The Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions on LGBTI+ Young People in Ireland.
At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, we sought to understand the effect of the Covid-19 global health crisis on LGBTQ+ young people in Ireland, and conducted the LGBTI+ Life in Lockdown1 research. One year later, we identified the need for current data and conducted the study again to understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth as this crisis continues to affect their lives and wellbeing. Over 2,000 LGBTQ+ young people, representing every county in Ireland, shared their experiences with us – the largest sample of LGBTQ+ young people to participate in any of our research to date. Sadly, our latest research shows that the experiences and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ young people have deteriorated during the last year. Nearly all of our respondents (97%) told us of their struggles with anxiety, stress, and depression during the past 12 months (2020: 93%). However, this research enabled us to develop nine key recommendations that would provide critical support to LGBTQ+ youth in the face of this global and ongoing crisis. In 2021, this research was a resource for service providers, allies, policymakers, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to help protect and empower these young people by including them in our response to crises and programme adaptations. By working together, we were able to show LGBTQ+ young people across Ireland that there are spaces for them to come together, be who they are, and receive support.