New Greens Leader Is First Out Gay Northern Ireland Major Party Leader

The newly named leader of the Green Party has become the first out gay leader of a major party in Northern Ireland.

Deputy Green Party Leader Mal O’Hara, 43, has been named the leader of the Northern Ireland Green Party. He will replace outgoing leader Clare Bailey, who lost her seat in May. 

Ran Unopposed

He was elected on Monday, August 15 after running unopposed. 

In a statement posted to Facebook, O’Hara said, 

“It’s time for a new generation of activists. We were right on marriage and abortion and we were always right on the environment. It is welcome that others are following our lead.

“Northern Ireland faces many challenges; cost of living, housing, mental health, reconciliation and of course the climate and biodiversity crises.

“I believe that Greens uniquely have the solutions to these challenges. We can create a fairer world and a fairer Northern Ireland.

“Come and be part of that.”

O’Hara: An Over-Representation of Heterosexual Older Men

In an interview with the Irish Times, he talked about the historical importance of his appointment. 

“I hope that says to the next generation of LGBT activists that you can be what you can see. That means you can be the leader of a party, that means you can be an elected representative, and that broadens the political representation in the North.

“I think we have an over-representation of heterosexual older men of a certain class, and politics needs to change and be more diverse and representative of those wider communities and I think that brings us better politics.”

O’Hara joined the Green Party in 2014 and was first elected to the Belfast City Council in 2019, representing the Castle ward since. That year he became Deputy Greens Leader.