LGBTQ+ people in Brighton and Hove face loneliness and exclusion despite the city’s status as the UK’s “gay capital”, new research has revealed.

The two-year study by the University of Brighton, in collaboration with LGBTQ+ mental health charity MindOut, found some LGBTQ+ people who move to the city face continuing challenges, including continued loneliness and exclusion on the grounds of mental health, age, gender and class.

The project, led by researchers Dr Zoe Boden-Stuart and Dr Nick McGlynn, explored experiences of migration, social isolation and mental health for LGBTQ+ people who had moved to Brighton and Hove and sought support from MindOut.

Participants in the research described feeling liberated by living in the city, which is well-known for its high concentration of LGBTQ+ people, with its location near the sea and South Downs also valued by those struggling with their mental health.

However, in a section titled “Cheated Expectations”, the report highlighted the experience of some who moved to the city and suffered the disappointment of continued loneliness, with “safety, geography and economics making the city less welcoming than they had hoped”.

The report said: “Feelings of loneliness and isolation did not necessarily disappear when people arrived in Brighton.

“Participants were aware of, and in some cases experienced, harassment and discrimination on the basis of their gender or sexuality since living in Brighton, emphasising the belief that their safety was relative, not absolute.

“Many had also experienced exclusion from within LGBTQ+ communities and for some there was disappointment and confusion about how lonely they were feeling, despite living in the ‘European capital of gayness’.

“For some, the fact that they had struggled to feel at home, or to make long-lasting friendships in the city, meant they started to wonder ‘what is so bad about me?’.”

Dr Boden-Stuart said: “Our research shows how, despite Brighton being known as an LGBTQ+ city, queer people facing mental health challenges can still struggle with isolation and loneliness.

“Our participants told us that spaces like MindOut offer LGBTQ+ people ‘safe havens’ to talk about their mental health, and this can be crucial in helping everyone to feel at home in our city.”

The report recommends greater funding to LGBTQ+ mental health services to provide long-term support to those that need it, make LGBTQ+ spaces more inclusive of those with mental health needs, and provide tailored support to new LGBTQ+ people in the city who are experiencing distress.