Being gay, like being straight, is not just about sex and sexual preferences. It is about people, their lives, their relationships and their place in the world as human beings.
‘I realise that what I think and feel is normal. I’m more confident about my sexuality and myself as a person.’ – PACE service user
Click on image to watch the “It gets better…today” message from our Prime Minister, David Cameron
Related Articles
Do you think you might be gay? – An article on sexuality by SupportLine
Coming Out – This guide has been written for gay and bisexual people of all ages who are thinking of coming out.
Coming Out to Class – Around 62% of gay teenagers are now choosing to ‘come out’ to their school. So what has happened to change teenagers’ attitudes to homosexuality? Has coming out to classmates become easier since gay relationships were put in the spotlight with the advent of legal civil marriages? Qboy, Britain’s first openly gay rapper, finds out why in this Channel 4 documentary..
‘It Gets Better Project’ – started by American writer Dan Savage. The internet project was set up after the much-publicised suicides of gay teenagers Tyler Clementi and Billy Lucas – amongst others – who took their lives after being relentlessly bullied for being gay. This campaign has now touched a global audience of over 1.6 million, with thousands of people posting videos on its YouTube channel, offering positive messages of hope for other gay teens in similar situations.
Asylum Advice for LGBT Refugees, by Peter Tatchell & the OutRage! Asylum Team Support (OATS). The following guide for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) asylum applicants includes general advice that may also be useful for people claiming asylum on other grounds.
Useful Websites
www.borngayprocon.org
NATURE vs NURTURE: Is sexual orientation determined at birth?
This site presents in a simple, nonpartisan pro-con format, responses to this core question. They have divided questions about the topic into the issues and sub-issues. All individuals and organizations quoted on our site are ranked based upon our unique credibility scale.
www.thegyc.com
The GYC is a community of young gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Realising that you are gay or bisexual is a very confusing and profound experience, this may be because think they will be met with a negative reaction or treated differently if their families knew about their secret. The website allows young people to access advice content and the ability to interact with other young people in the same position. The GYC is not a dating website or a website that people should use to arrange meetings in real life. The GYC is an open source website and is managed by the community of people who use it.
www.stepforward-web.org
Provides a free and confidential service to young people aged 11-25, living in and around Tower Hamlets, offering independent information, advice, counselling and personal development training. For young people from all sections of the community regardless of their race, gender, disability, sexuality, religious, political and cultural lifestyles and beliefs.
www.akt.org.uk
Supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans homeless young people. If you or someone you know is homeless, living in a hostile, violent or abusive home or in a housing crisis, please click on the logo for help.
www.elop.org
A holistic lesbian and gay centre and charity providing over 14 years of information, advice, advocacy, counselling and support services, plus other social and community activities and events to north and east London’s LGBT communities. Their core services include counselling and young people’s services.
www.planetkiss.org.uk
Kiss is social support group made up of women who identify as lesbian, bisexual or queer and are of South Asian, Middle Eastern or North African descent. Some have been ‘out’ for a long time whilst others are just ‘coming out’. The women meet up once a month in London.
www.llgs.org.uk
Confidential helpline for young people coming out. Aims to treat all callers with empathy, respect and compassion and act as a source of information, support and referral for any issue relating to lesbian,
gay or bisexual life.
www.queeryouth.org.uk/community
A national non-profit making organisation that is run by and for LGBT and Queer Young People and is based in the United Kingdom. They aim to represent the needs and views of LGBT Young People through campaigning for greater visibility and equal rights, as well as providing general support and information to those who are just ‘coming out‘ or who are suffering the effects of homophobia
www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk
LGBT History Month is an opportunity for everyone to learn more about the histories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Britain and Northern Ireland. Click on the logo to learn more.
www.stonewall.org.uk
A Stonewall campaign making all young people – regardless of their sexuality – feel included and valued is a major opportunity for the educational system to transform the lives of a significant number of pupils and students.
www.ilga.org
The International Lesbian and Gay Association is a world-wide network of national and local groups dedicated to achieving equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people everywhere.
www.genderedintelligence.co.uk
Gendered Intelligence is a company that delivers Arts Programmes, Creative Workshops and Trans Awareness Training in order to engage discussion and debate around understandings of sex and gender. It also runs TRANS YOUTH GROUPfor trans, gender queer or young people questioning their gender identity who want to have enriching experiences and find out information about transitioning, your rights, coming out and much more.
www.gendersanity.com
Centre for Gender Sanity, a refuge from male/female dichotomies, sex-based stereotypes, and other gender madness…
www.trikone.org
Trikone is an American based registered non-profit organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people of South Asian descent.
www.pinkpaper.com
A weekly publication for LGBT community filled with related news, politics, art, music, sports, lifestyle and lots more.
www.divamag.co.uk
DIVA magazine is Europe’s biggest-selling monthly glossy lesbian magazine, offering information on news, entertainment, travel, music, scene, real life features and listings. Click on the logo for the online version.
www.kidscape.org.uk
The first charity in the UK established specifically to prevent bullying and child sexual abuse. For the Kidscape Guide to Staying Safe in Cyber-space click here.
www.bullying.co.uk
Helps thousands of pupils and their parents deal with school bullying every year. We all know that bullying goes on in every school but it’s the way it’s dealt with which makes the difference between life being tolerable or a misery. For more advice on resolving gay/homophobic bullying click here.
www.galop.org.uk
London’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community safety charity. They are a driving force in changing the way the police work with communities and give advice and support to those affected by homophobic and transphobic violence or hate crime.
www.met.police.uk/csu/hatecrime.htm
The Metropolitan Police Service has made it a high priority to tackle hate crimes such as racist crime, domestic violence and homophobic crime. Spearheading this effort, are special Community Safety Units located in each of our 32 boroughs. THEY WILL TAKE YOUR COMPLAINT SERIOUSLY.
