UCLan has received lottery funding in a bid to investigate levels of drug and alcohol abuse amongst the gay and lesbian community.

The Big Lottery Research Programme has invested £500,000 towards the study which will involve confidential questionnaires being completed in gay and lesbian districts across the country.

Working in tandem with the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF), the 5-year study will assess levels of abuse and find out if people are able to seek the help they need to combat addiction.

Chairperson of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Society at UCLan, Veronica Godoy, said; “I would like the study to help people have an understanding as to why gays and lesbians take drugs and also provide more services for the gay and lesbian community but not in a way that will segregate.”

“I think it is a great accomplishment for the university to be involved.  As for the society, I don’t want us to be seen as a drug taking society just because it is a lifestyle that has been stereotyped for LGBT people.”

Drug abuse experts say that there is little evidence so far to prove that levels of drug taking are higher in the gay and lesbian community compared to any other social grouping.  It is, however, more difficult to access support.  The survey has been designed to get an insight as to how lesbian and gay groups seek help and see if improvements in support can be made.

Veronica continues; “In general, it is a lot more difficult to get support for any service.  Some people still see things in black and white and do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle.  All gays and lesbians want is to be accepted within a community.”

She concludes that she hopes that the study will enable the gay community to become less stereotyped.