Ireland

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

4.9 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

4% of population

The Irish Times, 2015

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

Ireland has been considered a forerunner in the fight for equal rights of the LGBTQ community ever since it became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote in 2015. They are even considering adding questions about sexual orientation to the 2026 census. A lot of the research into Irish SGM populations looks into the mental health of young people, who often show higher prevalence of mental health related struggles. There are also studies looking into the effect religion has on SGM populations in Ireland, a very religious country.

Ireland's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
Yes
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
Yes
Second Parent Adoption
Yes
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
Yes
Broad Protections
Yes
Criminalization of Violence
Yes
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
Yes
Gender
Does Not Apply
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
Does Not Apply

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Áine Travers, Cherie Armour, Maj Hansen, Twylla Cunningham, Susan Lagdon, Philip Hyland, Frédérique Vallières, Angela McCarthy & Catherine Walshe(2020)Lesbian, gay or bisexual identity as a risk factor for trauma and mental health problems in Northern Irish students and the protective role of social support, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11:1, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008198.2019.1708144

Conor J. Fegan(2017)‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: Silence in Northern Ireland Christian Churches Regarding Issues of Sexuality,Practical Theology,10:3,291-303, DOI:10.1080/1756073X.2017.1343591

Edward McCann & Michael Brown (2020): Psychosocial Needs of Bisexual People: Findings from a Mixed-Methods Research Study, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, https://sci-hub.tw/10.1080/01612840.2019.1710007

Holbrook, S. (2019). The relationship between gender congruence and social support and the mental health of transgender and gender non-conformingindividuals in Ireland. Retrieved from https://esource.dbs.ie/bitstream/handle/10788/3891/hdip_holbrook_s_2019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Jamie Howell & Rebecca Maguire(2019)Seeking help when transgender: Exploring the difference in mental and physical health seeking behaviors between transgender and cisgender individuals in Ireland,International Journal of Transgenderism,20:4,421-433, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15532739.2019.1658145?casa_token=wDr1hTb99RQAAAAA:RTrOqtB1SCRK6uFFR_6JELOmUGfcBcW1dPvoR_ZaWLN7dDWh7Z2GVRh6CqqLnRlfy9WEJS-hgF_L

Páraic Kerrigan(2019)OUT-ing AIDS,Media History,25:2,244-258, DOI:10.1080/13688804.2017.1367652

The LGBTIreland Report Key Findings. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tcd.ie/equality/assets/docs/LGBTIrelandReport_KeyFindings.pdf