Sapphic Girlhood on Screen: Negotiating Irish Lesbian Identity in Dating Amber (2020)

Abstract

While no laws explicitly targeted lesbianism as illegal, Irish lesbians and queer women at large were active in the battle to decriminalise homosexuality — which finally occurred in Ireland in 1993. Irish lesbian activism also focused on the establishment of groups, organisations and helplines for queer women (Crone 1988, 1995; Connolly and O’Toole 2005). Despite such advancements, in the 1990s homophobia continued to negatively impact the lives of the Irish LGBTQ+ community (Moane 1995). It is in this climate of legalised homosexuality but ingrained homophobia that the film Dating Amber (2020) takes place. In this coming-of-age film directed by David Freyne, gay teenagers Amber and Eddie pretend to have a relationship to stop the homophobic harassment from their classmates, but once they discover the LGBTQ+ community of Dublin they are driven apart as Amber comes out and Eddie continues to deny his homosexuality. This article focuses on the character of Amber and how she navigates her lesbian girlhood in the rural Ireland of the mid-1990s. Particularly, Amber’s oppressive environment in opposition to the more tolerant city and her friendship with Eddie will be analysed, bringing the two elements together in an attempt to explore the development of Amber’s self-perception and her coming out.