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August certainly wasn't a dull month, as far as the scene was concerned. Hopefully the end of the Summer will not mean the end of the parties and theme nights. Hooray Henries had a Beach Party on Friday 19th August. The club was bedecked with fish nets, streamers, balloons, anchors and even a large beach umbrella! Furthering the theme, the staff were decked out in T-shirts and shorts as were some of the customers. Doorman Reze proved that all things Balearic are not just record industry hype with his cute hat and bolero. Manager Eugene went out to shock with his fish-motif bermudas and that BRIGHT canary yellow vest. He was even seen dancing to Kylie Minogue's 'Locomotion', although he claimed that he "hates this song". Rumour has it that the exotic cocktails with the little umbrellas and the even more exotic fruits being served went to Eugene's head, or the snacks contained more than cheese and crackers. However I think that it was just the party atmosphere that did it. D.J. Gerry Moore proved once again that it's not impossible to keep the crowds dancing till late, even if his legs attracted a s much attention as his music!Saturday 20th saw the NGF host the Pride Party 2 in the IFI, Eustace Street, Dublin. Those who went had a wonderful time, no small thanks to DJ Tony Murray, who had to work under a very restrictive echo. Another benefit will be held at this venue on Saturday 24th Sept. Thursday 25th was quite a busy night. The second Leather/Denim collaboration between the Parliament Inn and Hooray Henries took place. DJ Gerry Moore coped admirably with the Parliament, even if at short notice, and DJ Albert O'Connor managed to keep the feet going in Hooray Henries until the small hours. No small achievement, considering that Minsky's had a party going, complete with stripper. We have a review of this elsewhere in GCN. Samantha Fox look-alikes were reputed to have been seen getting on down behind the bar at Henries that night. Perhaps a stage lift under the bar might be an idea, so that more people can see that fancy footwork!The weekend of 26th August saw not only the Irish Aids Initiative conference, but also Andre Adore, brought over to Dublin by the Parliament Inn, where he presented his show to enthralled audiences. See the review and pics, elsewhere in this issue of GCN.

Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" was re-released last month. On the Old Gold label, the catalogue no. is "7"OG 9436 .............. Dead or Alive have a new single out, "Turn Around and Count 2 ten", which is flipped by a live version of "(There is) Something in My House". (And no, all you youngsters, that does not mean MARRS meets S"Xpress - it's an old favourite of theirs.) .................... The Extra Beat Boys have done it again, this time remixing "Safe in the Arms of Love" by the Shooting Party, a current Hi-NRG hit. This one's at 119 bpm ................... West Side Records are launching a limited edition box set, "House of Hits", a 14 LP set with 120 hit tracks. Cat. No. HOUSBX 1 (LP set). Anyone who has a spare copy knows where to send it! ................. Jellybean has a new album out, called "Jellybean Rocks the House". It's a double, with 12in. mixes of his current hits to date, including "The Real Thing", "Just a Mirage" etc. Fans of his will already have most of the tracks, but for those wishing to build up their Jellybean collection, it is a good buy, containing the better mixes of the afore-mentioned titles.

"Dear Dorothy, I have been going out with a wonderful guy for six months and it's turning into my first serious relationship. We moved in together two months ago with few problems. The big trouble is he doesn't want to be monogamous. I didn’t agree with monogamy either in theory - but in practice I don't want anyone else right now and I am jealous when he goes off with someone else. I don't want to tie him down but sometimes it really hurts. Have I the right to make any demands? Stephen, Dublin. Dear Stephen, Of course you have the right to make demands! It is important that you should discuss matters fully with your lover - not in a dramatic way but so that he should understand your feelings. It is fair to ask him to perhaps avoid going off with someone else in front of you. You must also respect his views. It may not be his wish to be monogamous and you may have to accept this difference. You must also ensure that you are practising safe sex with your lover, and avoid putting yourself at unnecessary risk in the event that he is not following the safer sex guidelines when he sleeps with other people. You should try to analyse your jealousy to help you cope with your hurt. A certain amount of jealousy is often useful in holding a relationship together because it stops you taking each other for granted. Where this jealousy though is one-sided it can lead to a breakdown of your mutual respect. If your lover needs to go off with someone else then it is best to let him. A relationship that is worth 'having will still survive and your lover can still be faithful to you emotionally even if he is not faithful to you physically. This honest approach to the problem must be better than one involving lies and deceit. Dorothy. HAVE YOU A PROBLEM? Whether it's work, family, love/lust, life... GCN's Agony Aunt, has a comforting ear. Write in total confidence to: Dear Dorothy, Gay Community News, P.O. Box 931, Dublin 4."

"MARTIN FROM NEWCASTLE WEST, Co. Limerick, age 24, in search of a true, loving gay male friend to end my lonely, hurtful days. I am tall, slim, and am very genuine in what I think and say. Write to Box No. 88.13 MAYO MAN, AGED 40, seeks friendship with men between 25 and 45, in West of Ireland. Into denim, cords, etc. Likes country and western music, gardening, walking and travelling. Possible Dublin visits. Write to Box No. 88.14 CANADIAN MALE, 24, seeks same, 20-28. My name is Christopher. I'm 5'8"", 1501bs, sandy hair, blue-green eyes, mature, straight appearance, outgoing. Interests: photography, cycling, volleyball, current and classical music, cooking. Am interested in learning about the gay youth/life scene in Dublin. Photo appreciated but not necessary. Box No. 88.15 ZEFKO, 22 year old male from Belgrade, Yugoslavia would like to find a friend or friends in Ireland. My interests are travelling, music, sport (especially swimming and athletics), history and geography. I'm studying law. Box No. 88.16 PRIEST, 48 years old, interested in Chinese Yoga and relaxation. Would like to correspond with other males. Write to Box No. 88.17 PERSONAL ADS are free. When replying place your sealed reply with appropriate postage and box number in an envelope and mail to GCN, Personal Ads, PO Box 931, Dublin 4. All personal ad requests are handled by one person of the GCN staff in strictest confi­dence. If you wish to place an ad please either write or tele­phone us at the above ad­dress/telephone (01)732693 2-5pm. "

"A major seminar on lesbian and gay law reform held in Dublin on Saturday 17th September has established an Ad-Hoc Group to help effectively campaign on the changes to the Criminal Law and other areas of legislation affecting the rights of Irish lesbians and gay men. In a rousing speech, Mr. Cooney elaborated on the current work being undertaken by his organisation in respect of lesbian and gay rights. Since the ICCL's last Annual General Meeting in May this year, the organisation has established a Working Party with a specific brief to produce a policy document on lesbian and gay rights. This Working Party, Mr. Cooney said, is expected to complete its task by the end of November and will produce a report which ICCL hopes to promote as widely as possible. The Report is expected to include detailed recommend­ ations for reform in the form of a model Civil Rights (Anti- Discrimination) Bill. Kieran Rose, a long-time trade unionist, outlined to the seminar during its afternoon session the work currently being done in labour legislation reform, workers' rights and a host of allied issues. Mr. Rose also dwelt on the significance of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Guidelines on Lesbian and Gay Rights in the Workplace, which was published by the ICTU last year. He also had much praise for the Department of Finance, which to date remains the only Government Department to have included ""sexual orientation"" in its own anti-discrimination guidelines. Although many activists present at the seminar were familiar with the fundamentals of law reform, the weekend meeting provided a timely opportunity to assess work already done and bring a new generation of lesbian and gay activists directly into the fight for law reform. At the end of the day the seminar managed to: 1. Clearly identify the type of reform desirable in the Criminal Law; 2. The level of legislative protection required to ensure the protection against discrimination of the lesbian and gay minority; 3. Establish the current status of work being done within and without the gay movement in the areas of 1 and 2 above. The seminar, entitled ""Unite for Change"", was organised by representatives from all the Dublin lesbian and gay groups as a means of preparing an effective response to the forthcoming verdict in the Norris Constitutional Action at Strasbourg. A decision on the Strasbourg case is due before the end of October and although many gay organisations have been working steadily on specific aspects of law reform it had been recognised for some time among activists that a comprehensive, high-profile public campaign was required which would set out the reform proposals deemed necessary by the lesbian and gay movement. Around 40 activists, 20% of them women, attended the seminar. There were represent­ atives from almost every lesbian and gay organisation - Reach, Lesbian Discussion Group, Tel-A-Friend (Gay Switchboard), Women's World, Gay Health Action, National Gay Federation, Lesbian Health Action and Lesbian Line. Senator David Norris, the plaintiff in the Strasbourg case against the Irish Government addressed the seminar, outlining the precise status of his case at the European Court of Human Rights. The seminar was also addressed by Tom Cooney, Chairperson of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL). Mr. Cooney said that lesbian and gay men face a wide range of discrimination without any form of legal redress. Moreoever, the Irish legal system lacked anti- discrimination legislation guaranteeing lesbians and gays equal protection in respect of domestic partnership, parental rights, employment, housing, succession and the various other sectors of workaday life. The seminar also agreed that the Ad-Hoc group which has been set up to produce a report of the seminar and monitor/initiate action on law reform would take into consideration the past experience and difficulties which some lesbian activists and groups have encountered in working within the broader gay movement. Attention would also be paid to ensuring the participation of individuals and reps from groups outside Dublin although the logistical difficulties of networking were acknowledged. The report of the seminar will help considerably in the efforts of the Ad-Hoc group to open up debate within our community on law reform issues."

An Appreciation I knew Barry for quite a number of years. In addition to his political shrewdness he also enjoyed dancing and I often chatted with him during breaks in the revelry at the disco in the Hirschfeld Centre. These brief conversations were for me oases of sanity and refreshment in a hectic programme and I remember them with gratitude. I recall also with gratitude Barry's quietly practical assistance during my various campaigns to take a seat in Seanad Eireann. He would turn up often with Oliver and settle down without complaint to a few hours drudgery folding letters or manifestoes and putting them into envelopes. It was the unselfish and cheerfully given help of people like Barry that eventually got me the seat we all worked so hard for. We all felt enriched by our friendship with Barry - but the most remarkable thing about his brief experience was not just how he shared his life with us, but how he shared his experience of dying. As always he was both honest and intelligent in his response to the tragic discovery that he had contracted AIDS. He was in a real sense not "a victim of AIDS" but "A person living with AIDS". He demonstrated that it was possible to pass through this experience with dignity and love. In this he was aided to a remarkable degree by his family and his friends in the gay community. I visited Barry on the last day of his life and came away enriched by the cheerful and caring atmosphere surrounding him and the tranquility and graciousness of his mother, sister and brother. I may also say that I was humbled by the devotion shown by members of the gay community. Years ago in quite a different context we used to debate as to whether there was or was not, anything that could be described as a "gay community". The manner of Barry's passing has proved definitely to me at least that there is a gay community and I am proud to be a member of it. Senator David Norris

BARRY WARNER Barry Warner, academic, raconteur and former Manager of The Gym, died at his home in Dublin on Tuesday 6th September, of AIDS-related complications. He was 29 and leaves behind his mother, sister Christine, brother Shane and many close friends. The funeral on Wednesday 7th September was a simple, dignified ceremony at Glasnevin Crematorium, Dublin. Barry's closest friend Oliver Stanley spoke at the ceremony, as did Mick Quinlan of G.H.A. and Fr. Paul Lavelle. The main eulogy was delivered by Senator David Norris The Crematorium was packed with many of Barry's friends, some of whom had travelled from London. Also present were leading members of the gay movement and gay businesses in Dublin. Following the ceremony Cyril O'Brien, a former employee of Barry's and owner of The Loft, Sth. Great George's Street, held a reception for family and friends which went on until dusk.

FLIKKERS HALLOWEEN BALL The former staff of Flikkers Dance Club (Hirschfeld Centre) met recently to plan the 6th Annual Halloween Ball. The Ball has become something of an institution in Irish gay social life with many people travelling from the North and cities around the country to attend what was once referred to as "a night of debauchery". Last year's Ball attracted 460 revellers, a quarter of whom arrived in fancy dress. This year's Ball is expected to be a sell-out and tickets for the event (£5) go on sale in early October. The Ball will be held at the Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Dublin, on Bank Holiday Sunday 30th October 1988, from 10pm. until 6am. There will be a prize of several hundred pounds and breakfast will be available to early morning party goers. A panel of celebrity judges is being compiled at the moment and will be announced towards the end of the month. Proceeds from the 6th Annual Halloween Ball will go to the National Gay Federation.

MESSAGE FROM WARNER FAMILY The family of Barry wish to express our gratitude for the support of friends in our recent bereavement. The many people who were able to get to Glasnevin and show their love for Barry gave consolation afterwards. We have acquired a whole new set of friends through the experience and to all of you we again say thank you.

NGF MEETING The National Gay Federation has called a meeting of its members and supporters to discuss the Federation's future role in the new Hirschfeld Centre. The meeting is scheduled for Saturday 24th September 1988 in the Clarence Hotel, Wellington Quay, Dublin, from 3-6pm. There will also be a discussion on NGF's finances (or lack of them) and its current political actions. Enquiries about the meeting should be made to the Federation any afternoon at (01) 732693, between 2-5pm. There will also be a fundraising party on the same date at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin's Eustace Street (off Dame Street). Admission is £3. D.J. Martin McCann, lead singer with Lord John White, will be entertaining dancers and there will also be refreshments available.

Norris Judgement Soon A decision in the Norris Constitutional Action is expected shortly from Strasbourg. Lesbian and gay activists have been meeting regularly in the offices of G ay Health Action and the National Gay Federation to consider an approach to the European Court's decision. David Norris originally challenged the Irish Government on the constitutionality of Ireland's anti-gay laws, the 18 61 Offences Against the State Act and the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act, in the late 70's. In June 1980 the High Court in Dublin ruled in favour of the Government and the decision was subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, where a 3-2 verdict was given again upholding the Government’s arguments. At that stage the case was officially taken up by the National Gay Federation acting as co-plaintiff. In early 1985 the European Commission of Human Rights at the Council of Europe voted on the admissibility of the case, allowing only David Norris to proceed in his action against the Irish Government. The Government was given an opportunity to argue its case for keeping the law on the Statutes. However the action proceeded to the European Court of Human Rights for a full hearing. The Court indicated early this year that a decision could be expected sometime in September. Because of the similarity with an action taken by gay activist Jeff Dudgeon against the UK Government in 1982 - which later led to a change in the laws governing homosexual activity in Northern Ireland - activists both sides of the Border are confident of a favourable decision.

SWITCHBOARD FUNDRAISING Tel-A-Friend, Gay Switchboard, which recently found itself off the air, has secured a new office at the Community Services Project, Christchurch Place, The AIDS Action Alliance is also based at this centre. TAF hopes to install three telephone lines in its new office.In the meantime the group has undertaken a major fund-raising drive from which it hopes to raise a massive £25,000.

"The purpose of the conference in the words of the organisers ""was to develop and implement an effective strategy to insure that everyone who is affected by the virus has access to the support and service provisions they need and that people in Ireland receive the education necessary to prevent the spread of the disease"". Opening the Conference, Fr. Paul Lavelle, Co-ordinator of the Catholic Bishop's National Task Force on AIDS, said: ""We in Ireland are entering the second stage of the AIDS problem. Already there have been over 60 diagnosed cases of AIDS in the south alone and this is just the tip of the HIV iceberg. The number of people diagnosed with full AIDS is now doubling every seven months. It will not be long before we all know someone directly affected who have HIV, ARC or AIDS. ""This is a time to look critically at our approach to AIDS so far and plan to meet the ever-increasing demands it will make on our society.""Living with AIDS is the theme I would like to see for this weekend. Our familiar images of AIDS are images of death - people cut down in the midst of life. The reality is something different. The vast majority of people with AIDS are young and in good health and need to take a positive attitude towards maintaining their health. People with AIDS have a life-threatening condition but they can and do live useful and productive lives. For them above all the issue is 'Living with AIDs not Dying from AIDS'. ""It is by listening to those affected, the 'consumers of our services, that we will get it right (our response) and I know we can"". The Conference was also addressed by Maeve Foreman of the Irish Association of Social Workers who had shocking hews about the level of counselling services available throughout the country for people with AIDS or HIV+. "" Many hospitals have only one social worker on the staff, and some none at all"", she said. STATISTICS Statistics produced at the Conference showed a total number of 742 HIV+ for the Republic of Ireland as at May this year. The figures are generally regarded to be quite low and in some quarters it is thought they could be even twice those actually recorded. The figures unfortunately do not take account of large numbers living in Ireland who have been tested outside the country (e.g. in London) and consequently would not appear on the Department of Health's statistics. In an attempt to deal with the inherent short-comings of the figures Gay Health Action (G.H.A.) launched a survey several months ago, the results of which are being compiled at the moment of writing. G.H.A. were quick to point out that the results from the HIV testing system are simply not reliable. ""Most gay men"", they said, ""choose not to take the test partly because insurance companies have refused to give life assurance to gay men who take the test - even if the result is negative. The fact that only 11 per cent of positive HIV tests have come from gay and bisexual men does not give a soundly based indication of the scale of the problem"". BILL OF RIGHTS Undoubtedly the most important thing to come out of the Conference was the adoption of a draft Bill of Rights for people living with the various levels of AIDS and HIV+ infection. Brian Murray, Chairperson of AIDS Action Alliance, who addresssed the Conference, said the Bill ""would specify the rights people should have to proper health care, to adequate social welfare support and housing, to protection against discrimination in employment and to the support and counselling needed for living with HIV, ARC or AIDS in the community"". A working group was set up at the conference to draft such a Bill of Rights." "IRISH AIDS INITIATIVE HIV Positive Individuals Current Statistics for Ireland May 1988 (Irish Republic) Intravenous Drug Users: 436 Babies: 45 Homosexual/Bisexual Men: 80 Haemophiliacs: 112 Blood Transfusion Service: 10 Heterosexual/risk unspecified: 59 TOTAL: 742 July 1988 (Northern Ireland) Intravenous Drug Users: 2 Babies: 2 Homosexual/Bisexual Men: 18 Haemophiliacs: 17 Blood Transfusion Service: 2 Heterosexual/risk unspecified: 6 TOTAL: 47"

August being the silly season I was not surprised to open U Magazine and find on the Letters Page a Co. Longford person called "Commonsense" (a rather defensive touch I thought) exhorting readers to say "No" as the only "safe and sure way to avoid catching this dreadful disease". The writer was of course talking about AIDS and felt there was something "pathetic about the naivete or childishness of those people who believe that the use of condoms will guard a person from catching AIDS" stressing the unscientific basis of "propaganda" about condom use. Commonsense reaches the part most condoms don't, it seems! The Irish Times on August 9th had a chilling item for any of us seeking life assurance; the message from the Irish Insurance Federation is that under new guidelines anyone but especially men in the 25-50 age group seeking life assurance for large sums will have to undergo a HIV test. Individuals testing positive will be refused cover. The article also informs us that all life assurance forms now include questions "to identify applications who may be HIV positive, suffering from AIDS or in the so-called high-risk groups of drug users, homosexuals and bisexuals. The industry insists these safeguards are needed to protect its solvency..." It seems to me about time that the Oireachtas introduced some guidelines of its own outlawing discrimination of this outstanding variety. The same issue of the Times carried photos and reviews of the new Aodhan Madden play Sea Urchins which was inspired by the Declan Flynn murder at Fairview Park in 1984. Reviews of the play also appeared in the other dailies. Emily O'Reilly, whom I've met on umpteen occasions and have the greatest respect for personally and as a journalist, did a feature for Hot Press (August 11th: "The Mark of Sorrow") on the "human aspect" of AIDS in Provincetown, USA, which once had, she told us, a thriving gay population. An interesting and indeed very human article but the accompanying graphic of silhouetted diners being served by a death-like waiter - the gay AIDS sufferer - was appalling and insensitive. I would have thought that Hot Press had gone beyond this sort of sensationalism. Furthermore, Emily should know better than to use phrases like "pre-plague" and "AIDS victims". Uncontrolled hysteria in the guise of liberal, sympathetic reporting? "Birr folks no to 'Dublin gays'" screamed the Evening Press on August 16th in response to Senator Norris being snubbed by Birr's Cllr. Fred Ryan ('He's gay and that's out for me') and Miss Violet Doolin, Birr Librarian. The local parish priest had also turned down an invitation to the opening of the town's Vintage Week by Senator Norris. His excuse? "It was the Feast of the Assumption... and we should be more interested in that than anything else". The Press story was a major item .in all the dailies and was highlighted by Justin Keating in his column (Evening Herald, August 19th). "The rule of 'obey or die' was imposed on heretics, Jews, homosexuals, women who did not conform and believers in old religions. That is the real background of our Christian morality on sex" (my emphasis) Well done, Mr. Keating. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ben Briscoe, speaking to the Irish Times (August 25th) regarding an aborted interview in Hot Press (August 25th) was very clearly unaware of Justin Keating's comments and indeed showed a remarkable gap in his knowledge of World War 2 and the Nazi extermination policies. "He criticised Mr. Norris for equating Jews and homosexuals in his comments about Hitler's Germany and said he was not being friendly towards the Jewish community by doing so. 'Catholics, Protestants and negroes would be offended if they were equated with homosexuals in this way' he said." Should one even respond to such rubbish, I thought to myself afterwards? After all, Briscoe is the Lord Mayor of Dublin, supposedly representing all its citizens, including the approx, gay ten per cent and should show better understanding. Yet apart from offensive language to blacks, Ben Briscoe fails to appreciate: 1. Homosexuality transcends race and religion; 2. It is a documented fact that some 500,000 homo­sexuals were used as medical experiments, turned into lampshades, gassed, electrocuted, buried alive and otherwise fatally tortured in Nazi concen­tration camps. But Dublin's Lord Mayor continued in his inexcusable show of ignorance and prejudice when questioned about the possibility of the Hirschfeld Centre approaching Dublin Corporation for funding to help rebuild our community resource. "I felt it would not qualify anyway as it was not a group that did anything for anyone else, unlike handicapped groups, for example" (Irish Times, 25 August). Beat that, I ask you. The last weekend of August was dominated by reports of the Irish AIDS Initiative Conference which attracted over 100 people. Padraig O'Morain, Social Services Correspondent, Irish Times (August 29th) wrote an excellent report on the Conference, quoting extensively from Brian Murray's keynote address as well as the other main speakers. Mr. Murray is Chairman of AIDS Action Alliance, one of the Conference co-organisers: "In its schools education programme on AIDS, the Department of Health should cover the full range of sexual experience and experimentation", Mr. Murray was quoted as saying. Bravo, but will the Department take note? More next issue. Incidentally please do remember to send me any newscuttings you may come across, be they national or provincial. A bound, indexed volume of each month's news cuttings is available by post from the National Gay Federation Archives cost £5 per volume (inclusive of post and packaging). Send cheque or postal order to: NGF (Archives), PO Box 931, Dublin 4. Allow two weeks for a reply.

"Dear Editor, In reply to an article in last month's issue regarding the Leather and Denim Night in the Parliament Inn [see article ""Raunchy Splendour""] I would like to clear some points made by the Bombshell: 1. You do not remove carpets for a once monthly theme night. 2. I was the ""awful"" D.J. who played ""frantic"" music - which I might add were all requests (a ""good"" D.J. plays the music the crowd want to hear and not his/her choice); 3. The comments passed by the Bombshell were not taken lightly and in good heart by the Management, staff and patrons of The Parliament and I speak for them when I say that the Bombshell would be better off sitting at home ""listening to the sounds soothing and caressing"" his body. Yours sincerely, Derek O'Beirne, Rathmines, Dublin 6. P.S. Is the Blondie Bombshell a pseudonym - probably not!"

"9th September Captain (William) Bligh, whom we are told had a crush on Fletcher Christian, born in 1754. 11th September Novelist D.H. Lawrence, bom in Nottinghamshire, England, 1885. 12th September The Soup Kitchen at the Hirschfeld Centre, Dublin, closes - to be replaced by a franchised coffee bar, 1983. 14th September Writer and lesbian feminist, Kate Millet, bom 1934. 18th September The 1st Magnus Hirschfeld Award for outstanding contribution to Irish gay liberation is presented to Dr. Noel Browne, former Minister for Health, at the NGF AGM in Liberty Hall, Dublin, 1982. 19th September Henry III, King of Poland and France, who was so effeminate that he wore full drag and make­ up and frequently hid shrieking in cellars during thunderstorms, bom in Fontainbleau, 1551. 21st September The Daughters of Bilitis, first lesbian organisation in the US, founded in San Francisco, by Phyllis Lyons and Del Martin, 1956. 23rd September Emperor Augustus, born in Rome, 63 B.C. 25th September Swiss philanthropist Jean Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross (his memoirs were mutilated and falsified by his family) bom in Geneva, 1828. 26th September Radical feminist Andrea Dworkin bom in New Jersey, USA, 1946. Also the birthday of poet/critic T.S. Eliot (1888). 28th September William II Rufus, one of William the Conqueror's two gay sons, bom 1056; and the painter Caravaggio, bom in the town from which he took his name, 1573. 29th September The first lesbian organisation in Ireland - Liberation for Irish Lesbians - founded at the Resources Centre, Rathgar Road, Dublin, 1978. 30th September Truman Capote, who once confided ""I was a beautiful little boy...everyone had men - men, women, dogs and fire hydrants. I did it with everybody"", born 1924. 3rd October Gore Vidal, author, bom in New York, 1925. 9th October James Whale, director of Frankenstein and some o f Hollywood's best horror films of the 1930's and who made no secret of his love affair with producer David Lewis - for which he never worked in Hollywood again - is commemorated today."

"FRONTLINE FASHION: If you go down to Dublin's Temple Bar today you're in for a big surprise - there ’s a host of excellent secondhand clothes shops catering for diverse tastes and pockets. Generally, the shops were clean, wellstocked and designed, to deal with.The staff too were a pleasure MODELS: Tim, Debbie and Samantha PHOTOGRAPHY: Sean Gilmartin LAYOUT: Niall Sweeny FRONT COVER Confederate Flag and boxer shorts (£6) - The Real McCoy, Fownes Street. CENTRESPREAD - Clockwise from top left Tim: Brocade jacket (£29.99), baseball cap (£9.99) and own 501 's Damascus, Crown Alley. Samantha & Debbie: Leather jackets (£120) over polka dot dresses (£20, handmade by Mel/Flip & The Real McCoy), The Real McCoy. Debbie: Black jacket (£9.99) Tim: Black jacket (£19.99), white shirt (£5.99) and hat (£9.99) Samantha: Black jacket (9.99) All from Damascus, Crown Alley. Other shops worth visiting in the area are SE SI, Crow Street and THE EAGER BEAVER, Crown Alley."