Gender discontents? The emergence of trans and gender nonconforming experiences in Ireland’s Gay Community News (1988–1998)

Research pertaining to the emergence and presence of trans and gender nonconforming identities in press materials has been lacking, particularly within the queer Irish context. This article fills this gap by presenting the findings of a study exploring the emergence of gender nonconformity through the alternative queer media outlet, Gay Community News (GCN). Using the first decade of the GCN’s reportage (1988 to 1998), this article explores 113 issues of GCN, including supplements, deploying textual analysis to uncover how GCN negotiated and represented trans and gender diverse identities. Through this analysis, three key themes relating to trans visibility emerge across this decade: 1. Negotiating the inclusion and exclusion of trans femme identities; 2. Transvestite identity and its normal attachments and 3. Information provision and consciousness-raising. In exploring these themes, this article argues that alternative media have been crucial for the emergence of trans and gender diverse visibility in the Irish queer press. Additionally, it contends that this community is very much minoritised regarding the kinds of inclusions offered to them. While highlighting the activist potential of alternative media like GCN, the article demonstrates that trans visibility was often complex, marred by exclusions and expectations around conformity.