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Curious about sexuality? Read on to find out more about LGBTQ+. Did you know, an expanded abbreviation of LGBTQ+ is LGBTQIAAP, but what does it stand for?

  • L – Lesbian – A women who is sexually attracted to other women
  • G – Gay – A man who is sexually attracted to other me
  • B – Bisexual – A person who is sexually attracted to both men and women
  • T – Transgender – A person whose sense of identity and gender is different from their birth sex
  • Q – Queer – A person who does not correspond to the established norms or ideas of sexuality or gender
  • Q – Questioning – A person who is unsure of, or otherwise questions, their gender or sexual identity
  • I – Intersex – A person who expresses a combination of male and female biological characteristics
  • A – Asexual – A person who does not necessarily experience sexual attraction
  • P – Pansexual – Sexually, romantically or emotionally attracted towards people regardless of sex or gender
  • A – Ally – A person who supports a social group they themselves are not a part of.
Pronouns:

If in doubt, don’t assume, ask them what pronouns they use, for example:

She/her – for example, she is speaking, I listened to her

He/Him – for example, he is speaking, I listened to him

They/them – for example. they are speaking, I listened to them

Ze/zir – for example, Ze is speaking, I listened to zir

What to do if you get someone’s pronouns wrong

If someone tells you that you got their pronouns wrong, and tells you what they are, then thank them for telling or correcting you, repeat the sentence correctly, and move on – using their correct pronouns from then on. If you accidentally forget, or catch yourself using the wrong ones, just correct yourself and continue. There’s no need to repeatedly apologise, as that only draws attention to the error, so just correct yourself and others when it happens.

Coming out tips and advice:

The term coming out means telling someone something about yourself in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, for example telling others that you’re lesbian, gay, bi or trans. Most people come out because they want to be honest about who they are, as hiding it can take a lot of energy and be detrimental to their mental health, which can take away the mental resources to focus on from other important things in their lives like their career, education or family. Coming out can be very different for everyone and it may take some time to be comfortable and confident enough to have these conversations with people. But you are not alone, many people have gone through this before.

How to ‘come out’:

There is no right or wrong way to come out, rather you should focus on what is safe and comfortable.

  • You should take time to think about your options:
  • How will you tell people? A text or email gives the other person time to process and respond. You do not have to be physically near them.
  • Sitting down with someone keeps it private and gives you both a chance to have a personal conversation.
  • Posting on social media means reaching a broad number of people instantly and lowers the amount of conversations you’ll need to have, but could mean facing questions from a lot of people at once  and makes it easier for people to share this information without your consent.
  • Think about who you want to tell, ideally this is someone who you can trust and has been supportive in the past, such as a family member, a friend, a trusted adult such as a youth worker
  • Think about where you will tell people, creating a space where you can answer questions they may have, but also a space where you are comfortable. Consider escape points so if things where to go badly, you have control over your environment.
  • Think about timing, allowing yourself the time to talk things through with the person you’re coming out to
  • Think about if there is anyone you don’t want to know this information about you.
Ally tips:

As an Ally, you can lend your support in a number of ways, for example;

  • Asking for a person’s pronoun.
  • Challenging discrimination and homophobic behaviours.
  • Don’t make assumptions.
  • Respecting a persons choices.
  • Keeping a persons sexuality private if they have not explicitly told you that you can share it.
The history and rights of the LGBTQ+ community

For information on the history of the LGBTQ+ community, some of the challenges they have faced and overcome, check out our equality blog:

http://www.wotwududo.co.uk/equality-blog

Some potential barriers
Discrimination:

The unjust or prejudice treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. For example, being told you cant have that job or that promotion due to your sexual orientation or gender identity.

  • The law– The equality act 2010 protects lesbian, gay, bi and trans people from direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation in the work place. You can take the employer to a tribunal and make a claim against them for discrimination if this happens.
A Hate crime:

Is a criminal offence motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone’s actual or perceived race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. Verbal and physical abuse, physical violence, teasing, bullying, threatening behaviour, online abuse or damage to property because of a persons sexual orientation or gender identity is Homophobia, Transphobia or Biphobia

  • The law – First the court must decide on what criminal offence the offender has committed, such as an assault. Then the court must decide if crime was motivated by someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, if so, then Under section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 the court must increase the sentence.
Domestic abuse:

Statically, people in the LGBT+ community are more likely to face domestic violence from a partner or family member, including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or emotional threats such as. . .

  • threats of disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity (blackmail),
  • increased isolation from friends or family, makes them account for time not spent with them
  • Controlling their access to information relevant to coming out, sexuality or gender identity

The law – Under criminal law, being assaulted by someone you know or live with is the same as being assaulted by a stranger. You can apply for a civil court to keep them away from your home, and you can also get help with emergency temporary accommodation. Domestic abuse covers both civil and criminal law, with civil law aimed at protection or compensation and criminal law aimed at prosecuting or punishing the offender.

Check out our unhealthy relationship blog here.

Where you can go for help:
"I liked how interactive the class was"

Young person, 16