it’s now got a social message underneath it,” Executive producer Rob LaPlante stated in an interview with Variety.
MTV have provided a relationship expert, Dr Frankie, who specialises in working with the LGBTQ community. Proper mental health support is 100 percent needed throughout the process and afterward.
Seeing as much of the drama is usually constructed, many fans have expressed concerns for queer people being exploited for entertainment. MTV appear to be deconstructing heteronormative conversations in a positive way, however. We adore the inclusive cast.
Are You The One? season eight airs on MTV at 10pm every Monday. Grab that queer content by the rainbow.
Victoria's Secret have hired their first out transgender model, only one year on from Ed Razek's controversial transphobic comments about the brand's annual fashion show.
The VS Angels have added Valentina Sampaio to their roster, making the model the brand's first out VS Angel. Sampaio announced the news to her Instagram followers, and her agent confirmed it with CNN.
Sampaio is already a spokesperson for L'Oréal, and was the first out transgender woman to feature on the cover of Vogue. She appeared on the cover of Vogue Paris in March 2017 with the issue covering transgender beauty.
She later covered Vogue Brazil and Vogue Germany in the same year as well as appearing on ELLE Brazil's cover in 2016. Trans inclusivity was once again the subject, with ELLE being ahead of the curve,
Sampaio broke the news last week on her Instagram, posting a photo of her backstage during a Victoria's Secret campaign. She captioned the photo; "Backstage chick" and tagged VS Pink.
The stunning model's agent, Erio Zanon, confirmed that the lingerie brand hired Valentina to be part of a campaign for the PINK line, which will be released in mid-August.
Many of us will recall Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer for Victoria's Secret's parent company, L Brands. The exec made controversial comments about plus size women and transgender models during an interview with Vogue last year.
Razek commented that Victoria's Secret had chosen not to include diverse women in the show, in terms of body physique and genders.
"Do I think about diversity? Yes. Does the brand think about diversity? Yes. Do we offer larger sizes? Yes," Razek told the magazine.
"It's like, why doesn't your show do this? Shouldn't you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don't think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It's a 42-minute entertainment special."
Please read this important message from Ed Razek, Chief Marketing Officer, L Brands (parent company of Victoria’s Secret). pic.twitter.com/CW8BztmOaM
Razek later apologised and retracted his comments, and his official statement was posted on Victoria's Secret's Twitter account:
"My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive," Razek wrote.
"I apologise. To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We've had transgender models come to castings…and like many others, they didn't make it…But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are."
Tinder has taken new steps to protect it's LGBTQ+ users from prejudice abroad with a feature designed for safe travel.
Despite the fact that more countries are making vital strides towards equality worldwide for the LGBTQ+ community, there are still 70 countries that persecute individuals for sexual orientation and gender identity.
Thankfully, Tinder is putting this prejudice at the forefront of people's minds by taking steps to ensure the safety of its LGBTQ+ users when travelling.
The dating app announced that LGBTQ+ users will receive an alert when entering a country which has discriminatory laws.
Tinder refers to the feature as 'Traveller Alert' in a new blog post explaining their latest technological advance.
In a bid to ensure safety of its users from the #LGBTQ+ community, online dating app #Tinder announced a new feature called the 'Traveller Alert' pic.twitter.com/jqXS72efEM
“It’s no secret that we believe everyone has the right to live how they want to live and love who they want to love.
"And while there are still efforts to protect our freedoms from LGBTQ+ discrimination, it’s important to remember that there are still nearly 70 countries around the world that have laws effectively criminalising LGBTQ+ status."
A notification will appear warning users of the sexual orientation laws in their current location and the risks they may face for expressing their orientation openly.
“Starting today, we’re rolling out a Traveller Alert that will appear when Tinder is opened in one of these locations to ensure that our users are aware of the potential dangers the LGBTQ community faces – so that they can take extra caution and do not unknowingly place themselves in danger for simply being themselves,” the post adds.
LGBTQ+ users can then choose whether to leave their Tinder profile public or not in a nation which is volatile towards gay people.
Their sexual orientation or gender identity won’t be public information until they’ve left the country.
#Tinder's new safety feature sources data from our latest State-Sponsored Homophobia report to help establish where alerts should be deployed.
"The safety of our communities also depends on supporting their digital safety”, @Adup76 said.https://t.co/QKIylOADiU
“Based on your geographical area, it appears you’re in a place where the LGBTQ+ community may be penalised,” Tinder’s traveller alert reads.
“We want you to have fun, but your safety is our number one priority. Please proceed with caution and take extra care when making new matches and meeting with people you do not know.”
While this marks a temporary limitation on meeting potential matches, the alert is grounded in a real threat of persecution from law enforcement agency workers going undercover on the app, laws criminalising same-sex activity and other Tinder users hostile to the LGBTQ+ community.
ILGA provided Tinder with data to create their update, and released a statement on the new feature.
“We work hard to change practices, laws and attitudes that put LGBTQ+ people at risk – including the use of dating apps to target our community – but in the meantime, the safety of our communities also depends on supporting their digital safety,” explained André du Plessis.
Homophobia is still an epidemic in society, despite progress occurring with equal marriage and representation.
A recent YouGov study has revealed that employees who are part of the LGBTQ+ community have annual salaries of roughly 16 percent less than their straight, non-trans (cisgender) colleagues.
The discrepancy adds up to about £7,000 per year, or €7,800. The study of UK workers was conducted by LinkedIn in partnership with Black Pride, and 4,019 workers took part.
The income gap was calculated by asking participants about their Gross Personal Income, with 2,154 straight, non-trans participants and 1,863 LGBTQ+ respondents.
LGBTQ staff take home on average £6,703 less per yr than their straight counterparts according a YouGov survey. It found the shortfall equivalent to a pay gap of 16%, almost 2x the 9.6% gender pay gap. It also found a 1/4 of LGBT+ workers would not reveal their sexuality at work
The total earnings of both groups were compared, including salary, wages and rent before tax deduction. Unsurprisingly, homophobic activity is still fire in the workplace, according to the data.
28 percent of LGBTQ+ respondents said they are not out at work because of the fear of judgement, and 47 percent of these employees had no plans to come out in the future.
35 percent of LGBTQ+ participants in the study claimed to have witnessed homophobia at work, and 21 percent had experienced personal verbal abuse at work.
Other findings included the fact that female LGBTQ+ employees are actually more likely to hide their sexual orientation at work than men, and 14 percent of LGBTQ+ professionals feel their chances of promotion would be less likely if they came out at work.
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Black Pride, emphasises the importance of continuing to fight for equality;
"Whilst it's brilliant to see research like this highlighting the conversation, it's vital that there is change in the day-to-day cultures of companies to help LGBTQ employees feel comfortable at work, including those of colour that may also be experiencing discrimination and racism." she says.
It's clear there are still substantial issues which hinder LGBTQ+ professionals, and it's morally right to have an equal working environment for all.
Eyal Booker was catapulted into fame last year after taking part in the phenomenon that is Love Island, the ITV2 reality show that's become beloved all over the world.
The 23-year-old appeared on Celebs Go Dating after his stint in the Spanish villa, and definitely knows his stuff when it comes to reality TV romance.
We caught up with the model and TV star at the launch of a massively-exciting essence lip collection. Their Lip Saviours range features 52 fabulous products including lipsticks, lipglosses, lipliners and liquid lipsticks.
Eyal Booker at the essence Lip Saviours launch in Dublin
Oh, did we mention that they're all under €4? essence have also created the ultimate lip look book to offer you dozens of options to create your signature look.
essence also prides itself on it's cruelty-free status, so you can mix and match to find your glamorous, natural, vibrant, glossy, understated or matte lip looks without worrying about animal testing.
Eyal Booker is representing the ground-breaking beauty brand, which sponsors both Love Island on Virgin Media player as well as the biggest pageant in the country; Miss Ireland 2019.
Of course, we simply had to ask him his opinions on our Irish exports, namely Longford lass Maura Higgins.
“I love the Irish contestants, I love Maura. I just loved her from the start. I think that the way she’s entered the villa, the way that she’s held herself, the things she comes out with; I think she’s a powerful, independent woman who’s proud of who she is and stands up for what she believes in and says what she wants. I think that that’s really inspiring for young women out there, and she’s a good influence and good person to have within the public eye and society”.
“She’s going to have a good career. At first, it took a little time to get used to her but now we can’t get enough of her. She’s contagious and just says it how it is. That goes a long way in this show.”
The latest controversy to shake the villa is, of course, the meltdown between Anna Vakili and Jordan Hames.
The model asked Anna to be his girlfriend only days ago, yet pulled India Reynolds aside for a chat (on Curtis' advice) to confess his feelings for her, while Anna was only metres away.
What does Eyal think was going through his head? The pair were dumped from the villa last night, but were they authentic?
“I don’t know where that’s come from (Jordan’s feelings for India), I don’t know what Jordan was thinking. They’ve screwed each other over within the process, you know when Anna left him for Ovie and then came back to him and now Jordan’s about to do the same. As much as they’re trying to make us believe their relationship, I don’t buy the reasons that they’re in the villa. I just think they want to be genuine but they’re actually just not that into each other.”
ITV bosses have faced numerous accusations that the reality show is a 'fix', with claims made against the honesty of each character.
In Eyal's time in the villa, he denies that the show every forced anyone into a certain narrative of hero or villain, womaniser or gentleman;
“They don’t try and create something that’s not there. They highlight some things over others, in terms of the edit. I wasn’t just this spiritual, tree-hugging guy but that’s a lot of what I was made out to be. You can’t all be the same, and they edit everyone a different way. There’s no one there saying ‘You should do this’ or ‘You should do that’.”
Other criticisms made against the show involve the noteworthy emphasis on physique and appearance. Does Eyal think the show has contributed to the continued popularity of beauty pageants like Miss Ireland?
“Pageants have always been popular and I think with social media and the world that we live in, they can grow even quicker and bigger because there’s accessibility to a wider audience. I think Love Island showcases the fact that it can reach such a vast and big audience. It encourages other people to get on social media and get on platforms and use that platform in order to further themselves."
Amy Hart recently posted an Instagram snap of a charity who she works with closely, but trolls commented that the image was 'boring'. Social media presence is a huge part of Love Island stars' careers when many of them leave, but do they control who they work with and their brand?
According to Eyal; “We have complete control. When I came out of the villa, I got a management because I needed to manage everything that was going on. They try and guide you in a direction that they see fit for you but also a direction that you see fit for yourself. It’s just a discussion that you have. We have incredible platforms when we come out, and I think charity is a big thing on people’s minds and people want to use their platform for good as well. It’s something that a lot of people go into and become ambassadors for because, as much as you’re reaping the rewards of having such a huge platform and getting all of these brand deals, you also want to give back to people in less fortunate positions."
He continued; "Charity is a nice thing to do, I’ve always worked with them but now I’m doing on them on a bigger scale because I’ve got a bigger audience.”
“I work with World Vision, very closely. I’m an ambassador for them, and I also work with the RSPCA and Dog’s Trust. I’ve always loved animals, all animals, and animal welfare. World Vision is to do with young children and their families in areas of conflict or disaster, and it’s about sending emergency response and helping them further themselves. Children are the future, they’re the generation who are going to shape our world and who are going to be here when we’re not. Providing them with the best possible tools in order to have the best and brightest future is essential for our world to get better and better.”
Another problematic aspect of the show, arguably, is their continuous sponsorship from fast fashion brands. The stars wear different ensembles every day in the villa, with companies like I Saw It First working with the reality show.
I love Love Island, I just do, (call me a sucker for a fairytale in a thong) but I hate its sponsorship & promotion of fast, throwaway fashion – which surely can’t have been made by people paid enough or treated… https://t.co/R1zEKyk8w8
Once the Islanders leave the villa, many of them will work with branding constantly, showing a materialistic lifestyle via their social platforms. Does Eyal see an issue with this side of Love Island life?
“It’s an interesting one, I actually hadn’t heard that until now. I think there’s two sides to this story. I think that everyone’s individual style and fashion showcases the fact that you can self-express and be who you want to be, and dress and wear what you want to wear. I think fast fashion is affordable for people, but at the same time, fast fashion is one of the biggest polluters of our environment. It contributes to huge amount of emissions and pollution and adds to climate change."
He continues; "It’s one of those things where we want instant gratification and we want to be able to purchase all the things that we want for a low price but we don’t really see at which cost we’re getting them at and how detrimental it is to our environment. I’m in a Catch 22 about that one, I work with some fast fashion brands and I would like to think I’m an environmentalist and I care about our planet. I think there’s a balance that we can find within it. Although fast fashion, although it’s been around for a while, it has only just come into play and become as popular as it is. It’s about us starting to regulate that and coming on board with how we as a society consume things and over-consume things.”
“Through omnipresent product placements and advertising, #LoveIsland has turned into fast fashion’s biggest advocate.” https://t.co/5I3HBXVln7
Does he do his homework on the brands that he associates with, when it comes to ethics?
“essence is cruelty-free which is part of the reason I’m at this event. I couldn’t be an ambassador for, let’s say the RSPCA who campaign against animal testing, and then a brand who test on animals. We’re only human and we make mistakes, we overlook things, but we try as hard as we can to highlight the things that align with me and then we go from there.”
The show is undeniably heteronormative, and excludes the majority of the population.
"The fact that it would be such a big deal is testament to the fact of how far we’ve got to go." https://t.co/oV0USsKTYs
With Love Island spreading Stateside and now to South Africa for the winter edition, does he think these expansion moves could mean an LGBTQ+ version could be in the pipeline soon?
“I think it would take some time for people to catch on to. I’ve grown up within an entertainment, performing world, I don’t differentiate between anyone; your sex, the colour of your skin, your appearance; whatever you are, you are. But I think we, as a society, whether we like it or not are still evolving and still changing and becoming aware of the LGBTQ+ community. I think as much as I’d like to say that there’d be no stigmas attached and no judgements, if we see what judgements come from Love Island and how much stick people can get as heterosexuals, then we have to be realistic at what the response would be. I think that that’s the way it’s going to go, and eventually there will be all kinds of shows for all kinds of people, but we have to ease it in slowly.”
Ashley Benson has officially made her love for girlfriend and suspected fiancé Cara Delevigne known in a permanent way: Ink.
The 29-year-old showed off a 'CD' tattoo inked below her armpit in a photo shared on Instagram, announcing the launch of her new Privé Revaux X Benzo sunglass collection.
“So excited to share this with you guys,” the Pretty Little Liars star captioned the photo, adding a heart emoji. “My new collection with Privé Revaux is here.”
Delevigne and Benson keep their relationship status pretty quiet since being first linked in August 2018, but they did confirm their romance in June 2019 for their first anniversary.
“I don’t know because it is Pride, it’s been 50 years since Stonewall happened and I don’t know,” she revealed toE! News. “It’s been just about our one-year anniversary so, why not?”
Delevingne was honoured with the Hero Award for her commitment to supporting The Trevor Project’s mission of ending suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.
The star thanked Benson for her support during her acceptance speech;
“I also have another very special woman in this room to thank and you know who you are,” she told the audience, according to E! News.
“She’s one of the people who help me love myself when I needed it most and I really needed it. She showed me what real love is and how to accept it, which is a lot harder than I thought.”
The pair have been snapped piling on the PDA since they were first seen kissing in late 2018. We are LOVING the romance between the pair. True gay icons.
It's been a long time coming, but Marvel have finally unleashed the second phase of the MCU and it's diverse AS F*CK. We're in heaven.
One of the best snippets of superhero news we've heard from Comic Con (apart from Natalie Portman as female Thor, that slayed us) is the first openly LGBTQ+ hero arriving to the party.
Fan-fave character Valkyrie, played by the incredible Tessa Thompson, will have an LGBTQ+ storyline in the fourth Thor movie, due out November 2021.
The character is bisexual in the comics, and was portrayed by the actress in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame.
Thor: Love and Thunder will feature Chris Hemsworth as the titular character, Natalie Portman slaying as his female equal and now Tessa as Valkyrie. Wow.
The next Captain America (Falcon) is now a black man, a woman will play Thor, Mahershala Ali is starring in the Blade reboot and an Asian-Canadian newcomer Simu Liu snagged his role as Shang-Chi by literally annoying Marvel on Twitter.
Black Panther 2 is also in the works, and hilarious actress/comedian Awkwafina will join Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
the diversity that’s in these upcoming marvel shows and shows is so important and wonderful to see. there’s been a real lack of real and accurate representation in the mcu and it’s about bloody time that they stepped the fuck up.
Much diversity, many feels. Thank Goddess they came to their senses and decided to include people, now we need women and people of colour, as well as people with disabilities in the writing room and director's seats.
Many fans are pointing out that the billion-dollar company waited until it was convenient and profitable for them to bring diversity to the table, but we just have to be grateful they finally stepped up.
Avengers: Endgame has just become the best-selling movie of all time, beating out Avatar in the box office.
Tesco Ireland has pledges it's support to BeLong To Youth Services ahead of Dublin's LGBTQ+ Pride festival this weekend.
BeLonG To is a national organisation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) young people aged between 14 and 23, and offer vital services for this community's needs.
This valuable charity believe that LGBTQ+ youth should be cared for on the same basis as all other young people, and should be safe and supported by society, their family and schools.
Tesco Ireland will support a fundraising partnership with BeLonG To Youth Services this year, donating much-needed money to aid the equality of the young LGBTQ+ people of Ireland.
Tesco Ireland is ‘bursting with pride to come back this year as the platinum sponsor for Dublin's 2019 LGBTQ+ Pride Festival.
The company has created three exciting donation initiatives as part of their fundraising efforts, including a limited-edition F&F Pride t-shirt, and delicious donations with Ben & Jerry’s ‘Love is…’ ice-cream.
Once again, community-led fundraising will take place across 44 Tesco stores nationwide.
Image: Tesco Ireland
Tesco F&F unveiled a limited-edition Pride t-shirt this week, and a proportion from every sale will be donated directly to BeLonG To Youth Services.
Tesco’s ‘Bursting with Pride’ campaign line is the inspiration behind the vivacious design, which features an artistic explosion of rainbow colours and costs just €8.
44 Tesco stores nationwide have also chosen BeLonG To Youth Services as one of their three causes for the current fundraising phase of theTesco Community Fund, which supports local needs in the community.
Amazingly, in five years Tesco Ireland has supported over 12,000 community projects all over Ireland through the Community Fund initiative, with over €3.7 million being donated to those in need.
Still need to put the finishing touches on your pride outfit? Look no further! In celebration of #DublinPride, @TescoIrl has unveiled a limited-edition Pride t-shirt, with percentage of each sale going to us! This t-shirt is on sale in selected stores nationwide for €8 pic.twitter.com/ZzJbRaHZWy
— BeLonG To Youth Services (@BeLonG_To) June 26, 2019
We are gaggin' to get a taste of Ben & Jerry's new flavour of ice-cream, purely to celebrate love in every flavour.
Their 'Love is…' ice-cream is exclusive to Tesco in Ireland, and contains buttery brown sugar ice cream with pink chocolatey salted caramel cups, a cookie swirl and a pink topping. God help us.
A 50 cent donation will be made from the sale of every tub of Ben & Jerry’s 'Love is…' flavour sold in Tesco Ireland stores until July 15, in support of BeLong To Youth Services.
CEO of BeLonG To Youth Services, Moninne Griffiths has praised the value of working together for LGBTQ+ equality;
“This Pride, we celebrate the power of working together to continue our life-saving work with LGBTQ+ young people.
"Support from Tesco Ireland’s fundraising initiatives helps us to strengthen our impact and fulfil our mission of creating an Ireland where young people can be who they are, and love who they love, without experiencing hate and discrimination.”
Get yourselves down to support one or all three of Tesco's colourful Pride fundraisers and help empower LGBTQ+ youth.
Pride is one of the biggest events of the colourful year, and the rainbows will be flying loud and proud in Dublin this weekend.
Make-up and fashion are two of the festival's most noteworthy aspects, since using beauty to express ourselves and our individuality is empowering.
Expect to see some swoon-worthy looks being served by queens far and wide for the parade, and nightlife events shortly after.
Though Pride was, and still is, a protest; Showing off your inner and outer beauty has become a staple part of the festival. The march is about never being afraid to stand out, in many ways.
To celebrate the amazing event, Urban Decay will be giving away complimentary mini-makeovers this Saturday, June 29 in their Grafton Street boutique and we're literally bursting with anticipation.
The rainbow-inspired makeovers will use the brand's new Sparkle Out Loud Glitter collection, made to turn heads and stay in it's place. Basically, it's ideal for a night on the dancefloor.
Included in the range is the Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in eight glorious shades (including the limited-edition Stonewall), which contain water-based, superfine glitter.
The Heavy Metal Glitter Gel is featured in six new shades as the vibrant, hyper-sparkly, buildable formula for your eyes, body and face. Lasting up to nine hours with minimal fallout, the gel will fast become your cult product.
The award-winning 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil wows in the collection, coming in four more shades which are spreadable with a super-creamy and metallic finish. It's even waterproof, so those tears of Pride joy are protected.
Last but certainly not least, is the Hi-Fi Ultra Cushion Lipgloss in four brand new hues. The glitz and shine won't stop you from kissing your LGBTQ+ love interest on the night, don't worry.
Each makeover will take roughly 15 minutes and are subject to availability. We feel a physical connection to the glitter that's about to be spread all over our face this weekend…See you there.
Taylor Swift has just released the colourful explosion that is the You Need To Calm Down video, filled with LGBTQ+ icons and Easter eggs galore.
Her anti-homo/bi/queer/transphobia anthem has emerged in the midst of Pride month, and has divided fans online.
Some are claiming that a heterosexual, cis-white woman speaking for the LGBTQ+ community and profiting from the song is problematic.
Others are pointing out her recent activism and dedication to donating funds towards LGBTQ+ charities. (Almost $100,000, if we're counting)
The term 'queer-baiting' has been thrown around, which is basically a marketing technique in the entertainment industry which hints at same-sex relationships or gender queer relationships, but doesn't actually deliver them for the purpose of profit.
Is Taylor simply jumping on the 'Gays Are Great' bandwagon for the sake of her image, and upcoming album release? However, any visibility is good visibility, and she's giving members of the queer community a chance to shine in the video.
So many celebrities showed their fierce personalities in the latest music video, with ALL of the Queer Eye 'Fab 5', Ellen DeGeneres, Hayley 'Lesbian Jesus' Kiyoko, Laverne Cox and Billy Porter flaunting their stuff.
However, Taylor has never openly discussed her sexuality, and we can't make any assumptions, but fans have viewed her hair in the music video as a clue about her possible bisexuality.
As we all know, Taylor hides an array of meanings within her music videos, and her hair simply CANNOT be an accident. Her barnet is actually the colours of the upside-down bisexual flag, hello hint?
The bi Pride flag features pink, purple and blue stripes, and bisexual Twitter has damn near lost their minds. Representation is incredibly important, and these fans definitely confirm that.
"WILL I EVER SHUT UP ABOUT THE FACT THAT TAYLOR'S HAIR IS THE UPSIDE DOWN BISEXUAL FLAG PROBABLY NOT OKAY, RIP ME."
I recognize that it is problematic to speculate on someone's sexuality…. but Taylor Swift painting her hair the colors of the bisexual flag…. it has to mean SOMETHING!!!!
