‘Identity, Community and Conflict: Oral History of the Gay Community in Belfast’

The ethno-religious community conflict, known as the Troubles 1968-98, led to violence, division and political stagnation in Northern Ireland. Despite this backdrop the gay community in Northern Ireland sought to forge an identity free from sectarian prejudices, agitate for the legalisation of homosexuality and participate in the international gay community. Interviews with gay men and women who have lived in Belfast provide valuable insight, stories and experiences to the history of the gay community and identity in Belfast. This talk will address the difficulties surrounding gay oral history interviews. Primarily the interviewer/interviewee relationship, the trouble finding willing participants and the anxieties surrounding sensitive questions.