A significant number of gay, lesbian and bisexual third-level students have received death threats or been spat at by fellow students as part of a homophobic campaign against them, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has said.
USI said it was contacted by students involved in gay and lesbian societies who were regularly harassed by other students. Some received death threats via email, while others were spat at while manning a stand in a large university.
One student, who did not wish her name to be disclosed, told The Irish Times she had to leave her student accommodation because homophobic slogans were scrawled on her door.
A gay and lesbian group she was involved with had its posters defaced and sometimes torn down. Male students often verbally abused her, while female students "tend to just ignore you completely".
Today is USI's "national coming out day" which it hopes will raise awareness among heterosexual students of the difficulties faced by gays, lesbian and bisexuals. The day is also meant to allow students who are gay, lesbian or bisexual to declare it openly if they want to.
USI's lesbian, gay and bisexual rights officer, Ms Diane Goldthorp, said: "In their time at college, students meet people from a whole range of backgrounds, with many different viewpoints and life experiences. College should be a place to celebrate that diversity."
The president of USI, Mr Julian de Spainn, said: "USI believes that all students should be free to pursue their education without fear of harassment or prejudice. For heterosexual students, their sexuality is not an issue.
"However, almost all lesbian, gay and bisexual students find themselves `in the closet' when they go to college and so must face coming out in a sometimes hostile environment. The aim of this campaign is to get all students to focus on the issue of sexuality and their attitudes towards those perceived as different."