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Tarlach Mac Niallais (10/09/1962-04/01/2020) was an Irish born activist who fought for LGBT+ rights in his native Belfast and later in New York City. He was born Terence Nellis in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Oct. 9, 1962, the tenth of 11 children of John James Nellis, a bus conductor, and Una Nellis, a homemaker. He later adopted the Irish language version of his name, pronounced TAR-lock MACK-neel-ish.

Born in Belfast, Mac Niallais (57) grew up during the Troubles and became a social justice activist during his time at Queen’s University Belfast. He would later move to New York City where he continued to champion LGBT+ rights.

As a university student, he protested against British imperialism and emerged as a gay rights advocate. He responded to the “Save Ulster From Sodomy” campaign — an ultimately unsuccessful effort to keep homosexual acts illegal in Northern Ireland — by helping to mount a counter campaign with the slogan “Save Sodomy From Ulster.”

Mac Niallais campaigned for Republican and LGBT+ prisoner rights in Belfast in the 1980s and clashed the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Ian Paisley. Paisley, who also founded the Free Presbyterian Church, set up a campaign to “Save Ulster from Sodomy”.

It was Mac Niallais who would invert this slogan on a t-shirt which said to “Save Sodomy from Ulster”. He would also take part in the first-ever Lesbian and Gay Conference held in Queen’s University in 1983, which was picketed by the DUP.

In the United States, Mac Niallais fought to include LGBT+ groups in the annual St Patrick’s Day parades which would take part across New York state. When they were finally granted permission to march under their own banners in 2017, he was serving as the formation manager of the LGBT Lavender and Green Irish group.

Many have made tribute to his life and legacy following his untimely death. Fellow activist Marie Mulholland described him as a “huge light”. “My old friend, comrade, brother activist, pal from the old neighbourhood, leading light in LGBT politics from the 80s in Belfast to the present day in New York City has passed away this evening a victim of COVID-19,” she said.

Tarlach Mac Niallais is survived by his husband of 17 years, Juan N. Vasquez. Mr. MacNiallais tested positive for the virus in mid-March and died at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, with the texted words of loved ones being read to him by a nurse. He is survived by his husband, Juan Nepomuceno, nine siblings and three stepchildren.