Speaking at the launch of the LGBTIreland report, Dr Mary McAleese, said the problems of the LGBTI community in Ireland are “unacceptable”.

Launched today, March 22, the ground-breaking report from GLEN in association with BeLonG To, TENI, and funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention, shows higher levels of self-harm and attempted suicide among young LGBTI people in Ireland.

While the majority of LGBTI people aged 26 and over are doing well, the report found that young people in particular still face considerable barriers to good mental health, including bullying at school, fear of rejection and discrimination, harassment and violence, and negative attitudes and stereotypes.

“This report tells us how much we should be worried about the legacy of homophobia and the ongoing damage it is inflicting on too many young people,” former President Mary McAleese said. “The levels of stress, anxiety, depression, drug abuse, self-harm and suicide among the LGBTI community are unacceptable and they are our problem.”

“We committed to change last May [with the marriage referendum] and now we have to follow through,” she added, “drilling down through the centuries of sediment to the heart’s core, releasing the goodness, decency and egalitarian sensibility that Ireland is capable of.”

 The full LGBTIreland report is available as a PDF here. For support or information on these issues, visit lgbt.ie or the national LGBT helpline at 1890 929 539