PHA support Outburst festival

As part of ongoing work to address the health inequalities experienced by people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and/ or Transgender (LGB&/T), the Public Health Agency (PHA) is pleased to support this year’s Outburst festival which runs from 14 to 22 November. 

This is the eighth annual Outburst Queer Arts Festival. This year’s festival brings performances and discussion celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender to Belfast. The festival showcases international and homegrown talent, with the aim of sharing and exploring LGB&/T experiences. 

Deirdre McNamee, Senior Officer, Health Improvement at the PHA, said: “There is a wealth of evidence on the positive impact of arts and culture on mental health and wellbeing. Research has shown that increasingly, social inclusion through the arts is being considered to help groups who are marginalised or excluded due to racial, ethnic, religious, cultural or gender issues. 

“We are delighted to support this year’s Outburst with two events which will focus on issues relating to transgender and the challenges faced by many young people struggling to come to terms with their gender identity. Performances like these are great opportunities to raise public awareness of gender identity issues and provide a medium for engaging with the transgender community and their families. The events will also provide an opportunity for local organisations working to support the transgender community to come together to share their experiences and learn from each other.”

Ruth McCarthy, Outburst Festival Director, said: “We have a stunning line up of local and international arts events this year, and while we also want to inspire and entertain with world-class performances, our core aim as a festival is to support LGB&/T communities in Northern Ireland in exploring the stories and issues that impact on our health and wellbeing. 

“The PHA has been a valuable supporter of this vision to tackle health inequalities in an accessible and innovative way and we are delighted to be working with them again this year on events around transgender and gender identity.”

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