Chasing a Rainbow?: Victimisation and the Gay and Lesbian Community in Ireland

In recent years it has become widely recognised that the gay, lesbian and bisexual community in Ireland experiences a disturbing amount of anti-gay crime. This said, with the exception of a few largely exploratory studies, there is a complete absence of high quality research that examines these experiences in Ireland and we have been forced to formulate our response on a vague notion that "it is a problem" rather than a truly informed appreciation of its extent. This paper argues in favour of such research, and suggests the form it might take based on a review of findings from international studies and the methodological barriers they have encountered.