How To Support The LGBTI+ Community

When I start playing a new game, there’s usually a stage where you’re asked what difficulty you’d like to play on. Typically, I pick in the middle somewhere. In real life, I didn’t have to make that choice. I’m a straight, white, male. My life has been set to easy. On a daily basis I come across some challenges, but in the big scheme of things they’re not that tough. Some other people have their lives set to medium, but I truly believe that members of the LGBTI+ are living in a world where the difficulty is set to that level you can only unlock after you’ve completed the game. It’s incredibly difficult.

June is Pride Month. As part of Pride Month, I wanted to show that Goosed.ie takes a position that supports people to live life whatever way makes them comfortable. Changing our logo to a pride flag is grand, but I wanted to do something more. That’s why we’re raising money for BeLonG To.

LGBTI+ Life Is Easier: The Bar Was Very Low

I’m proud when I think of Ireland legalising gay marriage among some other great referendums in recent years. It’s easy to look at the world through rose-tinted glasses as a result of all these changes, but the LGBTI+ community certainly doesn’t have it easy yet. Just this week in London, a couple were attacked on a London bus. The two women were attacked by a group of young men who taunted them and asked them to kiss.

I was recently in a pub where a group on a birthday bash passed me with printed shirts covered in marker. One had written, “fuck LGBTQ”. To be honest, I’m embarrassed right now to say I didn’t stop the guy and call him out. My silence, I fear, is typical the support that the LGBTI+ gets. I’m totally supportive, but I don’t go that extra mile to stamp out bigotry.

Simply put, members of the LGBTI+ community still face challenges on a daily basis that I can’t even imagine. When I think of that and then think about how difficult being a teenager can be in general. That’s why we’re supporting BeLong To this Pride Month.

Supporting LGBTI+ This Pride Month

As I was updating the Goosed.ie logo, I felt it was a bit superficial and wanted to do something just a little bit bigger. A few Google searched later and I found BeLonG To who had actually written about the young people within the LGBTI+ community need more than “token gestures” of support. BeLonG To is a national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland since 2003.

With 90% of Irish LGBTI+ youths struggling with their mental health and 76% of LGBTI+ youths finding school bullying as a source of anxiety, it becomes clear how difficult life can be for young people in a world that’s not always accepting.

So in short, that’s it. I feel it’s a great cause for us to throw our support behind. I do ask that if you can at all please support BeLonG To. By donating you will be supporting an organisation that makes a massive positive impact on young people’s lives.

Also, we’re offering advice and support to anyone from the LGBTI+ community who would like experience in writing, reviewing, managing social media, email marketing or SEO. Get in touch with us if it’s something you’d like to try out.

We’ve pinned a post on our Facebook page where you can donate to BeLonG To. It’s also available below. If you have any hassle or questions about donating, drop me a mail.

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Marty
Founding Editor of Goosed, Marty is a massive fan of tech making life easier. You'll often find him testing something new, brewing beer or finding some new foodie spots in Dublin, Ireland. - Find me on Threads