IDAHOBIT 2016

I don’t follow football, I have no interest in football, I have never played   football.

Why am I telling you this?

Because, when I was seven years old this made me different, because I wouldn’t give in and join the crowd I was marked out as different, not normal, someone to be bullied.

I didn’t feel that I was the same as other boys, I knew something was different.

I was different and I wouldn’t play by the rules.

But there were no role models for me to follow.

Being called a shirt lifter, bum bandit, fag, nancy boy, queer every day wears you down; at 13 years of age you want to conform you don’t want to be different.

Growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1970’s being told by the Political and religious leaders of your Country that you destined to burn in hell, that you are unnatural, that it’s illegal to feel the way you do forces you to get out or give in to the bullies and to conform to being someone you know is not true.

I conformed I gave in and tried to be like everyone else.

It took me to the age of 22 before I met other Gay people in Belfast, I learned an important life lesson there is strength in numbers, working together gives you strength and determination to stand up to bullies and to stand up for your rights and to follow what you feel is right.

Demonstrating, petitioning, arguing, lobbying does bring change and in the last 30 years the lives of LGBT people in the UK have changed hugely.

But so much remains to be done in securing rights for our community, and ensuring we can live lives free from violence, intimidation, and secrecy.

In 2016 we still have children in Schools in this City who are being bullied because of their sexuality, we still have Schools who won’t let pupils self-identify their gender.

In England we have Schools who still think it’s illegal to teach about same sex relationships, in Northern Ireland if you are openly Gay you cannot work in half the Schools paid for by the State. Nor can you marry your same sex partner.

The current Government’s policy for LGBT asylum seekers instead of sending a message that all citizens are to be treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sexual orientation, the message currently being sent by our Government is that it is acceptable to exclude people on the grounds that they cannot prove they are LGBT and therefore in danger from their own Governments.

As with every major human rights advance, from the abolition of slavery to allowing women to vote, future generations will look back and wonder how anyone could have opposed such a basic human right as equality for all people regardless of colour, race, creed or sexuality.

The fight against homophobia is a core part of the broader battle for human rights for all.

Stonewall estimates that there are nearly 40 thousand LGBT people living in Sheffield, they also estimate that 1 in 5 LGBT people have suffered verbal bullying from colleagues or customers.

1 in 4 LGBT employees are not out in the work place.

1 in 8 LGBT employees would not be confident in reporting homophobic bullying in the workplace.

Do we stand by and do nothing or do we all stand up for our rights?

For generations, LGBT people in this City have been subject to hate crimes on account of their sexual orientation and gender identity. We have been treated with contempt, derision and discrimination. We have been made to

feel anything but free and equal. Such inequalities impede development and progress for society as a whole.

Ending homophobia is a matter of personal security, dignity and even survival for countless individuals. It is also a long-term endeavour – one that I believe is critical to the future of the whole community.

I thank you for your commitment to the cause of equality and fairness with the force of our conviction; let us continue fighting discrimination against all peoples and work for a City and a country of true freedom and equality for all.