LGBT Ireland today released its Annual Report for 2022.
2022 was a very difficult year for the LGBTQI+ community both in Ireland and around the world. Rising levels of anti-LGBTQI+ hate crimes saw 2022 recorded as the most violent year for members of the LGBTQI+ community in Europe in a decade and Ireland was not immune.
Much of LGBT Ireland’s work in 2022 focused on providing support to victims, convening the LGBTQI+ Garda sectoral working group to push for a coordinated policing response, and advocating at a national level for effective hate crime legislation.
The report highlights the challenges faced across the year, including a 300% increase in people directly accessing our Refugee and Asylum support services and the need to recruit a Crisis Response Key worker to assist with the most urgent cases. Part of the LGBT Ireland Key Support Work includes the development and delivery of a new Rainbow Pathways programme. The aim of the programme is to highlight the experiences of LGBTQI+ people in each region around the country, to raise awareness of mental health support services and to improve psychological support. Crucially, to also identify support pathways for LGBTQI+ people vulnerable to suicide and self-harm at a regional level.
To find out more about LGBT Ireland’s work, read the full report here: