This week, Derry will be filled with colour as Foyle Pride hosts a week of events, with the finale of the Foyle Pride parade happening this Saturday August 27.
While Pride is always seen as a celebratory event, it is also a time to reflect on those the community has lost.
This year that will be especially important, as earlier in the year the Derry LGBTQIA+ community was rocked by the death of Rainbow Project youth worker Paul Brennan.
Nuala Devenny, Health and Wellbeing Manager of the Rainbow Project, spoke to MyDerry about the impact that Paul made on those around him and within the LGBTQIA+ community.
She said: "When Paul walked into a room he lit it up with his big personality and his love of life. Paul will never know how many lives he saved through his volunteering and his work with the LGBTQIA young people. Paul had been supporting LGBTQIA+ people of all ages in the North West and Donegal for many years and he was involved in setting on the LGBTQIA+ Men’s group that is still running today.
"Paul started working with young LGBTQIA+ people through the Rainbow Youth Programme in Derry and Strabane and was an instant hit with the young people. Sometimes Paul was more excited than the young people and his excitement spread throughout the whole group. That was Paul; always lighting up a room and spreading his excitement of the work he was doing to others, staff and young people.
"Paul cared for each young person he came into contact with and this showed during the Covid-19 pandemic when Paul worked with his colleague to come up with new ways to keep supporting the young people, to keep them involved with Rainbow Youth and in touch with other young people. As the services went to online only Paul was able to support young people who lived outside of the North West, so no young person was left behind."
The Rainbow Project this year decided to dedicate Pride season to Paul and the incredible work he did with young people.
Nuala continued: "The Rainbow Project dedicated this year’s Pride season to Paul as a tribute to his work with the LGBTQIA community over 14+ years. Pride was a time of the year when Paul could show of his true personality of colours, to celebrate life, to acknowledge the equality the LGBTQIA+ have achieved but knowing that Pride was also still important time to highlight inequalities that still exist. Paul’s legacy will live on in the hearts, minds and lives’ of the many people Paul supported over his 14+ years he spent supporting LGBTQIA+ people, the ones we know and ones we will never know of.
"Paul supported and touched so many people through his work that we thought it was only fitting that we celebrated him throughout this first pride season back. We will always have Paul in our hearts and minds while we continue this work and especially in every Pride Season going forward."
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