Have your voice heard! In 2022, LGBTQ+ young people across Ireland told us about their experiences in school for our ‘School Climate Survey’. We found out that 76% of LGBTQ+ students feel unsafe at school, with 86% feeling isolated by other students. We used these findings to advocate for the needs of LGBTQ+ young people in policy and legislation. We shared the results with the media and ensured that your voice was heard far and wide. The results have been published in school textbooks in Ireland and shared with powerful decision makers at a government level. We are launching the surv ..read more

Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland calls on government parties to recommit to passing hate crime legislation as a matter of urgency, following the publication of new figures which show that recorded hate crimes have increased for the second year in a row.   These statistics, published today by An Garda Síochána, show that there has been a 12% increase in the number of reported hate crimes and hate-related incidents. Sexual orientation has remained one of the most commonly recorded forms of targeting over the past three years.  Hate crimes are message crimes – a single act can ..read more

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Dublin Pride march.50 years ago, on the 27th of June 1974, a handful of students came together for the first LGBTQ+ demonstration on the island of Ireland, the first Dublin Pride march. As we mark this milestone anniversary and celebrate half a century of Pride in the city, we are delighted to announce that we have chosen Belong To -LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland as Grand Marshall to lead out our march and parade on Saturday June 29th.  Commenting on this, Moninne Griffith (she/her), CEO, Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland said:  “As the nat ..read more

We all want a healthcare service that centres the safety and wellbeing of young people – no matter what we look like or how we identify. But for trans young people and their families, accessing healthcare is like knocking on a closed door, as here in Ireland, we currently have no healthcare service at all for young trans people. This needs to be urgently rectified to allow young people and their families access to vital care, supports and information to help them make decisions about what is best for them. Currently, trans young people and their families cannot get the information, supp ..read more

37 Post-Primary Schools Complete Accreditation Programme For LGBTQ+ Safe and Supportive Schools  Almost 40 schools across Ireland have been awarded the LGBTQ+ Quality Mark for their commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion. These are the first schools to finish the 18-month journey to embed LGBTQ+ inclusion across their school community, policies and practices.   The LGBTQ+ Quality Mark is run by Belong To, Ireland’s national LGBTQ+ youth organisation.   Students, teachers and principals from 37 schools came together to receive their award at a celebratory event at The Fo ..read more

For over 20 years, Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland has supported trans young people and their families. Central to our work is ensuring that LGBTQ+ young people are happy, healthy and safe. Relentless public debates about the trans community seriously impacts the lives of trans young people. We must consider the impact of these debates on the mental health and well-being of those whose lives are being discussed. Such debates rarely feature the voices and views of young trans people themselves, nor do they focus on the large proportion of trans people living happy, fulfilled lives. What ..read more

Stand Up Awareness Week, Ireland’s largest LGBTQ+ anti-bullying campaign, takes place from November 6-10, 2023. Celebrity hairdresser Andrew Fitzsimons speaks out about the importance of LGBTQ+ allyship in advance of Stand Up Awareness Week. Belong To’s Stand Up Awareness Week takes place from Monday, November 6to Friday, November 10, with 77% of second-level schools participating in last year’s event. For 14 years now, Stand Up Awareness Week has been a time for second-level schools to take a stand against the bullying, harassment, and name-calling that hurts, harms and shames many LGB ..read more

Our vision is a society where LGBTQ+ young people are equal, safe and thriving. This includes both offline and online spaces. At Belong To, we feel the platform Twitter/X is currently not a safe, healthy or inclusive environment to engage and interact with our followers, including LGBTQ+ young people. Throughout the past 12-months, we have experienced ongoing harassment, graphic and hateful commentary and witnessed the spread of misinformation about LGBTQ+ lives. For this reason, we have made the decision to close our Twitter/X account from October 2023. Earlier this year, Belong To r ..read more

  Have Your Say on Gender-Affirming Healthcare!    This survey asks trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming young people about your experience of accessing healthcare related to your gender identity.    To take the survey, you must be:  Someone who identifies as trans, non-binary, or another minority gender identity,  Aged 14-30, and  Living in the Republic of Ireland.    Click here to open the survey!    This is one of the first studies about how people in Ireland can access gender-affirming care, or ‘trans healthcare’.  ..read more

As part of this year’s Dublin Pride parade, hundreds of LGBTQI+ young people from across the country will gather together and march under the banner ‘Empowering LGBTQI+ Youth’ alongside Belong To and Youth Work Ireland.   Youth Work Ireland and Belong To will host a special Pride breakfast event in advance of the parade, creating a safe space for LGBTQI+ youth to come together and prepare for Dublin Pride. Special guests will visit throughout the event to show their allyship and solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community.   2023 marks the 40th anniversary of Dublin Pride. The th ..read more