In his first major interview since becoming the Lord Mayor of Belfast, published in the latest issue of Hot Press, Cllr Micky Murray of the Alliance Party talks about receiving death threats and slams the Northern Ireland politicians who still make derogatory remarks about the LGBTQ+ community.

The Lord Mayor also points out how members of the American LGBTQ+ community “are really scared” about life under the current regime in the United States. And while he’s not afraid to personally criticise Donald Trump in this Hot Press Interview, Cllr Micky Murray also has a pop at Elon Musk who he says, as the owner of the social media platform X, is not living up to his responsibilities.

In a candid six-page interview, Lord Mayor Micky Murray also talks about drugs, putting forward the argument to legalise marijuana “at the very least for medicinal purposes”, praises the Portuguese Model, and explains why he feels injection centres should be opened in Belfast.

Lord Mayor of Belfast Mickey Murray. Photo: Abigail Ring.

It is no secret that anti-gay prejudice was rampant across the North until recently. Which makes the election of Micky Murray as the Lord Mayor of Belfast uniquely symbolic.

Asked about the occasional homophobic slurs still coming from a small number of elected representatives in Northern Ireland, Murray said, “I think what upsets me most is the inability for elected reps to understand the consequences of what they say…

“A lot of right wing politicians," he added, "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.”

He recalled the time Ian Paisley Jr. told Hot Press that he was "repulsed" by homosexuality. “You know," he reflected, "potentially members of his family, members of the community he was elected to represent and some members of his party identify as LGBTQ. So it’s a lack of understanding – and a lack of wanting to understand as well.”

Asked if there is a fear that gay people in the US are going to be driven back into the closet by the Trump regime, he said, “Yeah, people are really scared. I’ve spent a good bit of time in the US over the past three years or so. I have a lot of friends in the US. And there is a lot of anxiety about what’s happening.

“So when it comes to Trump," he added, "I don't think he's world leader material.”

The Lord Mayor believes that social media giants like X should be treated like a traditional publisher. “There’s a responsibility there," he said, "not just on X as an organisation, but Elon Musk as well, as the person leading this platform, to ensure that it’s not used to whip up political tensions.”

Has he ever received any death threats, himself? “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.”

He was asked by interviewer Jason O'Toole if he ever smoked marijuana. “I have – twice!" he said. "Probably not the coolest response. I can’t even remember when it was, but I know the number is twice.

“I don’t think there’s a huge issue with marijuana. It needs to be legalised, at the very least for medicinal purposes. The way we treat drugs – and especially addiction – is really behind the times.

“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.

“We (also) 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?”

Also in this six-page feature, Micky Murray discusses the future of Belfast, reflects on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, explains why he never wants to be First Minister, and reveals why he gave up booze for a year.

He also talks on the record about the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, explains why sex education needs to be radically updated, candidly discusses his own experience of coming out, chats about the current vibrant gay scene in Belfast, and confesses that he has never listened to Kneecap!

• Read the Lord Mayor's full interview in the latest issue of Hot Press, available now: