Research in the rest of Ireland
This section does not provide an exhaustive review of research in the rest of Ireland. Rather the purpose is to briefly illustrate the important role research has played in informing policy development in Ireland, and to highlight some of the key themes emerging.
Research carried out by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and NEXUS Research Cooperative,17 has proved particularly crucial in informing developments, and is cited throughout the report on implementing equality, published by the Equality Authority. The research showed that: half of lesbians and gay men were aware of their sexuality by the age of 15; that a gradual awareness of this had caused problems; that many experienced problems at school, and some left school early as a result. In addition the research found that: a quarter of respondents had been subject to violent attacks; almost a third had experienced homelessness; and gay and lesbian young people have a higher than average suicide and attempted suicide rate. Discrimination and harassment was experienced both at work; and in relation to housing. As the authors comment ‘ The survey results clearly show that there are significant cumulative and interlocking processes of discrimination operating in key economic and social areas which increase the risk of poverty for lesbians and gay men and further disadvantage those living in poverty’.
In the report on ‘Implementing Equality for Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals’, it is acknowledged that there are no definite data in relation to the size and composition of the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, and that a range of different figures have been put forward in different contexts. The report adopts the figure of 10%, which has been used elsewhere in the Irish context. This figure comes from ‘Report of the Second Commission on the Status of Women’ (1993), which reported that ‘research has found that about one in ten (10%) of the population has a homosexual orientation, with this figure occurring across different cultures, contexts, national samples, small scale studies and different time periods’.18
The formulation of ‘up to 10% of the population’ is frequently used in the implementation report. However, the important point is also made that gays