In honour of Pride month, during this episode of the Ulysses Neuro podcast we discuss: LGBTQIA+ issues, access to services and mental health. Despite legislation to protect the community, there are still many existing inequalities faced by those of the LGBTQIA+ community such as unequal access to healthcare and work. In the workplace, there can be barriers and bullying due to surrounding stigma. This prejudice can result in poorer mental health, as those of the community are 1.5 times more likely to develop depression.

We hear from Philippa Ryder and Gillian Fagan, who are two of the founders of Under The Rainbow, which is a social enterprise that advocates for diversity, inclusion and workplace wellbeing. Philippa shares her personal experience as a trans woman and the challenges faced when accessing healthcare in Ireland. Gillian is a pansexual, neurodiverse cis woman and shares her experiences and knowledge from her work as a psychotherapist. We discuss a wide variety of topics such as: research showing the overlap between neurodivergence and gender/sexual non-conforming, the power language holds in moulding the perception of being LGBTQIA+ and the promising future towards equal access and treatment for all people in Ireland, regardless of their identity.