Calling all Older LGBT People…

Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Homosexuality was criminalised, their relationships were often totally invisible, and many experienced discrimination, exclusion and even violence. While many survived and thrived, for many others those experiences have had a lasting impact.
There has been enormous progress in Ireland over the last 20 years, not least with decriminalisation in 1993, the Equality Legislation and the recent Civil Partnership Act. However, very little is known about what life is like for older LGBT people now. This new study, Visible Lives , is intended to provide a better understanding of older LGBT people's experiences, hopes and concerns as they age. This is important so that health services, older people's services and LGBT organisations can best support older LGBT people into the future.
Any LGBT person aged 55 or over can participate in this confidential and anonymous survey. It can be done over the phone, by post or online. We are seeking as many participants as possible both from Dublin and from all aroound the country, in order to get a wide range of views and opinions to inform the outcomes. The survey takes 15 or 20 minutes to answer the questions.

Details are below.
If you are in that age bracket, please consider participating in the survey. If you know of anyone in that bracket, please encourage them to participate in the survey too. The study is commissioned by GLEN and funded by Age & Opportunity Get Vocal programme and the HSE, and is being carried out by a team of researchers from Trinity College Dublin.

More about the study is available at the website www.visiblelives.ie. For further information, please contact Odhran Allen at GLEN, (01) 6729650.

To do the survey:

Online: go to www.visiblelives.ie and follow the instructions there to complete the study online.

On Paper: a copy of the study can be downloaded from the website www.visiblelives.ie, printed, completed manually and posted to the researchers.

Alternatively, a hard copy of the research can be posted out to you for completion and return.

Contact the researchers on e-mail info@visiblelives.ie or call the researchers on 087-7696666 and they will post out a paper copy of the survey and a free-post envelope for return.

By Phone: To do the survey over the phone call the researchers on 087-7696666