Multiple minority LGBTQIA+ people in Ireland: ambivalent experiences of othering

In Ireland, immigration became a major discourse beginning in the 1990s, during the Celtic Tiger economy, when unprecedented numbers of migrants from other countries began arriving. Also in the 1990s, Ireland began making changes regarding LGBTQIA+ rights, with homosexuality being decriminalised in 1993. Since then, discussions of racial, ethnic, and faith diversity have occurred parallel to campaigns for LGBTQIA+ rights and social acceptance. In this qualitative study, I address the notable gap in research relating to minority faith, racial, and ethnic identities intersecting with LGBTQIA+ identities in Ireland. I do this in two phases: Phase 1 draws on semi-structured interviews with seven leaders of six LGBTQIA+ organisations to examine how leaders in LGBTQIA+ organisations interpret and seek to address the needs of multiple minority LGBTQIA+ people, as well as how their organisations currently interact with multiple minority LGBTQIA+ people. This provides a backdrop for Phase 2, in which semi-structured interviews with 10 multiple minority LGBTQIA+ people inform an exploration of how multiple minority LGBTQIA+ people construct and interpret their identities and lived experiences in Ireland, and in what ways, if any, they want to engage with LGBTQIA+ organisations. This study is framed by theories of identity, racialisation, and queer intersectionality.