Pride Month Vibes: Love Who You Love, But Gen Z’s Got Bigger Fights

But real talk: Pride’s a celebration, but Gen Z’s got bigger fish to fry. Climate change is coming for us all – not only was 2024 Ireland’s warmest year on record, per Met Éireann, but there were floods wrecking homes in Cork, Donegal, and Galway too. The IPCC’s screaming we’ve got less than a decade to cap global warming at 1.5°C, or we’re looking at more storms, more chaos. The cost-of-living crisis is straight-up strangling us – CSO data shows Dublin rents spiked 12% in 2024, and 30% of Gen Z are stuck in precarious gig jobs, per a 2024 ESRI study. These pressures are compounded by additional obstacles: educational barriers, from tuition fees to repeated microaggressions like being asked, “Where are you really from?” at every turn. Maybe you’re juggling Ramadan and St. Patrick’s Day, or explaining to your mates why your name’s “too hard” to pronounce. Who you’re dating? That’s low on the list when you’re fighting to afford a flat, save the planet, and make sure your culture isn’t erased. Pride Month’s about equality for all – LGBTQ+, straight, Black, brown, white – and for Gen Z, that’s just the starting line. 

Media’s Missing the Whole Vibe

Irish media’s stuck in a time loop, and it’s not serving. Flip on RTÉ’s 6 or 9 PM news, Virgin Media’s Ireland AM, or even The Tonight Show (yeah, we heard the presenter lineup’s shifted, but the core issue’s the same), and it’s a sea of sameness. Sure, you’ve got Zainab Boladale, a Nigerian-Irish queen holding it down on RTÉ’s Six O’Clock Show, repping second-gen pride. But she’s one of the few, not the norm. During Pride Month, you might catch a rainbow ad for a bank or a telecom – token vibes – but where’s the queer, second-gen host diving into the real stuff? Where’s the Polish-Irish, non-binary presenter breaking down how climate floods hit migrant communities hardest? Where’s the Filipino-Irish, pansexual DJ on RTÉ Radio 1 spinning tracks and talking about navigating queerness in a traditional family? Joe Duffy’s Liveline might touch on Pride once a year, but it’s not the same as a regular host who gets our intersectional grind – queer, second-gen, and ready to tackle the world’s mess.

The 2022 Census laid it bare: 12% of Ireland’s born abroad, 17% of Dubliners have migrant roots, and we’re out here speaking 22 languages. Yet, RTÉ’s news and Virgin Media’s prime-time slots don’t reflect that – or Gen Z’s mindset that equality’s a given. Gen Z want media that mirrors your cultural and social values, but turn on RTÉ Radio 1, and it’s Joe Duffy or rugby commentators like Michael Corcoran and Donal Lenihan, serving content that feels like it’s for your granda’s coffee break. Even Virgin’s Discovers competition in 2025, which aired dope short films like The Knife tackling racism, was a late-night drop, not prime-time. Radio’s worse – here’s the queer, Brazilian-Irish host spinning tracks by Neolithic or Ahmed, With Love, while breaking down the cost-of-living crisis? Your €160 TV licence – part of RTÉ’s €186 million haul, even after a 15% dip from 2023’s scandals – is funding this gap, and it’s not good enough.

Gen Z’s Real Fights

Don’t sleep on Pride Month – it’s a moment to celebrate, to honour the OGs who fought for queer rights, and to keep pushing for trans youth, queer refugees, and anyone still catching hate. But for Gen Z, equality’s the floor, not the ceiling. You’re stressed about the planet drowning – Met Éireann’s data shows a 20% jump in extreme weather events in Ireland from 2015-2024, and coastal towns like Lahinch are losing ground to rising seas. You’re grinding through a gig economy where half of us can’t dream of owning a home. For second-gen kids, it’s that plus the weight of dual identities: maybe you’re sending money back to family in Lagos or Kraków, or dodging microaggressions at college while your lecturer butchers your name. Who you love? That’s not the hill you’re dying on. You’re too busy trying to breathe clean air, pay bills, and make sure your stories – queer, straight, migrant, whatever – get told.

Look at the UK for inspo. Munroe Bergdorf, a Black trans activist, uses BBC and Instagram to talk race, queerness, and climate justice all at once, pulling in Gen Z with real talk. Yungblud, a queer ally, mixes music with activism, calling out systemic issues on X and TikTok. Ireland’s got talent,  but RTÉ and Virgin Media aren’t giving them the mic or camera to talk Pride and the bigger fights. Imagine a queer, Indian-Irish host on The Six O’Clock Show, breaking down how the housing crisis screws over migrant families, with TikTok clips going viral. Or a radio show with a Black-Irish, bi DJ spinning global tracks while unpacking how to fight for climate policies that don’t ignore marginalised communities. That’s the media we need – one that sees equality as table stakes and dives into the issues keeping us up at night.

Why It Cuts Deep

This ain’t just about rainbow flags or Pride floats – it’s about feeling seen in every way. When RTÉ’s news skips the stories of queer, second-gen kids marching for climate justice or hustling through Dublin’s rent nightmare, it’s like your lives don’t matter. When radio’s stuck on the same old voices, it’s telling us your dual identities – queer and Nigerian-Irish, pan and Polish-Irish – aren’t worth the airtime. Picture a Pride Month special hosted by a Syrian-Irish, non-binary Gen Z-er, diving into how floods hit migrant communities while vibing with fans on Insta Live. Or a podcast with a queer, Filipino-Irish host and guests like Ahmed, With Love, spitting bars about identity and systemic change. That’s the energy Gen Z’s craving, but Irish media’s still serving last century’s playbook.

Your Move, Gen Z

Your €160 TV licence and your voice should demand a media that looks like Ireland’s future – diverse, inclusive, and locked in on what matters. Pride Month’s a reminder: love who you love, be who you are, but let’s keep it pushing. We need RTÉ, Virgin Media, and radio to platform second-gen, queer voices who get our grind – climate, cash, culture, equality. Picture a prime-time show with a Black-Irish, bi host tackling the housing crisis, backed by TikTok series that pull us in. Or a radio slot with a Polish-Irish, queer DJ spinning tracks and breaking down how to fight for a planet that’s not drowning. That’s the vibe we’re building.

Flood X with #EqualityWorxVibes and tell us: who’s the second-gen, queer star you wanna see hosting, spinning tracks, or leading the convo on climate, equality, and survival? Drop your story, vid, or track by email to EqualityWorx. Let’s make Ireland’s airwaves and screens scream us – no token ads, no half-measures, just pure, unfiltered Gen Z energy.  #IrishVibes