Irish activist says there’s still a ‘long way to go’ to end discrimination against LGBTQ youth
'There is still a long way to go to unpick all the stigma and discrimination against gay and trans people, much of which goes unchallenged'
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A human rights activist in Ireland has warned that there is still a ‘long way to go’ to remove stigma and discrimination for young LGBTQ people.
Moninne Griffith, the chief executive of the young LGBTQ support charity BeLonG To, has urged people not to forget that despite progress over the years, many still find coming out ‘really hard’ and are still being forced to leave their homes, the Irish Times reported.
Speaking on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) today (May 17), she said: “Everyone else seems to think, because we have marriage equality and gender-recognition legislation, everything is just fine now.
“But there is still a long way to go to unpick all the stigma and discrimination against gay and trans people, much of which goes unchallenged.
“We still regularly have young people arrive on our doorstep with all their belongings, having been asked to leave the family home because they have come out, or because a care-placement has broken down after they came out.
“Thankfully that happens less now, and it is extreme, but what is ongoing is the fear young people have of coming out – fear of being rejected by the people they love, of being bullied in school, of being fired from their job.”