Visible Lives Identifying the experiences and needs of older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in Ireland

Abstract

Huge progress has been made in recognising and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ireland. In the space of twenty years we have seen the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the introduction of a sophisticated equality infrastructure, with the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000 having been at the forefront internationally in naming sexual orientation as a specific equality ground and in extending its scope outside the field of employment. More recently, in 2010 comprehensive Civil Partnership legislation was introduced and the Government is determined to bring forward legislation later this year to provide for the recognition of the acquired gender of transgender people, on the basis of the recommendations of the Gender Recognition Advisory Group published in June. This report is the first comprehensive study of the lives of older LGBT people in Ireland. It offers unique insights into the lives of those people who have lived through and been most personally affected by these changes in Irish society. It shows the negative consequences for LGBT people of living through a period where a fundamental aspect of their identity - to be themselves and to live openly and securely with the person they love - was stigmatised, criminalised or even viewed as an illness.