Ireland

Ireland has made advances in LGBTIQ equality in recent years. Ireland legalized same-sex marriage in 2015 by popular vote. Same-sex couples may jointly adopt and are generally treated equally to different-sex couples for adoption and fostering under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 and later amendments.

Transgender people may change their legal gender markers based on self-determination. Ireland’s Equality Acts ban discrimination based on “gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, and membership of the Traveller community,” but do not explicitly cover gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. In at least one case, antidiscrimination laws have been interpreted to protect transgender people under the “gender” ground, although gender identity is not explicitly mentioned. 

Intersex people remain one of the least protected groups among sexual and gender minorities in Ireland. Reports in 2025 note that medically unnecessary, nonconsensual surgeries on intersex children are still not explicitly prohibited in Irish law. Ireland scores zero points on intersex bodily integrity in the 2025 ILGA‑Europe Rainbow Map, reflecting the absence of specific legal safeguards and data collection for intersex people.

As public acceptance grows, the 2024 LGBTIQ Survey of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency showed that 58 percent of LGBTIQ respondents were fairly or very open about being LGBTIQ in the country, an increase from the previous survey and higher than the EU average of 51 percent. 

At the same time, anti-LGBTIQ violence and discrimination remain serious issues. LGBTIQ youth continue to face toxic comments, abuse, and online harassment. A study released in March 2023 found that a staggering 87 percent of young LGBTQ+ people have experienced hate and harassment online. The police’s annual hate crime statistics show that sexual orientation is an element in a significant percentage of hate crimes, although the number of recorded incidents related to sexual orientation fell from 109 to 70 between 2023 and 2024. Trans organizations report ongoing issues with access to timely, respectful health care and social services. 

During Ireland’s 2024 elections, a coalition of LGBTIQ groups issued a community manifesto calling on political candidates to commit to respecting LGBTIQ people’s human rights. The three largest political parties generally supported measures such as antibullying protections and legislation exonerating men criminalized for same-sex intimacy. However, their platforms did not address demands for specific legal protections for trans, nonbinary, and intersex individuals and reforms to the Equality Acts. In December 2024, new hate crime legislation came into force that enforces stricter penalties for crimes motivated by an individual’s protected characteristics, including gender identity and sexual orientation.