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Burning Issues: Listening to the Voices of the LGBT Community in Ireland
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Overview
In Spring 2009, the then National Lesbian and Gay Federation (NLGF) conducted a survey to gain a comprehensive understanding of the key concerns of Ireland’s LGBT community.
The research report Burning Issues: Listening to the Voices of the LGBT Community in Ireland was the first to provide an in-depth overview of the attitudes and opinions of the Irish LGBT community. This seminal-scoping study was undertaken to provide a basis for the future work of the NXF, to provide valuable data, and to contribute to the public debate about same-sex partnership and civil marriage rights in Ireland at the time.
Key Findings
The “burning issues” uncovered by the report included:
Equal rights at work
Personal security: bullying/violence against LGBTQI+ people
Marriage Equality
Support for younger LGBTQI+ people
Supporting people coming out
Lesbian and gay parenting rights
Supporting LGBTQI+ people outside Dublin]
The survey results suggested that increased public visibility and positive media portrayals of LGBTQI+ people were key to tackling homophobia and improving the lives of LGBTQI+ people in Ireland, and the research presented a challenge to politicians, policy makers and LGBTQI+ organisations to actively support LGBTQI+ people who live outside Dublin.
"My burning issue isn’t so much gay rights as human rights. I want to belong; I want to be treated as I treat my fellow citizens, with respect. I simply want to be equaL. If society is equal, then it’s balanced, anything else is simply unacceptable and can never ever be justified, either by religious or political beliefs. I want to take my place amongst my fellow citizens, regardless of gender, colour…"
– Survey Participant
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