We live in a society where the emphasis is very much on how far we have come as a society, how being gay is hardly even an issue these days. Whilst undoubtedly much progress has been made,  the hangover of years of oppression and the very real bigotry and prejudice that still impacts the lives of LGBTTTQQIAA people results in the majority carrying around hurts, harms and mental health issues for years to come.

 

Being shouted at from car windows for walking hand in hand with a partner, being categorised as an attention seeker for simply existing, continually navigating a world where societally we can't even seem to negotiate a level playing field to hold debates about issues that more than half of the players are unaffected by--to LGBTTTQQIAA, these are often routine occurrences, and whilst in their own way harrowing, pale into near mundanity compared to some of the horror stories I’ve heard over the years regarding negative and traumatic experiences as result of bigotry and prejudice in the world at large for queer people.

 

It is no surprise therefore that despite the progress made, LGBTQIAA+ people remain plagued by mental health issues far outweighing their heterosexual counterparts. According to the UK's mental health foundation, "Half of LGBTIQ+ people had experienced depression, and three in five had experienced anxiety. One in eight LGBTIQ+ people aged 18 to 24 had attempted to end their life. Almost half of trans people had thought about taking their life." (Mental Health Organisation UK, 2022).

 

However much progress has been made, more is needed. The sense of injustice and anger I feel, evoked by the disparity in the above statistics, was a huge motivating factor in my decision to become a therapist and move to enable myself to provide a space for LGBTQIAA+ to safely explore their emotional worlds and begin the process of healing from these societally inflicted ills.