Ireland's The Gay Project launches Cork Queer College

The Gay Project, one of Ireland’s longest-standing LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations, has announced the launch of Cork Queer College, a pioneering educational initiative aimed at creating a radically inclusive learning environment for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies.

The announcement follows the Gay Project’s recent milestone — the acquisition of its first permanent community-owned centre in Ballintemple, Cork.

The new space will serve as the home of Cork Queer College, offering a blend of academic, creative, and community-based programmes rooted in queer experience and liberation.

Stephen Spillane, Chairperson of the Gay Project, described the college as “a bold step forward in reclaiming education as a space of empowerment for queer people.”

“For too long, LGBTQ+ people have had to navigate educational systems that marginalise or erase our identities. Cork Queer College is about rewriting that story — on our own terms.”

The initiative builds on Cork’s rich legacy of LGBTQ+ activism, dating back to the early 1980s when the city hosted Ireland’s first national gay conference. The Gay Project itself was founded in 1984 and has played a central role in advancing rights and visibility for gay, bi+, trans, and queer men in Ireland.

The new Ballintemple centre - the first of its kind in Cork - provides the physical and symbolic foundation for the college.

“This is more than bricks and mortar,” said Spillane. “It’s a space where learning, healing, and organising can happen side by side.”

2025 courses include: Gays CAN Drive: Theory Test Preparation; Outspoken: LGBTI+ Toastmasters; GOLDen Plates: Air Fryer Course for Older Men; LGBTI+ Community Development; LGBTI+ Community Leadership & Advocacy; Queer Lens: Capturing Our Community (Photography); Creative Calm: Stress Management Through Art with Rainbow DiverseAbilities; The Green Room: LGBTI+ Drama Programme; Transcend: Make Up for Trans Women with Gender Rebels.