Pride is an amazing time for the LGBTI+ community to unite and celebrate our diversity, what we have in common, identity and visibility. Over the years, Pride has been a critical time in the calendar of the community all over the world. It has been a form of protest, a form of group therapy, and a catharsis for a community that spent too long forced into the shadows. A Lust for Life is celebrating Pride this weekend by reminding all of our LGBTI+ friends to mind each other – Pride is wonderful but it can also be a tough time for some, for lots of reasons. We spoke to Moninne Griffith, Executive Director of Belongto, about Pride, youth mental health, and supports available.
1. Tell us about what Belong To are up to at the moment and your plans for Pride 2018?
Pride 2018 is an exciting time for us! Not only are we marching alongside over 400 young LGBTI+ young people from across Ireland, but Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone and Former President of Ireland, Dr Mary McAleese are both marching with us. We will hold our annual pre-parade breakfast for LGBTI youth from across the country alongside our friends at Youth Work Ireland. For many of the young people, it is their first time joining Pride and seeing how expansive the LGBTI+ community it. It is a lot of fun to experience it with them.
Pride this year is extra special as the National LGBTI+ Youth Strategy is launching on Friday. This is 3-year action orientated strategy is designed to remove the barriers that LGBTI+ young people face based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. It is a world first and the impact of the strategy will have big implications for the young people we work with every day at BeLonG To.
2. Pride has always been a time when people get to celebrate their identity as LGBTI+- what positive impact have you seen pride have in young people’s lives?
Pride is an amazing time when LGBTI+ people from all over the country can come together and celebrate who they are. For many young people, Pride is the first time they feel comfortable celebrating their identity because they are no longer alone. They can see their community all around them and meet others who have had the same experiences. It can be transformative! Many of the youth who attend our groups nationwide do so in secrecy – one group in a rural moves location every week because of the stigma associated with being LGBTI+, which can be enhanced in rural communities. Getting to meet other young people just like them and see thousands of people turn up in support of Pride shows them that they are not alone.
3. Pride can be a hard time for some people – can you tell us about that?
Unfortunately, there are still many people who don’t feel comfortable or safe coming out. This can make Pride particularly difficult for them because it highlights a community that they want to be a part of but feel that they can’t.
4. What are the main things affecting young people’s mental health right now?
Growing up LGBTI+ can have harrowing effects on the mental health of young people when they are not accepted. According to 2016 research, LGBTI+ young people are three times more likely to attempt suicide, and two times more likely to self-harm than their non-LGBT+ friends. We offer a free Counselling Service for LGBTI+ young people in partnership with Pieta House for LGBTI+ young people who are self-harming or thinking of suicide.
5. What advice would you give to someone who is watching the pride celebrations and is finding their own circumstances hard, for whatever reason?
Our advice is to speak to someone about how you are feeling. Everyone goes through hard times growing up, and when you are a grown up! When you are LGBTI+, sometimes there can be extra challenges that you may face such as coming out or accepting your identity.
It’s normal to feel anxious, stressed, or worried because of this. It can be hard to focus when studying or working, and you may feel alone or isolated. If any of these feelings sound familiar to you, it is important that you do something about it.
Talk to someone you can trust – a friend, family member or teacher about how are you feeling. With support, you can start to feel hopeful and more positive about the future. Connecting and meeting with other young LGBTI+ people who are exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity is a great way to get support. We run a number of LGBTI+ groups in Dublin, and support groups all across Ireland. It’s not always easy to find like-minded people. LGBTI+ youth group’s are a good place to start.
We have an amazing team of Youth Workers who are ready to help however they can. You can get in touch with us and make an appointment for Monday Chats, our free, confidential one to one chat service for whatever is on your mind. We also partner with Pieta House to provide a free in-house Counselling Service for LGBTI+ young people, or those who are not sure. No issue is too big or too small, and we are ready and more than willing to help!
6. If someone needed to contact Belong To for support, how should they get in touch?
They can call our offices on 01 670 6223 or email us at info@belongto.org. If the issue is more urgent, there are also helplines that are 24-hrs and all their information can be found here.
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