“Confidence, self-respect, and solidarity as expressed by gay people, associated with openness about one’s own sexual identity, and the celebration of gay culture and history."
Oxford language Dictionary
Pride Month - LGBTQ and our rural communities
30th June, 2021
sbaker
Community
What is PRIDE month, and why do we celebrate it?
Pride month falls in June as it was the month that the Stonewall riots took place. The 1969 Stonewall riots were a landmark event in history that helped fight against homophobia and for equal rights.
In 1972 the first Pride festival took place in the UK, and in 1989 the charity Stonewall was founded in the UK.
During Pride month, people come together to raise awareness of how damaging homophobia can be and promotes teaching tolerance and being proud of who you are no matter who you love.
Colourful parades and marches usually celebrate pride; however, this year, due to coronavirus, the celebrations will occur through live streams, social media, and smaller socially restricted outdoor events, including celebrity concerts.
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The Facts
- Only half of lesbian, gay, and bi people (46 percent) and trans people (47 percent) feel able to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity to everyone in their family.
- Three in ten bi men (30 percent) and almost one in ten bi women (8 percent) say they cannot be open about their sexual orientation with any of their friends, compared to two percent of gay men and one percent of lesbians.
- Half of black, Asian, and minority ethnic LGBT people (51 percent) have experienced discrimination or poor treatment from others in their local LGBT community because of their ethnicity.
- Black, Asian, and minority ethnic LGBT people are about twice as likely to attend LGBT-specific venues or events as white LGBT people, 45 percent compared to 22 percent.
- Three in ten LGBT people of faith (29 percent) participate at least once a month in a collective activity connected with their faith.
- A third of lesbian, gay, and bi people of faith (32 percent), and one in four trans people of faith (25 percent), aren’t open with anyone in their faith community about their identity.
((Taken from LGBT in Britain - Home and Communities (2018))
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LGBTQ in the West Midlands
Between 2018 and 2019, the estimated proportion of people who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) increased for England (2.7%, up from 2.3%).
In 2019, the proportion of people within each English region identifying as LGB ranged from 3.8% in London to 2.6% in the West Midlands, 0.1% lower than the national average.
‘Pride holds a fond place in my heart. I find a Pride parade with the amazing floats and processions and an atmosphere that is electric just magical! Undoubtedly the progress made by LGBT+ communities is fantastic, but we shouldn’t forget that this has been hard earned or that there is a long way to go before we’re all safe to be ourselves and to love whoever we choose without judgment. Pride gives us hope, it is uplifting and it definitely helps with making progress. #LoveIsLove’
Jo Tracey, Director of People, Connexus
Difficulties in our rural communities and how Connexus can support
We recognise that sometimes living in a rural county can be challenging for members of the LGBTQ+ community, which can lead to a lack of support, loneliness, discrimination, and homelessness.
Connexus offers a wide range of support services across Herefordshire and Shropshire to help tackle these issues.
Almost one in five LGBTQ+ people (18 percent) have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Our SUSTAIN support services offer housing support that helps vulnerable people to maintain their own accommodation. Connexus Prevention Support Officers (PSOs) help prevent our tenants and those in the wider community from becoming homeless through drop-in services, making home visits, and supporting those who have found themselves homeless and in temporary accommodation.
The service is open to not only our tenants but to anyone who needs support and advice, with referrals coming from the Connexus Neighbourhoods Team and other local agencies.
An estimated 1.4 million people aged 16 and over in the UK identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) in 2019 – a statistically significant increase from 1.2 million in 2018. People aged 16 to 24 continue to be the most likely to identify as LGBTQ+ and can be the most vulnerable in our community. LGBTQ+ young people are also more than twice as likely to be worrying daily about their mental health, and one in four is currently experiencing daily tensions in the place they are living in. (Just Like Us, 2021).
We run two assisted living schemes for young people in Herefordshire and Shropshire, helping transform young lives and support vulnerable young people thrive in their community.
More than one in ten LGBTQ+ people (11 percent) have faced domestic abuse from a partner last year. Our domestic abuse service provides an outreach service to LGBTQ people and their children whose lives are affected by domestic violence to empower them to make decisions for themselves about their futures. We work in partnership with local agencies to enable LGBT people and children/young people to regain the strength and confidence to take control of their lives and to have a future without fear.
Connexus is committed to ensuring that their communities are treated fairly and their colleagues working at Connexus. This month Jo Tracey, Director of People, has been focusing on equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. Find out more about the lack of diversity at the senior level and how she strives to make real change in the housing sector.