CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT - Q DURHAM

GAY YOUNG PEOPLE'S RIGHTS

March 5, 2010

'Jenny's Story'

My parents are catholic and they don’t understand me. I have met this girl who I really like, and want to take things further with. She’s older than me though, sometimes it feels like she’s pressuring me into having sex, but I just don’t feel ready. I really want to talk to someone about it but I don’t know where to go…

At School we have Sex and Relationships classes, but when I asked a question about same sex relationships the whole class laughed at me. Even the teacher got embarrassed. This just made me feel even more isolated from my friends, and class mates.

I decided to go to the headmistress to talk to her about doing some work in school around LGBT issues. She was interested but said at the moment with an upcoming OFSTEAD inspection it couldn’t really be a top priority at the moment.

One of the student support workers thought the idea of doing some work in school was a really good idea though and spoke to the headmistress about the possibility of doing something about it. She supported me to set up a support group for LGBT young people.

The group has been able to meet weekly and gives information to young people about where they can go to get information and guidance on LGBT issues. Group members have even delivered training sessions to parents and teachers, some of whom were a bit uneasy about the support group being set up in the first place, on the importance of having a support group for LGBT young people.

Campaign Message

Q Durham members want LGBT young people to know that there is support out there available to them. A lot of LGBT young people are often confused and feel angry and very isolated when they don’t understand how they feel. Setting up support groups, or knowing where to look for information about the rights of LGBT young people is a big step in the right direction.

We hope our comic strip illustrates the frustrations young LGBT people face on a daily basis. We want to tackle the inequalities and discrimination that is felt by LGBT young people. Starting with the use of Language such as ‘That is so Gay’ – in reference to something being bad – it leaves people with the underlying thought that to be gay is to be bad – which is simply not the case at all.

Click here to view the comic strip.

Results

Q Durham have had some fantastic success with their campaign. Their Local Primary Care Trust (NHS County Durham and Darlington) have recently contacted them requesting to use their comic strip in their training to staff and young people. The next phase of the campaign is aiming the comic strip at a wider audience with the aim that it will be used in local youth centres and schools as a resource to advise young people what support is available for themand how they can challenge their local services to provide adequate support and advice for young LGBT people. DYGPN staff are also planning on developing a training day out the material produced for the campaign.