An LGBT Education

School and college can be an exhilarating time in somebody’s life. As a young adult you are experiencing lots of things for the first time, developing a level of independence nd exploring your interests and your personality.

 

But school can also be a place where bullying, discrimination and social rejection make people feel like outsiders. When you feel or look different, it becomes something that can be used against you. While most young adults experience this to some degree, members of the LGBT community expereince this in a more oppresive way.

 

Going through puberty isn’t just the physical maturation of our bodies, but the awakening of our intuitions, a development in awareness of ourselves and others. Exploring these changes and feelings can be complex but when they differ from the majority of your peers, it can become more difficult.

 

A young LGBT adult may choose to talk to a friend about how they feel, and this can be helpful and provide valuable support, but it also risks exposure. The courage to tell someone you’re different comes with a risk that they might not appreciate it, or worse, will tell others, increasing the risk that your personhood can be used against you.

 

A young member of the LGBT community may also fear the revelation of their difference to family members, such as parents, or to social and religious communities who may have intolerant views and potentially strict punishments for those who are outed.

 

Conversely, keeping thoughts and feelings to yourself provides security and some degree of safety, but makes it so much harder to fully explore the way you feel, to develop your intuitions and to get other perspectives. 

 

Cultural works and representation in many forms of media can help to understand a generalised idea of who you are, but it is in those indivudalised, specific conversations we have with our friends and loved ones that we discover the most about ourselves. As if feeling different and separate from our communities isn’t enough, personal isolation becomes a part of the problem as well. 

 

So, how can younger members of the LGBT community find a way forward? 

 

Allies.

 

Allies are individuals that support a community of people who are traditionally marginalised by a larger community or society of people based oncharacteristics such as race, ethnicity or sexual preference. Allyship means commitment to helping members of a community to tackle prejudice through meaningful actions and a desire to learn and understand what the oppressive experiences are for those in the marginalised community.

 

One of the easiest ways to show allysip is through the signals you give in the choices you make. You can also take active part in community events such as fundraising, awareness events, marches or online activism.

 

The experiences we have as young adults carry with us through our lives. They can have significant consequences for our happiness and succes  in life. We owe it to all young people to support them in the free exploration of who they are in a safe and inclusive environment. 

 

We may not be there yet, but with each generation that we support, we can move closer to a better, more tolerant world.