Ready your dancing shoes (and hats)! Engage your queer history brain! Get political! Get theatrical! It’s lesbian February! (Let me know in the comments anything I’ve missed.)

It’s that time of the year again, when most colleges go gay during their Rainbow Weeks or days. They serve to raise the visibility of LGBT students on college campuses, and thereby help LGBT students know that they’re not the “only gay in the village”. This is especially true for the smaller colleges throughout the country, where some students can genuinely feel that they are alone.

Last night in Dublin city, Pantibar on Capel Street was packed to the rafters with eager punters. But the customers weren’t there to watch Barcelona trounce Manchester United, they were avidly listening to a distinguished triumvirate of legal experts expounding the legal and social nuances of civil partnership and marriage.