Rory O'Neill (born 16 November 1968),
also known by his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
s Panti, Panti Bliss and Pandora Panti Bliss, is a
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...
and
gay rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, , 3 ...
activist from
Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe, which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786.
History Foundation and development
Ballinrobe is con ...
,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
Early life
O'Neill, the son of a
veterinary surgeon
Veterinary surgery is surgery performed on animals by veterinarians, whereby the procedures fall into three broad categories: orthopaedics (bones, joints, muscles), soft tissue surgery (skin, body cavities, cardiovascular system, GI/urogenital/ ...
, grew up in
Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe, which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786.
History Foundation and development
Ballinrobe is con ...
,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
, and went to art college in
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.
The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...
.
Although raised a Roman Catholic, O'Neill is an atheist. O'Neill talked to
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (; born 25 October 1983) is an Irish academic, broadcaster and musician. She also won the Rose of Tralee contest in 2005.
Life Early life
Ní Shúilleabháin is a native of Carnacon near Ballyglass, County Mayo.
...
about having been diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1995 on the RTÉ Radio 1 series ''Aoibhinn and Company''.
Career
Panti is considered to be Ireland's foremost drag queen.
From 1996 to 2012, Panti was the hostess of the annual
Alternative Miss Ireland
The Alternative Miss Ireland (AMI) was an annual gay event which took place in Dublin, Ireland, on the Sunday closest to St. Patrick's Day, 17 March. It occurred over three-and-a-half hours and featured a pastiche of the beauty pageant rounds ...
pageant.
Panti regularly hosts the annual
Dublin Pride
The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival is an annual series of events which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) life in Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest LGBTQ+ pride festival on the island of Ireland. The festival culmi ...
celebrations, which take place in the month of June every year.
For a number of years Panti hosted a weekly karaoke show, ''The Casting Couch'', at The Front Lounge pub, Dublin. Panti occasionally appears at
Shirley Temple Bar
Declan Buckley is an Irish television personality and drag queen from Dublin, Ireland, going by the persona Shirley Temple Bar. This name is a play on both Shirley Temple and a cultural area of Dublin city called Temple Bar. He also writes a we ...
's weekly drag queen Bingo show in the Dublin gay bar
The George.
On 30 November 2007, he opened the self-titled 'Pantibar' in 7
Capel Street
Capel Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland. On 20 May 2022, it was made traffic-free, following a campaign by people who wanted to improve the quality of life on the street. It is now the longest traffic-free street in Dublin.
History
Capel ...
, Dublin.
Later, he took over the nearby Pennylane cocktail bar in 2020 at 2 Great Strand Street.
'Panti' is short for 'Pandora Panti Bliss'.
Rory O'Neill's first drag performance was in 1998. Panti danced on stage in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
with
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
during her 1994 Twelve Deadly Cyns Tour.
Incidents
Comments about homophobia on RTÉ (a.k.a. "Pantigate")
On 11 January 2014, O'Neill appeared on
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
's ''
The Saturday Night Show
''The Saturday Night Show'' is a talk show hosted by Brendan O'Connor broadcast on RTÉ One between 2010 and 2015. The show features guest interviews, audience participation and live music. ''The Saturday Night Show'' is broadcast every Saturday ...
'' with
Brendan O'Connor where they discussed
homophobia
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...
and O'Neill alleged that some individuals involved in Irish journalism were homophobic. This became known as "Pantigate".
Those mentioned threatened RTÉ and O'Neill with legal action.
RTÉ subsequently removed that section of the interview from their online archive. On 25 January episode of the Saturday Night Show, O'Connor issued a public apology on behalf of RTÉ to those mentioned by O'Neill in the interview held two weeks previously. RTÉ paid €85,000 to those named by O'Neill.
The payouts were later discussed by members of
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:
*The President of Ireland
*The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...
. The incident was also discussed in the European Parliament. with Irish MEP
Paul Murphy, calling the payout "a real attack on the freedom of speech" and stating "When John Waters says that gay marriage is ‘a kind of satire’, that is homophobia. When Breda O’Brien says ‘equality must take second place to the common good’, that is homophobia. When the
Iona Institute
The Iona Institute is a socially conservative, Christian, advocacy group, frequently described as a Catholic pressure group based in Ireland. Founded by columnist David Quinn, it was launched publicly in 2007.
Iona promotes conservative Christ ...
campaign against gay marriage because it is gay marriage, that is homophobia."
RTÉ's head of television defended the €85,000 payout stating that it saved RTÉ "an absolute multiple" in the long term.
Noble Call Speech
On 1 February 2014, O'Neill (as Panti) gave a
Noble Call
''Strumpet City'' is a 1969 historical novel by James Plunkett set in Dublin, Ireland, around the time of the 1913 Dublin Lock-out. In 1980, it was adapted into a successful TV drama by Hugh Leonard for RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. The ...
speech at the
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...
in response to the events surrounding the RTÉ controversy, which garnered over 200,000 views in two days.
the video has nearly 1 million views. The speech was described as "the most eloquent Irish speech" in almost 200 years by
Fintan O'Toole
Fintan O'Toole (born 16 February 1958) is a polemicist, literary editor, journalist and drama critic for ''The Irish Times'', for which he has written since 1988. O'Toole was drama critic for the ''New York Daily News'' from 1997 to 2001 and is ...
and garnered the support of
Dan Savage
Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964) is an American author, media pundit, journalist, and LGBT community activist. He writes ''Savage Love'', an internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column. In 2010, Savage and his husba ...
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ...
,
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...
,
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
,
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
, and others.
T-shirts with "I'm on Team Panti" have been sold as a fundraiser for BeLonG To Youth Services,
raising over €10,000.
In March 2014, English electronic pop duo
Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
released the speech, backed with their music, as "Oppressive (The Best Gay Possible)," they followed up with a "slow mix" of the track, and accompanying video with a "montage of homophobia-related clips." O'Neill later donated the dress he wore at the Noble Call to the
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...
, where it was put on display about LGBTI+ history in Ireland.
Works
Theatre
* 2005 ''Spurt! Sister! Spurt!'' as Madame
* 2007 ''In These Shoes?'', Written and performed by Panti, at the
Dublin Gay Theatre Festival
The International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival is a theatrical event held annually in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, during the first two weeks of May. The 19th festival will be held from 2–15 May 2022. Over 50% of the festival's content comes fr ...
* 2007 ''All Dolled Up'', Written and performed by Panti
* 2009 ''A Woman In Progress'', Written and performed by Panti
* 2014 ''High Heels in Low Places'', Written and performed by Panti.
Media
Film
* 2015 ''
The Queen of Ireland''
Television
* 1990 ''Nighthawks'' as "Seán The Transvestite Farmer"
* 1998 ''
The Maury Povich Show
''Maury'', originally titled ''The Maury Povich Show'', is an American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich that ran in first-run syndication from 1991 to 2022.
The series premiered in 1991 as ''The Maury Povich Show'' and was produced by ...
'', as Panti (1 episode: "Turn My Daughter Back Into My Son")
* 2008 ''
The Clinic'' as Dusty Mulberry (1 episode)
* 2008 ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' as Panti (1 episode)
* 2014 ''
The Mario Rosenstock Christmas Special'' as Panti
* 2014 ''
The Saturday Night Show
''The Saturday Night Show'' is a talk show hosted by Brendan O'Connor broadcast on RTÉ One between 2010 and 2015. The show features guest interviews, audience participation and live music. ''The Saturday Night Show'' is broadcast every Saturday ...
''
* 2022 ''
The Late Late Eurosong Special'' as Panti (televote spokesperson)
* 2023 ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
''
Radio
* 2011 ''Ireland's Karaoke Klassics'', 2FM, Co-presenter as Panti with Arveene
* 2014 ''Sunday Breakfast With Dee Reddy'',
Phantom FM
TXFM (formerly Phantom 105.2) was a Dublin based radio station, founded in 1997 as a pirate radio station. TXFM broadcast under a contract awarded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The station ceased broadcasting on 26 October 2016 ...
as guest contributor
* 2016 ''Pantisocracy'' a
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926.
The total budget for th ...
four part interview series hosted by Panti
Music
* 2014 "Oppression" by Out!rage Featuring Panti Bliss released in aid of
BeLonG To
BeLonG To is an LGBT youth organisation in Ireland which caters for young people aged between 14–23 years. It is a registered charity and is supported by the Irish Department of Education. The service was set up in March 2003.
The group rece ...
* 2014 "The Best Gay Possible - Oppressive Dance Mix" by
Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
incorporates Panti's speech at the Abbey Theatre
Book
* ''Woman in the Making: A memoir'', Rory O'Neill, 2014, Hachette Books Ireland.
Coverage and recognition
Documentary
O'Neill and his alter ego Panti are the subject of a documentary about his early life, the events surrounding
comments O'Neill made about homophobia and Panti's role during Ireland's successful campaign for marriage equality. Filmed over a number of years, the documentary was directed by
Conor Horgan
Conor Horgan is an Irish film director, screenwriter and photographer.
Career
Horgan first trained as a photographer, before moving into directing TV commercials. He has directed over 70 commercials and has won Best Director and Best Photograph ...
. ''
The Queen of Ireland'' premiered on 21 October 2015, followed by its planned nationwide release in Ireland from 23 October 2015.
Awards
* Winner of 'Business Person of the Year' – Gay and Lesbian Awards 2009
* Winner of 'Best Blog Post' – Irish Blog Awards 2010
* Attitude's Editor's Special Award - Attitude Magagzine Awards 2014
* Award for contribution to Irish society - People of the Year Awards 2014
* James Joyce Award - Presented by Literary and Historical society of University College Dublin
* Trinity College Dublin, Honorary Degree - O'Neill was awarded with an honorary degree from Trinity College Dublin in 2015 for his contribution to LGBT rights and marriage equality
References
External link
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panti
Irish drag queens
Irish gay actors
LGBT entertainers from Ireland
LGBT rights activists from Ireland
Living people
People from County Mayo
1968 births
20th-century Irish people
21st-century Irish people