Show Notes

**Stephen Lehane: Mr. Gay Ireland 2017** In this episode Dil talks with the lively, lovely and chatty Stephen Lehane. Stephen was Mr. Gay Ireland in 2017, and holds a degree in deaf studies from Trinity College, Dublin. If you’re familiar with the show, First Dates (which you definitely are), then you may remember Stephen as one half of the first ever date in Irish Sign Language on the show. In this episode, Stephen and Dil discuss the Mr. Gay Ireland award—why it was set up and what winning entails, what interested Stephen in deaf studies, the deaf LGBTQ+ community and the inclusive attitude within the wider deaf community, and watching interpreters sign the lyrics of Rihanna songs at Pride. Stephen is currently working on an online information resource for LGBTQ+ activists, so that people anywhere in the world who are new to activism can learn from experienced activists. It hasn’t launched yet, but keep an eye on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/lehandyman) for when it launches!