10 signatures reached
To: Somerset Council
Homophobic Bullying in Rural Areas
I am campaigning to raise awareness for LGBT young people in rural areas as they do not get as much support as they can. In my wider community there is only 1 group where young people can go to talk abut their problems and whatever injustice they might have faced.
It would be great to see more groups that are used to support LGBT young people to make them feel less disadvantaged.
Why is this important?
In school, I have been campaigning for Stonewall and by using the Stonewall website I have learned a lot about homophobic bullying and how it affects young LGBT people, while looking at homophobic bullying I read a story by the guardian that stated "Hate Crime is everyday reality for rural LGBT people". This is one of the biggest reasons I believe that rural areas especially need to run more services in support of LGBT people. I live in Somerset, Bridgwater and I only know of one group that people can easily visit name 2BU.
Using the website I also read stories of children affected by homophobic bullying such as Mikey Barnes who said "I first came out at school at the age of 12 and it wasn’t always easy – a lot of students bullied me for it, and even the few teachers I opened up to told me that I was “too young” to know for sure. I struggled with my mental health for a long time as a result." I believe that many other children part of the LGBT community have felt this way before. I believe more support groups like 2BU or Stonewall support groups would be beneficial to many young people.
Stonewall have a history of helping people internationally and locally to not only accept themselves a part of the LGBT community but have also helped to spread awareness to those who might not understand who the LGBT community are and what they represent. Through looking at the work they do around the world they help me understand the struggles the LGBT community have faced but also show how far they have come since the charity organisation started.
I hope people look at the website to find more information and understand why there need to be more services available to young people who consider themselves homosexual.
What can be done?
I think it would be useful if more young LGBT people recieved support by having more groups that they can attend to talk about their issues.
It would be great if there could be either a helpline or a way which young people could ask and answer questions anonymously.
An increased awareness in school about homophobic bullying by providing schools with advice, posters ,booklets and training to stop bullying in schools.
