New research published on Sunday shows a big increase in the number of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) young people who have come out since the same sex marriage referendum on this day last year.
Over half (53 per cent) of respondents to a survey of more than 1,300 young people aged between 14 and 23 carried out by BeLonG To, the national organisation for LGBT young people, said they know someone who has come out for the first time since the referendum a year ago.
Some 39 per cent of those respondents who identify as LGBT said they spoke to someone for the first time about their sexuality because of the confidence the Yes vote gave them.
However, the findings show that 62 per cent agree that those who have just come out as LGBT do not know where to turn for help and support and 61 per cent of all young people surveyed want to see improvements to their mental health.
The report was released as many of those who campaigned for a “Yes” vote gathered Sunday at the Dublin Castle upper yard to mark the first anniversary.
Some 412 couples had already married since November last year under the new law, Gráinne Healy, a co-founder of YesEquality and Chair of Marriage Equality pointed out.
“Hundreds more couples had their foreign marriages automatically recognised.
“We are delighted to share this day with those that helped and supported Yes Equality and look forward to many more happy days out for couples who can share in our joy.”
Speaking at the Dublin Castle event, Dr Katherine Zappone, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs welcomed the BeLonG To survey, saying “it maps out where we are one year on”.
She said she had raised the issue of LGBT-friendly youth services during the programme for government negotiations.
“I am deeply committed to this and would like to champion the strategy on behalf of the government. I will be speaking to the Taoiseach next week about how we can move forward with this very quickly, in order to address the issues raised in the survey by BeLonG To.”
She said: “Today is a good day. We are celebrating the momentous decision by the Irish people to vote for marriage equality for everyone. Now we need to ensure that young LGBT people feel supported and protected in our post-referendum world. I hope that by this time next year we will have a comprehensive strategy in place.”
Kieran Rose, co-chair of GLEN – the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network and a co-founder of Yes Equality, said the outcome of the referendum “showed the world that Irish people are open, welcoming and supportive of their gay and lesbian family members and friends and wanted to share the happiness of marriage with them.
“There are still many obstacles to overcome on the path to true equality but offering marriage to all has clearly established fairness, equal opportunity and real happiness for same sex couples in Ireland.”
The BeLonG To report highlighted a continuing disparity between the experiences of heterosexual young people and those of LGBT young people.
It said the historic Yes vote had created a mistaken impression among some heterosexual young people that life is better for LGBT young people now, when this research proves this was not the case.
Just under a third of heterosexual young people believe that equality for LGBT people has been achieved. In comparison, only 7 per cent of LGBT young people believe equalityhas been achieved.
The report says that while the historic Yes vote was a milestone in LGBT rights, there is still an enormous amount of work to do to make the lives of LGBT children and young people better, and safer.
Some 56 per cent of all young people agree that homophobic or transphobic bullying has not stopped since the referendum.
Of those respondents that identify as LGBT, 55 per cent say their daily life hasn’t changed much since the referendum and 35 per cent agree that the marriage referendum helped LGBT adults but not them.
Mark Kelly, executive director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and a co-founder of Yes Equality said: “In supporting marriage equality in a popular vote, Ireland led the world.
“However, as the UN Human Rights Council has very recently reminded us, in the areas of women’s rights, the rights of people with disabilities, the recognition of ethnic minorities, and rights to health and housing, Ireland still lags far behind its European neighbours.
“The ICCL trusts that the progressive spirit that guided the Irish people to vote for marriage equality in such huge numbers will also be evident when, in the near future, further necessary reforms in our law are considered by the Oireachtas and put to the people”.