Next month, on 8th April 2010, sees the launch of Stand Up! LGBT Awareness Week by BeLonG To, the organisation that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people in Ireland. The Week itself then runs from 9th April until 18th April.

One of the main aims of the Week is to encourage non-LGBT people – young people, project workers, youth centres, schools – to show support for their LGBT friends.

As part of the Awareness Week, BeLonG To are focusing on youth projects and centres in Ireland to participate in the planned activities. The hope is to expand the campaign to include schools all over Ireland next year in 2011.

As any Irish person knows – especially LGBT pupils and teachers – this is especially important in a country where the Roman Catholic church has control over the majority of schools, and have an exemption when it comes to equality.

Notably, today saw the launch of Console‘s Snow Drop campaign to help raise funds for their suicide bereavement and prevention services. At the launch, Anna Nolan raised the pressing issue of homophobic bullying and young peoples’ mental health:

[Homophobic] bullying remains a serious problem in Ireland – driving some teenagers to consider taking their own lives, former Big Brother star and television presenter Anna Nolan warned today.

The broadcaster said younger people dealing with their sexuality can be plunged into suicidal thoughts because of taunting.

Ms Nolan said those behind the bullying were putting lives at risk.

“Teenagers who feel isolated and threatened can be prone to suicidal thoughts,” she said.

[...]

“A young person’s mental health can become affected if they feel animosity, non-acceptance, ridicule and fear when telling others about being gay,” she said. “They need support and acceptance.”

Religious deference aside, research from the University of Limerick in February this year showed that of almost 2,000 parents surveyed, the vast majority wanted bullying to be tackled by including discussion of homophobia on the school curriculum:

The research of almost 2,000 parents found that the majority wanted the issue of homophobia on the curriculum because of widespread bullying in schools. Three-quarters of parents indicated that they would trust their sons’ teachers to deal with sexual orientation and homophobia in the classroom.

Researchers visited 120 Irish schools surveying 1,915 parents and conducting follow-up calls to 24 randomly selected families. They found that sexuality and homophobia were major issues, with many parents and teens struggling to cop with the pressures surrounding them.

The vast majority (93pc) of the 1,915 parents surveyed described themselves as Roman Catholic. The study, entitled ‘Gender and Education’, was written by Orla McCormack and Jim Gleeson from the University of Limerick’s department of education and professional studies.

To prepare for Stand Up! LGBT Awareness Week, training sessions and workshops have been taking place nationwide throughout the month of March, to equip youth leaders and project workers and help them to participate fully with the Week; as well as resource packs being sent out to youth projects and schools. During the Awareness Week, youth workers can select activities from the pack, and use them with young people on day(s) that suit.

For information about the campaign, BeLonG To, and resources for the parents of LGBT people, please peruse the following links:

• Stand Up! launch (Facebook page)

• Stand Up! LGBT Awareness Week (BeLonG To website)

• Stand Up! LGBT Awareness Week (Facebook page)

• BeLonG To (Twitter. The Twitter hashtag for Stand Up is #standup)

• BeLonG To

• BeLonG To (Facebook page)

• Loving Our Out Kids (LOOK) (Formerly “Parents Support”)

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