Belfast's mayor speaks about drug use, homophobia and Irish unity
Belfast’s first openly gay mayor has given a wide-ranging interview about homophobia and drugs policy, while also giving his thoughts on a future Irish unity referendum.
In his first major interview since becoming the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr Micky Murray of the Alliance Party told Hot Press magazine about receiving possible death threats and criticised the small number of politicians who still make derogatory remarks about the LGBT community.
“I think what upsets me most is the inability for elected reps to understand the consequences of what they say,” Mr Murray said. “A lot of right wing politicians talk about trans people as if they are some creature rather than an everyday person or as if they are some kind of anomaly. That’s very personal.”
Asked if he had ever received any death threats, Mr Murray said: “I’ve had a lot of crap. People have said things on social media where, if taken seriously, could be considered a death threat. But I don't think any of them have had any actual level of [genuine] threat behind them. Nothing has come through official channels.”
Mr Murray also spoke about drugs, putting forward the argument to legalise marijuana “at the very least for medicinal purposes”, while explaining why he feels injection centres should be opened in Belfast.
He admitted he had smoked marijuana, but only “twice”.
“Marijuana doesn't do the damage that people think it’s going to do. And if you look at places across the world who have legalised it, they have been able to control it and they’ve taxed it and used it as an income generation as well.”
On other drug-related issues of concern, he said: “We need to look at things like safer injection spaces or overdose prevention facilities, whatever term you want to use, that have been working successfully all over the world since the 70s, 80s, 90s. And it’s 2025, and we’re still having the conversation about, can we open one in Belfast?”
When asked about his views on a referendum for Irish unity, Mr Murray said: “We need to make sure that unionism is represented in that, that nationalism is represented, and that the others, for want of a better word, are too. I think, when you’re looking at changing the whole future of a country, you need that to be as inclusive as possible and to represent as many people as possible and for no one to feel as if they're being discriminated against. I know that is an incredibly difficult job. It’s going to be next to impossible.”
Also in the Hot Press interview, Mr Murray discussed the future of Belfast, reflected on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, explained why he never wants to be First Minister and revealed why he gave up alcohol for a year.
He also talked on the record about the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, explained why sex education needs to be radically updated, and confessed that he had never listened to Belfast rap trio Kneecap.
