From The Youth Editor

Hi my name is Emer and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to be this year’s Youth Editor. I’ve just finished school and getting to work in a real office is a bit bizarre. I do feel very ‘grown up’ when I tell people I was at work. It’s really interesting to see GCN from the other side. Rather than just reading it, I got to contribute to what you’re currently reading, which I must admit is very exciting.

One of the main things I’ve been working on is the Youth Burning Issues survey, specifically targeted at young people between the ages of 13 and 24. It’s fantastic to read the different responses to the survey, and even better to see so many young people engaged enough to tell us about the issues that are affecting them.

Most of the 565 responses come from secondary school students, 40 per cent of which agree that schools aren’t necessairly supportive or inclusive. The survey also shows that many LGBT+ young people are still experiencing bullying in school. As a someone who just graduated, I can attest to this. Most of my peers were perfectly fine, but that’s not to say there weren’t girls who asked inappropiate questions about my sex life and thought that gay people shouldn’t be allowed to get married, “because then they’ll want children and that’s not fair on them”.

Another issue the survey highlighted is the stark lack of LGBT+ inclusive sex education. Finding an Irish school that gives proper sex ed to their students is already rare. It would seem most sex education focuses on getting pregnant, with a bit of contraception thrown in. Going by stories told to me by friends who’ve received sex ed, consent isn’t even covered. This style of teaching is continuing the archaic notion that a woman’s body is nothing more than a vessel. It also assumes that everyone has sex the same way. The amount of young queer girls I’ve met who weren’t aware that you can still get STIs having sex with other girls is terrifying.

I’m part of the youth group, Ladybirds (a sub group of BeLonG To for gals and non-binary pals) and we are currently working on a campaign to get comphrehensive sex education in school and teaching in primary schools about the LGBT community. Learning acceptance from a young age is crucial for change. I refuse to let another generation of children get a chastity talk at the age 15, instead of learning how to protect themselves. We’ve taken it upon ourselves in Ladybirds to organise our own sexual health training. We feel it’s important to educate ourselves fully before spreading our message.

Based on Youth Burning Issues, most young people are coming out when they’re in their early teens, which I like to think means society, for the most part, is becoming more accepting. We need to continue to fight, however, to create an even more tolerant and accepting society, both within the LGBT+ community and without. I am very grateful to have been given the chance to work with GCN and share what I believe in with you. I look forward to seeing your responses to this youth edition and hope you can engage with our stories.