LGBT+ Support and Information for South Yorkshire Youth: Research Findings

1. Support, information, and sex and relationships education for LGBT+ youth in South Yorkshire: Research findings Dr Eleanor Formby Sheffield Hallam University E: e.formby@shu.ac.uk T: @eleanorformby

2. Introduction Research: • a short online self-completion survey of young LGBT+ people in South Yorkshire, targeted at those aged 25 and under • follow-up individual interviews, which explored the survey results in more detail

3. Relevance to future leaders (1) • "There are other guys in my year who are not definitely, but like gay, and they do get shit as well. Then they just kind of like stick to themselves more, or just hang out more on their own, or just kind of like, you know, stick their heads down a bit more. They surprise you because you don’t know why people are reserved until you kind of get to know them, so you may think this person’s just like that and it’s all fine, but you kind of know them more and then you realise that’s not what they want really, like they say something like this guy on TV’s hot, and that’s like code, hinting, and then you’re like, 'oh yeah'" (Thomas, aged 16) • "They [my school friends] were all heterosexual and knew their gender, so it was kind of more that they could talk about their lives on a daily basis, whereas I kind of kept mine hidden" (Nick, aged 21)

4. Relevance to future leaders (2) • "They [my school friends] were all heterosexual and knew their gender, so it was kind of more that they could talk about their lives on a daily basis, whereas I kind of kept mine hidden" (Nick, aged 21) • "I did raise it with my teacher at the time and she sort of said it’s not really in the curriculum, we don’t have time to go through it, and that felt like an excuse to me… It stuck with me a bit and I ended up stopping attending… I just felt uncomfortable" (Lizzie, aged 17)

5. Summary of experiences - at school • "School is so, like, really hetero" (Helen, aged 20) • "There wasn’t a lot of support or really understanding by either staff or pupils regarding certain issues, for example homophobic bullying… the staff are just as ignorant to the matter as the kids" (Karl, aged 18) • "A lot of teaching in schools… is very much aimed towards straight people, and you look around in the world and go, ‘well what does this mean to me?'" (Kieran, aged 30)

6. School-based groups • "It was just a nice place to discuss our thoughts and feelings about our sexuality and how we deal with it and things like that" (Lizzie, aged 17) • "I think that personally giving somebody a safe space is quite important for making students feel a little bit more comfortable. It gives students an understanding that, 1) they’re not any different from anybody else, and 2) that they’re not the only one and that there are people who would be willing to support them" (Karl, aged 18)

7. Summary of experiences - at college or university • "At uni it was more of a time where I could just be like straight away, ‘yeah, I am gay’" (Helen, aged 20) • "It’s not really even in uni to be honest, I don’t think… In my subjects they will never mention about gay people, it is just like completely ignored, [or] occasionally in sympathy, ‘oh, we’ll just add them so you feel like we’re not discriminating against them’" (Helen, aged 20)

8. Groups outside schools • "I went to this group. I was really open and I kind of like felt a lot more relaxed and comfortable and spoke a lot more about my life, my hobbies, who my partner was and stuff, without people judging… It’s nice having that, what I call ‘safe space’, that place where you can go, you feel good, accepted, and they can educate you the way that schools maybe haven’t" (Nick, aged 21) • "They [LGBT group] took us there [to schools] and we created the PowerPoint and gave it to them [school pupils] ourselves… It built my confidence up loads, but also knowing that there could be one person… that we could have genuinely helped, or helped people understand that we’re not a disease, we’re just like everyone else" (Nick, aged 21)

9. Suggestions and implications for practice - from the survey • Sex and relationships, including sexual health (100%) • Mental health and wellbeing (97%) • Bullying or discrimination (92%) • Medical information related to gender transition (91%)

10. Suggestions and implications for practice - from the interviews • "We have to talk about it… Even if it’s just ‘some people are gay, get over it’ posters… just to say that teacher, or that classroom, that room, is a safe place for LGBT people… It is a sign of relief that someone is on your side" (Nick, aged 21)

11. Final words! • "I go to [a SAYiT group] and it is my lifeline. I feel that I can be myself there" (Survey respondent) • "I love [a SAYiT group]. It helps me to feel like somebody is interested in my life and cares about me. The workers help me to feel more confident" (Survey respondent) • "Schools need to get their heads out of their behinds. They need to teach teachers and students" (Survey respondent)