June marks the month-long celebration of Pride and it is great to see the country awash with the colourful rainbow, a meaningful representation of inclusion, solidarity and progression.

It is a landmark year for Pride in Ireland as it is the 50th anniversary celebration.  Dublin saw its first-ever Pride demonstration take place in June of 1974, as a small group of activists marched from the Department of Justice on Stephen’s Green to the British Embassy on Merrion Road calling for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. 

This year’s theme for Pride is Shine, celebrating the light and love shared within the LGBTQ+ community.

However, while overall societal shifts, diversity and inclusion initiatives have made great strides in helping to support and celebrate our LGBTQ+ community over the past 50 years, from our work at Thrive, we know that difficulties, hardship and discrimination still remain and members in our community still feel the effects of this. 

A recent survey released by Trinity College during Pride Month shows the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people has acutely deteriorated since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic rather than improved (48% vs 18%).

60% had sought professional help for a mental health problem in the past five years. When it came to harassment and violence in public, participants reported verbal harassment (72%), being threatened with being outed (33%), non-consensual touching (30%), physical attack (24%) and sexual assault (16.5%).

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) released figures which showed those who identify as LGBTQ+ reported the highest rates of discrimination in Irish society and 17.5% of the community have experienced workplace discrimination. Coping with such concerns can have a detrimental impact on our wellbeing, self-esteem and the general navigation of our daily lives.

Feeling empowered to express who you are freely in the workplace and beyond is crucial to your mental health. If you are struggling with any worries or challenges around these important personal issues, Thrive is here to help all year around. We offer a wide range of services including free counselling services and career coaching to support our community who are in need.

Happy Pride!