Northern Ireland grants licence for first LGBT+ radio station
Northern Ireland has granted a licence to its first ever LGBT+ community radio station to air on FM radio.
Juice FM will be Northern Ireland‘s first radio stations to serve and focus on LGBT audiences.
“LGBT people come from all walks of life and it is our aim to serve as many of our community as possible through an outgoing and inclusive presentation style, mixed with speech content tailored for our audience, and a unique music mix,” said a spokesperson to the Belfast Telegraph.
“Juice will play a mixture of dance and gay classics, music to stir the heart and move the hips.
“Our speech content will be specifically tailored for the LGBT community, including LGBT news bulletins and a local magazine style show which will showcase and discuss the aspirations, concerns, successes and issues affecting our target audience.
Although the grant for the station has approved, eager listeners might have to put their excitement on hold.
It could take up to two years for the station to be put on air.
“The station is currently streaming a sample service online through JuiceBelfast.com and has up to two years to get on-air.”
In another move towards equality, a cross-party, cross-house draft bills have been submitted to legalise same-sex marriage in the country.
After the last vote for same-sex marital rights was blocked by the DUP, Labour MP Conor McGinn decided to submit a bill to the House of Commons to secure the legislation through Westminster.
The UK parliament has advanced a Bill to bring same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland.
Two former Conservative equalities ministers have given their backing to a bill that would bring equal marriage to Northern Ireland, as it passed its first reading.
While DUP Chief Whip Jeffrey Donaldson said that there would be “little prospect” of the bill passing in Westminster, Sinn Fein’s Northern Ireland leader Michelle O’Grady is backing the bill on the back of the “political impasse” which has seen Northern Ireland without an Assembly for 14 months.
“Obviously, as an Irish Republican, it does not sit easily with me that we would legislate here in Westminster – but we believe there is a way to do it, which is written into the Good Friday Agremeent, which is a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference with the two governments working together,” she said.
“The two governments have responsibility within the agreement for equality and rights, and for me this fits into that category.
“We are happy and content that this is a route that can hopefully lead to a positive outcome for our citizens who just want the same rights that people have elsewhere. It’s a very reasonable request,” she added.
