Ms Brenda Kelly:

I thank Senator Ruane for the question. It is really important that chemsex is brought into this discussion but it is important to say it is not the only element we are talking about when we are talking about drugs and alcohol as regards the LGBT community. For anyone who does not know - I am not sure, you probably do - chemsex is when predominantly gay men get together, take drugs and engage in sexual activity. These parties can last for days and they are usually in the one apartment or one room, taking drugs and having sex. There are high rates of sexual abuse that happen at these parties, and sexual assaults. I am just going to refer to them as men because, in my experience, I have only supported men. It is always men who have been engaging. It is often the only connection these men have to their community or other people.

I worked in the Merchants Quay needle exchange. That is where I would have done most of my work with men who have been engaging in these chemsex parties. It is very similar to the reasons I highlighted in my opening statement on why LGBTQ+ people would use drugs: social rejection, isolation and family rejection. They are coming to an exchange and their eyes are on the ground. They cannot look at you. They are carrying so much shame. Their intersectional needs are crazy. They are one of the most vulnerable cohorts I have worked with and one with the most complex needs. I was just saying prior to the meeting that, when I was working in the exchange, even the lack of training that staff received on the matter was shocking.

In the Merchants Quay night café too, we would have gay men coming in who would stay awake in the night café because they would not feel safe in other hostels, similar to Tom, who I spoke about in my opening statement. They would speak to you throughout the night about the trauma they faced at these parties. They face serious sexual assaults at these parties, and they are not looking for support due to the discrimination they faced in other services. I am currently not supporting anyone engaging in the chemsex scene in my current role in BeLonG To. I think that could, first, be due to age, as I only work up to 24-year-olds, but also the complex needs and the internalised shame that they carry. I think they are reluctant to come to BeLonG To as an LGBT service for that support.

I would suggest, if the committee wants to go deeper into the topic of chemsex, that there is - I call him the king of chemsex - Graham in the Rialto Community Drug Team, and he is a wizard on all things chemsex. I do not feel right in talking on the matter too much when there is an expert out there who can do a lot better than me.