Shoppers of policy and allies alike are watching as Ireland’s LGBTQI+ groups present a unified, costed plan for Budget 2027; community organisations want targeted spending on inclusion, health and safety so LGBTQI+ people can live full, free and safe lives across the country.

Essential Takeaways

  • Unified ask: Twenty-two organisations backed a single pre-budget submission called “Funding Inclusive Futures,” coordinated by Belong To and LGBT Ireland.
  • Three pillars: The plan centres on Inclusive Communities, Inclusive Society and an Inclusive Health System, with clear, costed proposals.
  • Evidence-led: Frontline data and studies show worsening mental health, rising hate incidents, and gaps in gender-affirming and sexual-health services.
  • Practical focus: Priorities include multi-year funding for regional services, capital for community spaces, hate-crime action plans, school and workplace inclusion, and timely gender-affirming care.
  • Political engagement: The submission was launched at Leinster House and discussed with Oireachtas members across parties, signalling cross-party interest.

Why the sector pooled resources and presented one plan

This joint submission is notable because it brings 22 groups into the same room, with one practical, costed ask that’s easy for ministers to pick up. The benefit is immediate: policymakers get a single roadmap instead of competing wishlists, and that clarity helps budgeting. According to reports of recent surveys and academic work, many LGBTQI+ people are still struggling with mental health and safety, so a coordinated approach makes policy sense and feels closer to urgent. If you’ve watched fragmented campaigning before, this feels like a grown-up step.

Inclusive Communities: money for local services and safe spaces

Campaigners want sustained, multi-annual funding for regional services and capital investment so community groups can afford proper premises and accessible hubs. That matters because face-to-face support often gives people their first real breathing space , a warm room, a welcome event, a peer-chat that changes a day. The submission also asks for funding local Pride events and dedicated research streams to patch persistent data blind spots. In practice, choose funding mechanisms that allow small groups to plan ahead rather than scrambling year-to-year.

Inclusive Society: tackling hate and supporting young people

Hate incidents recorded by An Garda Síochána and frontline surveys show a worrying trend, so the groups call for a fully funded National Action Plan to Combat Hate. They’re also pressing for investment in schools and youth work so LGBTQI+ young people are safer and better supported academically and socially. Employers get a look-in too, with a proposed national workplace inclusion programme that offers practical tools rather than vague guidance. For families and schools, simple moves like resourcing counsellors and training teachers would have outsized benefits.

Inclusive Health System: fixing access to gender-affirming and mental-health care

The submission flags pressing gaps in timely gender-affirming care and mental-health supports, which recent Trinity College research and other studies have highlighted as worsening since 2016. An equitable sexual-health system and supported, affordable routes to parenthood for LGBTQI+ families are on the table too. In short, the ask is for a person-centred health system that treats dignity and autonomy as core services. For policymakers, that means investment in specialist pathways and training so GPs, psychologists and maternity services can do the job properly.

Politics and prospects: will Budget 2027 deliver?

The launch at Leinster House and briefings with Oireachtas members from across the political spectrum give the submission political oxygen. That doesn’t guarantee full funding, but the cross-party engagement suggests real traction. Campaigners are banking on evidence, costed asks and clear public benefit to sway ministers. If you care about outcomes, watch for whether multi-annual commitments and capital funds make it into final budget documents , those are the parts that actually change how services run on the ground.

It's a small change that can make every day safer and more lived-in for LGBTQI+ people.

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