Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Minister of State. I recognise the good work of BeLonGTo, GLEN and the Union of Students in Ireland, which has a robust LGBT campaign. We must bear in mind that bullying is only part of the treatment faced by LGBT people. This discussion will take place in the wider context of other issues faced by LGBT people, particularly young LGBT people. It is not commonly known that the age of 12 is the most common age when such people discover their LGBT identity. At 16 years of age, they are most vulnerable to beginning to self-harm and 17 is the most common age to tell someone of their sexuality. It is also the most vulnerable age for attempting suicide for the first time. There is a significant issue in respect of treatment of LGBT young people. The statistics are quite startling. Some 50% of LGBT people under the age of 25 have seriously thought about ending their lives. Some 20% of LGBT people under the age of 25 have attempted suicide at least once. Homophobic bullying is a clear risk factor for self-harm and attempted suicide.

It is important to note that the age of greatest vulnerability for LGBT people is between 12 and 17, which corresponds to the period of second level education.

The Minister of State has mentioned that we have put in place certain protocols to combat bullying and that we have introduced equality legislation, but the reality of the matter is that research has shown young LGBT people experience marginalisation and present with a higher incidence of drug and alcohol abuse. In particular, they experience geographical isolation, and they also experience rejection among parents and family. They live with secrecy and are more likely to become homeless, and they are more likely to remain homeless when they have experienced homelessness. One of the most pressing issues is that LGBT people believe they have a lack of role models, although there has been an improvement in this regard.

We need to tackle the fact that LGBT people suffer from a feeling of invisibility in society, among other conditions. We can talk about all the measures we have put in place to tackle homophobic bullying in schools but the reality is that if we do not deal with the kinds of societal norms we present to young people, we will never deal with it. The kinds of people Senator Coghlan mentioned, who exhibit behaviour that is nothing short of that of animals, will never be tackled if we do not tackle social norms. As long as we have curricula for schoolchildren that present Ladybird-style, Jane and Peter, or mum and dad types of norms and fail to present the kinds of relationships with which LGBT people can identify, we will never tackle their lack of self-respect and the attitudes of the kinds of people spoken about the Senator Coghlan. If we do not regard the relationships between LGBT people as really equal in society ? I am not a great believer in the equal but different attitude to legislation ? the problem will continue to obtain. We must tackle marriage equality, for example. If we do not do so, there is very little point in saying all are equal and that we believe certain attitudes are reprehensible; if one believes in what one is saying, one should act upon it. One should be judged on one's words and on what one is prepared to do.

Section 31 of the Education Act was referred to by Senator Power. I raised this matter during the course of the debate thereon. If we discover that amending section 31 cannot be achieved legislatively because it is repugnant to the Constitution, the only way to tackle the matter will be through constitutional reform. If an LGBT young person does not see an LGBT teacher in his or her own school being treated as an equal, how can he or she believe he or she is also equal? Ultimately, norms, codes and legislation are fine, but if we do not back them up with sincere, genuine equality, we will never tackle the attitudes about which Senator Coghlan spoke.