Ireland reveals ambitious plan to become ‘best place to be LGBTQ+ in Europe’

A new plan has been set in motion in Ireland which could see the country become the friendliest nation for LGBTQ+ people in Europe.

LGBT Ireland have introduced their goal, which will run between 2023 and 2027, focusing on research, LGBTQ+ awareness training and combatting anti-trans views in the country.

It will also aim to offer more help to LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers and advocating for certain legislative reforms in Ireland.

Ireland might face some competition in achieving its goal, with the Welsh government having set itself the same target back in 2021.

Launching it’s first five-year plan, titled Making Ireland the Best Place in Europe to be LGBTQI+’, the charity and a team of volunteers is aiming to make people within the country feel more represented, visible and safer.

Commenting on the plan, Paula Fagan, the chief executive of LGBT Ireland, said: “The past five years have focused on building a sustainable organisation, expanding the services we provide and developing our training and advocacy capacity.

“The ambitious plan we have launched builds on our achievements, harnesses what we have learned from our incredible member organisations and strategic partners and sets us up for the next phase in our evolution.”

LGBTQ+ organisations in Ireland have welcomied the new strategy.

“We fully share the ambition of our friends at LGBT Ireland,” Adam Long, the board director of Ireland’s National LGBT Federation, tells PinkNews.

“Having been the first in the world to overwhelmingly affirm marriage equality by popular vote, and pass progressive gender-recognition reform the same year, we now need to see further progress concerning the likes of effective hate crime laws, a full ban on so-called conversion therapy and proactive LGBT+ inclusion in all our schools, among other key priorities.”

A spokesperson for ShoutOut steering committee, an organisation delivering educational workshops to help people become better LGBTQ+ allies, tells PinkNews: “It’s great to see that Irish LGBTQ+ [organisations] are aiming to make Ireland the friendliest LGTBQ+ nation in Europe.

“However, many young people still struggle to accept their LGBTQ+ identity, and experience discrimination. We know this from recent studies. We believe this is the biggest challenge to such an aim.

“We can only overcome this through partnership with the government and all LGBTQ+ orgs coming together, to ensure all LGBTQ+ young people have no fear about coming out and being true to who they are.”