Crawley MP meets young LGBTQU+ people in the town

Members of the group talked about their experiences of being LGBTQU+ and why they need his help to promote the rights of LGBTQU+ people in the town.

The YMCA Youth Advice Centre (YAC) in Crawley is a place for young people to find support around a range of issues impacting their day-to-day life. No appointments are necessary and young people can get support with housing, sexual health or mental & emotional wellbeing.

The LGBTQU+ Haven Project is a drop-in session for any young person identifying, or wanting to find support, around their sexuality and identity.

The young people shared their experience of being LGBTQU+ in Crawley. They spoke articulately about the challenges and discrimination they face every day, from abuse when simply walking around town, to being bullied at school and sometimes rejection by family. What was clear was just how much “coming to the LGBTQU+ Haven at the YMCA YAC had helped them. From being able to socialise in a ‘safe space’ where they could just ‘be themselves’, to seeing the staff and volunteers as positive role models”, a spokesperson for YMCA DownsLink Group said

West Sussex Youth Hub Development Manager, Eli Adie said: “It was a positive meeting and the young people felt heard. Creating opportunities like this for politicians to understand what it is like to be LGBTQU+ is so important when you consider the statistics around hate crime. “Recent Galop research showed that hate crime was up by almost a third last year, with a 41% increase in hate crime directed against LGB people and a 56% increase in transphobic hate crimes.

“With these horrendous statistics in mind, it’s more important than ever that we support our LGBTQU+ young people, colleagues and wider community members by standing up to hate and discrimination and showing our allyship through our words and our actions.”

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YMCA Downslink Group is a registered charity working across Sussex and Surrey providing a range of services to children, young people and families.

For more information about the YMCA Crawley Youth Advice Centre pop into YAC Crawley or visit: https://www.ymcadlg.org/what-we-do/support-and-advice/yac-youth-advice-centre-crawley/