FAQ

What was this research project about?

This project was about changes in laws and policies related to gender, sexualities, and/or abortion. This included, for example, same sex marriage; gender recognition; pride celebrations; gender-neutral spaces, access to abortion etc. We were looking to understand how people with many different views can continue to live together and share everyday spaces like workplaces, streets, libraries, and schools. We carried out the research in Ireland, Great Britain and Canada. 

In the first phase of the research, we carried out 161 interviews and we collected 973 complete questionnaires with people who had concerns or objections about the laws, policies, or social changes we are interested in. 

In the second phase of the research, we held discussion groups and artist-led workshops to bring together people with a range of different views on gender, sexualities and/or abortion. These activities helped us to learn and understand how we can live together even when we do not agree. There are two activities that participants could take part in. One was a discussion group with others who hold different positions to you; the other was working with an artist, alongside others who hold different positions to you, to create a work of art connected to the research themes.

Who could take part in discussion groups and workshops?

Anybody with an interest or position on the topic of gender, sexualities and/or abortion could take part in workshops, if they agreed to the guidelines. Because the workshops were small, not everybody who wanted to take part was able to. 

Participants were required to agree to keep one another’s names and personal information private. They had to agree to treat everybody with respect. This means respecting that people hold different views, and using people’s preferred terms. Participants needed to know that the workshops are not for debating or changing other people’s minds: they were for learning to live with difference.

What happened in the discussion groups and workshops?

There were two research activities that participants could take part in. One was a discussion with others who hold different positions to you, the other was working with an artist to create a work of art connected to the research themes. Participants could join in one or both of these workshops and could tell us which one they wanted to do in the first phone call that we had with them. We provided food and refreshments during the workshop.

What happened to participant contributions in the discussion groups and/or workshops?

After the workshops, the researchers gathered all of the data, including audio recordings, discussion transcripts (written recordings of everything that people said); pictures of notes made by the group; photographs; videos; and any art the group made in the artist-led workshop. The researchers used the data for things like academic writing, conference presentations, press releases, blogs and exhibitions. 

The data was carefully protected at all times in the research project. You can read our privacy policy here, this gives full details on how we stored and used the information provided.

Will people know a participant was involved in the research activities?

The participants in the discussion group or artist-led workshop a participant attended knew each others name where participants chose to share it and whatever other information a participant shared about themselves. We asked everybody at the event to keep each other’s personal details private afterwards. After the event, the research team only used a participants name if the participant asked us to on their consent form. If a participant asked us to use their name, we included their first name in research outputs, for example in conference presentations, journal articles, or book chapters. For artist-led workshops, we asked for participants’ permission to use photos or videos that they appeared in.

Even with these guidelines, it might be possible for someone who knew a participant to work out that they were involved in the research from quotes or examples of what that participant said, for example because of things that are very unique to them, such as phrases that they often use or stories that they tell. 

You can read our privacy policy here, this gives full details on how we stored and used the information provided.

I completed a questionnaire or an interview: what happened to my answers?

The questionnaire is now closed and we are no longer doing interviews.  This information is for those who participated in those.  All the data is now processed so it is no longer possible to withdraw interview or questionnaire data. This website collected the answers to the questionnaire, plus any additional comments or feedback that people choose to provide. When people took part in interviews, their answers were audio-recorded and transcribed. This is called ‘research data’. 

We used your answers to the questionnaire and in interviews to create findings that we reporting in different ways. If you gave us permission, we may have used quotations (exactly what you said) from your interview or questionnaire to illustrate the points that we were making. We also counted the number of people who said a particular word or phrase. Your answers helped to provide insight into how legislative, political or social changes in relation to sexualities and sex/gender affect people. They are part of a database which was used to understand how society has transformed and how those who do not agree with changes to sexual and gender rights experience this.  Please see the privacy policy for full details on how we stored and used the information that you provided.

What happened to my personal information if I took part in the research (interview/ questionnaire or discussion groups and/ or workshops)?

If you filled in a questionnaire, this website will also have recorded your email address if you chose to provide it, and your IP address. If you participated in an interview, a discussion group or a workshop, the researchers asked for your name and email address and possibly also your phone number. This information is called personal data.

Personal data are separated from research data such as questionnaire responses, interview responses, group discussions and workshop data. If you choose to be named, then your first name only will be kept with your research data. Once the personal details were separated, your responses and contributions were then analysed by the research team.

Did a participant have to take part?

No: participation in this research was voluntary. 

Participants were free to leave the discussion groups and/ or workshops at any time at all, and they did not have to explain their reasons to anybody. Where a participant changed their mind, they could ask us to remove the words that they said during the activities from our written record (transcript). It was not possible to remove a participant’s contribution from the art created during the artist-led workshop because the art work will be a group effort.

How could one find out what happened in this project?

We shared occasional updates from the research project here on our website and in our newsletter: this included information about conference presentations, academic publications and media coverage, gave updates on the project progress, opportunities to get involved and information about findings and relevant publications.

Was this project affiliated with any religious groups, organisations, or sects?

No. 

Was this project affiliated with any political institutions, organisations, or parties?

No.

Was this project affiliated with a university?

Yes, the project was affiliated with the University College Dublin (Ireland) and Brock University (Canada).

How was this project funded?

Funding for this project was provided by the European Research Council. Project name: BeyondOpposition: Opposing Sexual and Gender Rights and Equalities: Transforming Everyday Spaces. Funding Number: 817897.

Still have some questions?

If you have any questions about the research, you can contact Professor Kath Browne at School of Geography, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Her email address is kath.browne@ucd.ie.

What if I have a complaint?

If, during your participation in this study, you feel the information and guidelines that you were given have been neglected or disregarded in any way, or if you are unhappy about your experience of the research process, please contact the Secretary of the University College Dublin Ethics Committee at research.ethics@ucd.ie.

Who is your Data Protection Controller/Officer?

The joint Data Controllers for this research project are University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland, and Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada.

A data protection officer is responsible for overseeing a company’s data protection strategy and ensuring compliance with GDPR. University College Dublin’s Data Protection officer can be contacted at data.protection@ucd.ie or gdpr@ucd.ie. 

University College Dublin Data Privacy policies can be found at http://www.ucd.ie/gdpr/policiesprocedures/.