Press Releases
Celebrating How Far We’ve Come: 50 Years Of Dublin Pride
13 June 2024
Dublin Bus Reveals Pride Campaign & Community Partnership
Today, 13 June, Dublin Bus and its employees announce a new community partnership with
ShoutOut for Pride 2024 which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Dubliners should keep an eye out for the Celebrating How Far We’ve Come: 50 Years Of Dublin Pride campaign on buses across the capital this Pride season.
As part of its continued support for the LGBTQI+ community and employees, Dublin Bus has partnered with ShoutOut to create this year’s campaign and celebrate how far the LGBTQI+ community has come over the last 50 years. 50 t-side ads will be displayed across the Dublin Bus fleet with a selection of heartfelt and significant personal milestones from the lives of queer Dubliners.
From Gordon’s standout moment in 1998 when “I brought my Mam to the George” to three years later when Dublin Bus driver Adrian “met my partner on the number 10 bus”. Jumping to 2015, Aimee always remembers when their Nana told them “If you were a good person it didn’t matter what you were”, while in 2023 Dublin Bus employee Diane’s milestone was when “I officially came out as transgender”. The campaign hopes to help younger LGBTQI+ people who might feel uncertain about their future to understand that there is a whole community to support them when they see the ‘Celebrating How Far We’ve Come’ milestones on the side of the bus.
Speaking about the campaign, Vivienne Kavanagh (she/her), Talent Development and Diversity Manager at Dublin Bus said: “I’m delighted that Dublin Bus is partnering with ShoutOut for this year’s Pride community partnership furthering our commitment to the LGBTQI+ community and our employees. ShoutOut is an especially important community organisation that plays a crucial role in combating anti-LGBTQI+ bullying and violence. I’m extremely proud of the progressive and pioneering D and I policies we have put in place at Dublin Bus. We want to ensure that all our employees and customers feel safe and supported.”
ShoutOut is a registered charity committed to improving life for LGBTQI+ people by sharing personal stories and running educational programmes. They harness the power of education to combat anti-LGBTQI+ bullying and violence, and firmly believe in the power of personal storytelling to spark compassion and build allyship. Since 2012 they have delivered 2,500 workshops in secondary schools across the island of Ireland which tackle LGBTQ+ bullying.
Ruadhán Ó Críodáin (he/him), Executive Director of ShoutOut added: “We're delighted to be marking 50 years of Pride milestones with Dublin Bus this year. At ShoutOut, we share personal testimonies from the LGBTQI+ community in schools across Ireland so that LGBTQI+ young people can see themselves reflected in those narratives. Our personal milestones - whether it's coming out to our families, meeting a partner, or finding our first LGBTQI+ pals - shape those stories, offering a roadmap for LGBTQI+ youth so they can have some hope for their own futures. When you're growing up LGBTQI+, it can be hard to see yourself in the stories that surround you. In these milestones, we show LGBTQI+ youth that - while their journey might feel uncertain - there will be so many joyful steps along the way. We hope that these stories will show young people that they're not alone, that there's a whole community who understands them, and that there are countless ways to be proudly LGBTQI+!”
With over 4,200 employees, Dublin Bus is considered a pioneer in the development of policies and support initiatives around diversity and inclusion. 2017 saw Dublin Bus work with TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland) to produce its Workplace Gender Transition Policy and Guidelines for transitioning employees. And in 2018 and 2019 it helped ‘Proud Dads’ and older members of the LGBTQI+ community to come together and enjoy Pride. The resulting heart-warming videos were seen hundreds of thousands of times across the globe.
More recently it has supported Ireland’s only dedicated national LGBTQI+ press, GCN; youth LGBTI+ organisation, BeLonG To; LGBT Ireland, provider of support, training, and advocacy to improve the lives of LGBT+ people across Ireland; and Outhouse, a community centre and proud hub for the LGBTQI+ community, through similar community partnerships.
Dublin Bus Reveals Pride Campaign & Community PartnershipDublin Bus will also support the Dublin Pride Parade on Saturday June 29th with a bus so that members of the community in need of extra accessibility can enjoy the parade. Elsewhere the organisation is supporting its Diversity and Inclusion partner Bohemian FC with the Dublin Bus X Bohs wrapped bus and the now famous mini Dublin Bus ball carrier used at all Bohemian’s Women’s Premier Division home games will receive a makeover to celebrate Pride 2024.
The Dublin Bus X ShoutOut Celebrating How Far We’ve Come: 50 Years Of Dublin Pride campaign can be seen on digital social channels and on routes throughout the city.
Follow the conversation on Dublin Bus and ShoutOut socials:
Twitter, Instagram & Facebook - @DublinBusNews
Instagram - @shoutout_ire | Facebook - @ShoutoutIRL