Surge insupports for LGBTI+
The demand for sexual health support for members of the LGBTI+ community in Cork has increased dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic.
That’s according to the Sexual Health Centre’s annual report for 2020 which recorded a 37 per cent overall increase in demand on the year before.
This increase included a massive surge in counselling sessions for people living with HIV which saw an increase of 60 per cent.
In 2019, the centre introduced its new dedicated LGBTI+ sexual health support service to provide guidance on healthy relationships, sexual issues, sexual function, orientation, risk, and ‘coming out’.
When the first lockdown began, the Sexual Health Centre adapted its counselling services accordingly, using phone and video calls to maintain its supports to those that needed them.
It also provided virtual crisis pregnancy counselling, online information campaigns, and sexual health workshops for young people, LGBTI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people, members of marginalised communities, professionals, and the wider community.
According to the centre’s Communications & Engagement Lead Olivia Teahan, one reason for the increase may be that, with services now virtual, more people may have had access than before.
“We knew there was definitely going to be changing needs when the restrictions came in and that there were going to be a lot of people that wouldn't have direct access to supports they would have had.
“The other side of it is, because we were delivering the service remotely, it did end up being more accessible to some people that maybe wouldn't have had the opportunity to come into the city centre,” she told the Cork Independent.
Ms Teahan said the increase also highlighted that there is a real demand for support around healthy relationships and issues such as ‘coming out’ and sexual function in Cork.
In response to the pandemic, the centre launched several new initiatives early on, including a very successful national free condom postal service which is still running now.
“Not everyone was able to go to the shop or the pharmacy throughout the year, and not everyone was in a position to afford contraception either. People were grateful for it and we were glad to be able to provide the service,” said Ms Teahan.
Looking ahead, Ms Teahan said the centre hopes to continue both the in-person and virtual supports in tandem in order to maximise availability for Cork’s LGBT+ community.
For more information or to sign up for the free condom postal service, visit sexualhealthcentre.com.