I am very glad to see that Stonewall have started a UK version of the It Gets Better Project.
Stonewall's version is called It Gets Better... Today. It gets better today because you can get support by calling Stonewall's helpline number: 08000 50 20 20
Two thirds of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people have experienced homophobic bullying. However, where schools have said homophobic bullying is wrong gay pupils are sixty per cent less likely to have been bullied.
Showing posts with label itgetsbetterproject. Show all posts
Showing posts with label itgetsbetterproject. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
LGBT teen suicide in the UK
Just in case you think this is only an American problem, it happens in the UK too.
Here's a few articles:
And remember that what the media reports is only the tip of the iceberg.
Check out the It Gets Better Project for inspiring videos from LGBT people showing that life really does get better after you leave school. There's also a great video from a straight woman saying how she has loads of LGBT friends and celebrates their sexuality.
Here's a few articles:
- Pink News: Inquest rules on gay teen goaded to suicide by baying Derby mob
- Pink News: Stonewall speaks out about bullying after teen suicide
- Cornwall Double Gay Teen Suicide?
And remember that what the media reports is only the tip of the iceberg.
Check out the It Gets Better Project for inspiring videos from LGBT people showing that life really does get better after you leave school. There's also a great video from a straight woman saying how she has loads of LGBT friends and celebrates their sexuality.
Monday, September 27, 2010
It gets better video
My effort for the It Gets Better Project. It's not the best video ever made, but it is my first ever YouTube video.
Supporting Teen LGBTs
Many UU churches have LGBT teen support groups. There are some excellent resources on being a welcoming congregation for LGBT people on the UUA's Welcoming Congregations section.
I think at least one church in the UK has placed a LGBT rainbow flag outside their church. This is a widely-recognised sign of being LGBT-friendly. Also, at least one UK Unitarian church hires their premises to the Metropolitan Community Church. Another thing you can do is to arrange to talk to your local university's LGBT group about liberal religion - where I live, the local MCC minister has done this and I hope to do a talk this term. Reaching LGBT teens is harder because they are more isolated - but you could offer to do a talk at your local school.
Standing on the Side of Love has a section for congregational resources.
In the 1970s, Golders Green Unitarians held meetings of Integroup, a sharing group for LGBT people and allies. Dudley Cave, who was a member at GGU, was a founding member of the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard.
Stonewall also has excellent resources for schools.
Other resources
I think at least one church in the UK has placed a LGBT rainbow flag outside their church. This is a widely-recognised sign of being LGBT-friendly. Also, at least one UK Unitarian church hires their premises to the Metropolitan Community Church. Another thing you can do is to arrange to talk to your local university's LGBT group about liberal religion - where I live, the local MCC minister has done this and I hope to do a talk this term. Reaching LGBT teens is harder because they are more isolated - but you could offer to do a talk at your local school.
Standing on the Side of Love has a section for congregational resources.
In the 1970s, Golders Green Unitarians held meetings of Integroup, a sharing group for LGBT people and allies. Dudley Cave, who was a member at GGU, was a founding member of the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard.
Stonewall also has excellent resources for schools.
Other resources
- The Trevor Project - a nonprofit endeavour established to promote acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, and to aid in suicide prevention among that group.
- Scarleteen - sex ed for the real world
- We are the youth - photographic journalism project chronicling the individual stories of queer youth in the United States
- "I'm From Driftwood" 50-State Story Tour: Collecting and Sharing True LGBT Stories.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
It Gets Better
Recently the media has been paying more media attention to teen LGBT suicides.
In response to this, Dan Savage has started a YouTube channel, "It Gets Better".
This deserves wide publicity, so please blog about it, tweet it, and post it on Facebook.
(via Geeky Sex and sexgenderbody)
In response to this, Dan Savage has started a YouTube channel, "It Gets Better".
Nine out of 10 gay teenagers experience bullying and harassment at school, and gay teens are four times likelier to attempt suicide. Many LGBT kids who do kill themselves live in rural areas, exurbs, and suburban areas, places with no gay organizations or services for queer kids. (...)
I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.
But gay adults aren't allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don't bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.
Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don't have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.
So here's what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.
This deserves wide publicity, so please blog about it, tweet it, and post it on Facebook.
(via Geeky Sex and sexgenderbody)
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