More than four out of 10 gay people have experienced verbal or physical abuse because of their sexuality, according to a report launched yesterday.
Only one in five victims reported the attack to the Garda, with the majority reporting no confidence in the force, or considering a complaint to be pointless.
The report is based on a survey of 1,000 people in Dublin and the surrounding area between April and July last year. The respondents were drawn from the gay community, contacted in gay clubs and pubs in the Dublin area or through groups and organisations. Out of the 1,000 surveyed, 938 usable questionnaires were completed.
The report was compiled by Johnny, a self-help health organisation for gay people.
Almost half (over 400) of the respondents were in the 25-35 age-group, with another 200 between 18 and 25. Almost 220 were lesbian and 580 were gay, with the remainder describing themselves as heterosexual or bisexual.
For the purpose of the research, a hate crime was defined as "any physical or verbal attack where the victim is primarily targeted because of his or her perceived sexual orientation".
Asked if they had been a victim of such an attack, 41 per cent, or 378, said yes. Four out of ten also said they did not feel safe walking the streets of Dublin, while 60 per cent did feel safe. Eighty six per cent said that more visible Garda patrolling would make them feel safer. More than two-thirds said they knew of someone else who had been a victim of such a crime.
Of those who reported having been attacked, 67 per cent were gay men and 22 per cent were lesbian. The vast majority lived in Dublin. About half of those attacked were the victims of verbal abuse, 60 were physically attacked, and 80 were both physically and verbally attacked.
Predictably, as the survey was conducted in Dublin, the vast majority of the attacks took place there, with the postal districts Dublin 7 and Dublin 8 outnumbering all other areas for attacks.
Launching the report, the chief executive of the Equality Authority, Niall Crowley, said it put in context the recent case taken by a lesbian couple in Cork against a public house which discriminated against them because of their sexual orientation.
He said the report showed that 74 per cent of respondents did not feel safe showing affection in public. He said schools were important places for children to learn about difference.