{"id":136134,"date":"2025-11-12T18:50:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/136134\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T18:50:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:50:13","slug":"meet-anne-byrne-the-new-ceo-of-lgbt-ireland-gcn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/136134\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Anne Byrne, the new CEO of LGBT Ireland \u2022 GCN"},"content":{"rendered":"

After leading LGBT Ireland for 14 years, Paula Fagan<\/a> stepped down as CEO earlier this year. In July 2025, the organisation<\/a> welcomed a new CEO. Anne Byrne took the reins of one of Ireland\u2019s largest LGBTQ+ organisations and told GCN all about what led her to this moment and what she envisions for the future.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on her past roles, Anne recalled working in industrial relations and then in management consulting. Her first job in the not-for-profit sector was at the Irish Cancer Society, where she became Director of People, Strategy and Innovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not been a linear career, but it\u2019s been great. I\u2019ve learned so much in all of my past roles,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know that I\u2019ve made intentional moves, but when I look back at it, it all kind of does make sense. And maybe it was leading to this moment. The common thread for me is that all of my work has been really people-centred.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne described herself as \u201can introvert who really loves people and I think that\u2019s been the story in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elaborating further on what her journey looked like before joining LGBT Ireland, she shared: \u201cI\u2019m so hesitant to talk about anything that I\u2019ve done as activism, and I think the reason why is that I have such deep admiration for what I would consider to be real activists. The likes of Ailbhe Smyth, or Jenny Maguire, or Paula.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I aspire to activism rather than necessarily claiming it. And I think it\u2019s because I know that there are big shoes to fill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recalling her steps into advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland, Anne spoke about canvassing ahead of the Marriage Equality Referendum in 2015. She said that was the first time she felt like \u201cpart of that collective action, seeing what the LGBTQ+ movement and the wider human rights movement could do, the impact it could make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now Anne is taking her skills, her past experiences and that deep admiration to her role as CEO of LGBT Ireland. \u201cThe organisation, what it has done, the role it currently plays, and what it can be\u2026 I think it is really, really important in Ireland,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m really appreciative of the work that Paula has done, that the team has done, the organisation that\u2019s been built. LGBT Ireland, thanks in a huge part to the work of Paula, is a respected, very collaborative organisation that\u2019s really there for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a real privilege to be entrusted with it, entrusted to lead LGBT Ireland into this next chapter,\u201d she shared. \u201cI don\u2019t think teenage me or even 20-something-year-old me would\u2019ve ever thought that I\u2019d be here, in a role like this, leading an organisation like this and doing so really proudly, unquestionably proudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, yeah, it\u2019s a real privilege and it\u2019s also a nice moment of personal reflection for how far I\u2019ve come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Speaking about the fundamental work LGBT Ireland does for the community in the country, she said: \u201cWe\u2019re first and foremost a support organisation and we\u2019re there for the LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+ people across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what a difference the work makes. In particular the helpline, where I volunteered. What it means to people to have somebody at the end of the phone who\u2019s there for them, unquestioningly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really want to make sure that we grow that service, that we are there for everyone in need, and that everyone knows that we\u2019re there. Everyone knows that supports are available, either through the helpline, through peer support, or through any of the other organisations that are around the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn LGBT Ireland, we\u2019ve always had a very strong focus on intersectionality and on particularly supporting more marginalised groups,\u201d Anne added. \u201cSo supporting LGBTQ+ Travellers and Roma people, supporting our rainbow refugees as well, is really integral to our work and will continue to be the future for LGBT Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as well, older LGBTQ+ people, that\u2019s a group that sometimes isn\u2019t as visible. I really wanna make sure that we\u2019re there for them and that we\u2019re changing policy and we\u2019re equipping healthcare workers with the skills that they need to support older people.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the policy side, we have a new national inclusion strategy. We really need to see that implemented, to know that there are commitments that have been made by the government,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd LGBT Ireland as an organisation can be that watchdog to make sure that those commitments are upheld and the policy and legislative progress that\u2019s promised is delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new CEO of LGBT Ireland also spoke about two main challenges that the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland is currently facing. \u201cOne is in relation to rising hate and the far right, but also the way that that rhetoric and that action is seeping into life. I see LGBT Ireland and our role is, with other civil society organisations, trying to work together and combat that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second big issue she mentioned is trans healthcare in the country. \u201cIt\u2019s non-existent, at the moment. As an LGBTQ+ organisation, that\u2019s one of our top priorities. It\u2019s doing all that we can to try to change that and try to bring about proper, compassionate, person-centred trans healthcare for Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking about her commitment to ensuring LGBT Ireland thrives as an organisation, she said: \u201cWe fit within a wider network of LGBTQ+ community organisations all around the country. Success for me, for LGBT Ireland, is also seeing more of those, seeing more investment in national or local and regional community services for LGBTQ+ people, seeing more places open, more resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne reflected on the past few months and what her work as CEO of LGBT Ireland has been like. \u201cI was really pleasantly surprised by how welcoming all the other LGBTQ+ organisations have been to me. I really do feel like I have the support of a community,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople want me to succeed because they want LGBT Ireland to succeed. Because we\u2019re all trying to do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond her work inside the organisation, there are a few things that make Anne\u2019s life even more fulfilling. One is the little garden she takes care of at her home, another is cooking for other people. \u201cI love theatre. You know, the Fringe festival or that kind of mad experimental queer theatre,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

She mentioned being an aunt and absolutely loving the role. \u201cMyself and my wife don\u2019t make kids, but I adore being an aunt,\u201d she shared. \u201cMy friends\u2019 kids to me are my niece and nephews as well. I\u2019ve got loads of them in my life and they bring me such joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as sappy as it sounds, my wife Kate brings me joy. I just love hanging out with her. She\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After leading LGBT Ireland for 14 years, Paula Fagan stepped down as CEO earlier this year. In July…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136135,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,78871,78872,43],"class_list":["post-136134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-charities","tag-lgbt-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}