More still needs to be done to tackle homophobia, says new Green Party NI leader

More needs to be done to eradicate homophobia in Northern Ireland, the new leader of the Green Party in the region has said.

Mal O’Hara is the first gay leader of a major political party in the region.

Before becoming a politician, Mr O’Hara said he was an activist in LGBT equality groups, was vice-chairman of the equal marriage campaign and worked for the Rainbow Project.

He said: “I always wanted to get involved politically but I wasn’t sure where I fitted.

“I did give consideration to other parties but after talking with friends and family and others, it felt right in my gut and in my heart and my head to join the Greens and I joined in late 2014.

“We re-established the north Belfast group in 2015 and we made a breakthrough getting me elected to (Belfast City) Council in 2019.

“The reason that is important is if the Greens want to show a vision of hope and opportunity for a different society then we need to do it in the communities that have been most affected by the Troubles.

“North Belfast sometimes gets painted as the most sectarian area, rife with poverty, but it is the best part of the city and it is beautiful and I love it and it is my home.”

Mr O’Hara told of his experience living as a gay man in Northern Ireland.

He said: “Like a lot of people, I went away to go university in 1998 and that is when I came out.

“I made a decision around 2003/04 to come home and live authentically as an out gay man.

“I am very lucky, I have a fantastic family, I have a good social network, good supports around me.

“I have been very blessed, but I know that is not the experience of everybody.

“I’ve had death threats, I’ve had harassment, I’ve had homophobic abuse, I’ve experienced all of that and that is what led me into LGBT activism.

“The fundamental failure is the Executive promised a sexual orientation strategy in 2007; it is 2022 and that has still not been delivered and that is a key mechanism for addressing inequality.

“While I am very lucky, I am conscious that is not the experience of very many people across Northern Ireland.

“There has never been a better time to be LGBT, but there is still a lot of work to do to make sure it is better for coming generations.”

Mr O’Hara said he knows there are people who will never vote for him because of his sexuality.

“Luckily, those numbers of people are decreasing every single year,” he said.

“As Greens, we have often led on issues like this.

“We were right on equal marriage when others were reticent to bring it forward, we were right on abortion and reproductive healthcare for women when others were nervous to bring that forward.”