A new survey has been launched and is seeking to examine the experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+ ) migrants in Ireland. Led by Dr Chris Noone from NUI Galway, this is the first national consultation of LGBT+ migrants in Ireland and aims to better understand and support this community.
The National LGBT Federation conducted the largest ever consultation of the LGBT+ community in Ireland in 2016, called the Burning Issues 2 study. From that study, one group of people in the LGBT+ community who identified as needing more understanding and support were those who have migrated to Ireland, particularly those who came seeking asylum.
Coordinated by Dr Chris Noone from NUI Galway, the new survey ‘LGBT+ Actions to Include Migrants’ is a collaboration between the National LGBT Federation and Ireland’s LGBT+ community members who are migrants, to create the first study by, for and about LGBT+ people who have moved to Ireland. It is intended to produce recommendations for how they can be better supported in Irish society by the government, and the LGBT+ community.
Dr Chris Noone, coordinator of the survey and a lecturer from the School of Psychology at NUI Galway, said: “If you have come to Ireland from another country to live, work or study and you identify as LGBT+ then we would like to learn about your experiences. Having an understanding of the experiences of LGBT+ migrants in Ireland will help to provide information about how, as a country and as a community, we can become more aware of their needs and act on them.”
The questions from the survey have been carefully chosen after workshops were held in Dublin and Galway where members of the LGBT+ community who are migrants to Ireland were invited. The topics covered in this survey were collectively chosen by the people who attended the workshops.
“The information we will obtain from this survey will improve our understanding of the experiences of migrants in our community and allow the government to respond to the needs of LGBT+ migrants and asylum seekers”, added Dr Noone.
The study is being organised by the research sub-group of the National LGBT Federation and has been funded by a grant from the Community Foundation for Ireland. Participation is entirely voluntary and taking part will involve completing the survey about being a migrant in Ireland.
To participate in the study, visit: https://gcn.ie/aims/ or watch this video:
