Ms Brenda Kelly:

My name is Brenda Kelly and I am the senior alcohol and drugs youth worker at BeLonG To LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland. For over two decades, BeLonG To has supported and advocated on behalf of LGBTQ+ youth and offers the only dedicated drug and alcohol support service to support the needs of LGBTQ+ youth in Ireland. We welcome the opportunity to appear before the committee today and to share the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people relating to drug use.

We know from national and international research that LGBTQ+ youth report higher rates of drug use compared to the general youth population. The Being LGBTQ+ in Ireland research revealed that a combined 81% of LGBTQ+ young people aged between 14 and 24 had taken drugs - not for medical reasons - compared to 40% of the general youth population aged 12 to 25 in found by the My World study, which was commissioned by UCD and Jigsaw.

I will share with the committee some of the factors that contribute towards this rate of drug use among the young people with whom I work. Social rejection, discrimination and hate towards LGBTQ+ identities have a profound impact on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. Research tells us that drug use is used as a coping mechanism to manage mental health. Many studies highlight bullying, victimisation and a lack of social support in childhood as leading to higher rates of drug use among LGBTQ+ youth. Within the family home, negative reactions to coming out as LGBTQ+ and family rejection because of a young person’s identity strongly influence a young person’s drug use. According to research from BeLonG To, 56% of LGBTQ+ young people said they were not fully accepted in their home environment because of their identity. Among LGBTQ+ youth who had used drugs, 74% reported that their identity was not accepted at home. The LGBTI+ Life in Lockdown report also explored barriers faced by LGBTQ+ young people who wanted to access support related to their drug use. Negative past experiences with healthcare workers and service providers, often related to their LGBTQ+ identity, made youth nervous and reluctant to seek support. Location was also named as a barrier for LGBTQ+ young people living in remote and rural locations due to a lack of specialised drug services and LGBTQ+ support services. Stigma associated with addiction and drug use was also named as a personal barrier in accessing support.

Additionally, LGBTQ+ young people who had experienced homelessness in the past year were twice as likely to have used drugs than those in stable accommodation. Another study commissioned by Focus Ireland and BeLonG To found that many of the LGBTQ+ young people who reported using drugs had begun to do so or increased their use after becoming homeless.

I was compelled to apply for my role in BeLonG To through interactions with LGBTQ+ youth in my previous job at a homeless service. I want to tell the committee a story about young person named Tom. Tom is a 22-year-old gay man who was in active addiction and choose to sleep in the Merchants Quay Night cafe rather than homeless hostels because he did not feel safe in hostels. Tom was a member of the Traveller community and was ostracised by his family because he was a gay man. He had an addiction to crack cocaine and benzodiazepines. He struggled with internalised homophobia and carried a lot of shame because of his sexuality. He was not "out" to other service users due to fear of further isolation and abuse. When I began working in BeLonG To, Tom would occasionally present to the door and I would go down and chat to him. He would not come into the office or access our groups because he was ashamed of his addiction. Clearly, no one service can currently meet his needs. This shows us why we need to equip the wider drug sector with the capacity to support LGBTQ+ service users.

Tom is just one story but there are many more LGBTQ+ youth out there carrying shame and needing multidisciplinary support from a range of services to meet their intersectional needs. Through our programmes, services and inclusion training, we are striving to prevent drug misuse by creating safe and supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ youth. Our organisational stance on the decriminalisation of drug possession for personal use developed from the lived experience of a group of young LGBTQ+ people in the service. While discussing these experiences together, the young people in our service found that those from working-class areas were far more likely to be stopped and searched by An Garda Síochána than young people living in middle-class areas meaning that it was more likely for working-class LGBT+ youth to face a criminal conviction for drug possession.

As I have emphasised today, supports for the parents of LGBTQ+ youth are needed to reduce the rate of family rejection and isolation. Drug and alcohol workers, family support workers, social workers, social care workers and healthcare professionals need LGBTQ+ inclusion and awareness training to be able to meet the needs of their service users. On behalf of BeLonG To, I look forward to our discussion and hope that these insights prove useful.