RTÉ 2FM is running a station-wide campaign in cooperation with BeLonG To Youth Services in support of Stand Up Awareness Week, a time for second-level schools, youth services, and Youthreach Centres in Ireland to take a stand against homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
Running from November 15th-19th, this is an opportunity for schools to look at how they can make school life more safe and supportive for their LGBTI+ students.
BeLonG To Youth Services is a national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland.
They advocate and campaign on behalf of young LGBTI+ people, and offer a specialised LGBTI+ youth service with a focus on mental and sexual health, alongside drug and alcohol support.
The organisation estimates that one in five young LGBTI+ people face bullying, and that 73 percent of young LGBTI+ students feel unsafe at school. Despite the great strides Ireland has made to increase inclusivity, there is still room to improve.
18-year-old Oran, from Galway, shared his experiences of coming out for Stand Up Awareness Week and highlighted why organisations like BeLonG To are needed to continue the fight to end stigmas.
"It really broke my heart when I told my little brother about my boyfriend and he said that was impossible because boys have girlfriends," he said.
"I don't want any other young LGBTI+ people to have to go through that in the future because of the pain it can cause. It’s amazing how far Ireland has come in such little time, but now we need to take the final few steps as a society," he continued.
Concerns about how family members would react was a common theme among the young people that spoke to 2FM. Thankfully, however, there were plenty of positive experiences.
Teddy explained how she worked up a situation in her mind where her family would react negatively but she was proven wrong once she came out to them.
"When you come out, the only thing you want is your family to be supportive of you. Hearing them say that they love and accept you for who you are is just the best feeling in the world," she said.
"For everyone, coming out is scary and tough but I found it very liberating and that I could be more like myself, especially with my family and friends" she added.
River, who is a transgender woman, shared how important BeLonG To and their groups have been in making her feel confident in her identity.
"My family didn’t understand fully for a few years at first. It was a relief to have BeLonG To because the staff is super supportive and the people here don’t even think to question who you are. I would consider them as a second family," she explained.
"BeLongTo inspired me to study to become a youth worker because they do great work to help LGBTI+ teenagers and I want to be able to give that back to my community, particularly young trans people," River said.
This is the third year that 2FM has teamed up with BeLonG To to support Stand Up Awareness Week. Tune in to RTÉ 2FM all week to hear more stories like these and for more information visit BelongTo.org.
