With Pride Month about to kick-off, Childline is urging children and young people with worries about sexuality and gender identity issues to reach out for support.
With Pride Month about to kick-off, Childline is urging children and young people with worries about sexuality and gender identity issues to reach out for support.
Last year the NSPCC-service delivered 2,457 counselling sessions to children and young people struggling with these concerns.
For children receiving support from Childline on the topic of sexuality and gender identity issues, coming out was the biggest worry – making up more than 40% of the counselling sessions.
Young people contacting the service about coming out told counsellors that they’re worried about their parents’ reaction, being alienated from friendship groups and having difficulties with their mental health as a result.
One girl from Scotland, aged 17, told Childline: “I’m anxious about coming out to my parents because they’re very religious and conservative. I grew up being told being gay is a sin and wrong, but it doesn’t seem fair to hate myself for something I can’t control. I don’t want to keep lying or hiding things from them anymore. I can feel it affecting me, and I don’t know how much longer I can cope.”
When contacting Childline to talk about sexuality and gender identity, other concerns for young people included:
Where gender was known, almost two-thirds (64%) of these counselling sessions were with young people who identify as transgender or non-binary.
A trans girl from Scotland, aged 14, told Childline: “I feel like the world is against me when I read the news about trans people like me. I tried to bring this up at school, but they refused to discuss it, saying we shouldn’t have political conversations. Yet they changed the rules about which bathrooms trans pupils can use and I think that’s wrong.
“I feel like we’re not being listened to. Why can’t we just be ourselves and use the toilet we feel comfortable using?”
Shaun Friel, Childline Director, said: “Young people face many difficulties and worries when it comes to sexuality and gender identity.
“At Childline, we regularly hear from those who are scared to come out; expressing anxieties about being judged by their family or alienated by a friend group that doesn’t accept them. We also hear from trans and nonbinary children who feel that they will never be accepted if they come out and that the world is against them.
“This Pride Month, we want to reassure all children that they can reach out to Childline as their authentic selves. Childline is here to be a confidential, and wholly accepting space, where young people can discuss their concerns and feelings freely.”
This year, the NSPCC and Lidl GB will be marching together at major Prides, including Glasgow. The retailer is also sponsoring the charity to have a presence at Pride for the fourth year in row, meaning it will attend 15 events up and down the country in support of LGBTQ+ young people.
Young people can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or via childline.org.uk, where they can speak to a trained counsellor about any concerns they may have.
The Childline website has advice and support around sexuality and gender identity for young people.