Pride Month in Wales

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Hands painted the colours of the rainbow

My name is Arthur and I am a member of the UNICEF UK Youth Advisory Board. This Pride Month I wanted to showcase Wales’s perspective and progress on LGBTQ+ issues and rights. I have had the opportunity to interview a young advocate as well as a Pride Cymru Volunteer to share some of their experiences, thoughts, and views following this year’s Pride Month.

 

Ellis - Member of Welsh Youth Parliament for Cardiff Central
 

What does Pride mean to you? 

Pride to me is not only an outstanding event that happens in the summer for everyone to celebrate, but also an incredibly important word for me personally. For me Pride is a word that celebrates, it celebrates how far human rights for LGBTQ+ have come but also brings attention to how things can also be improved. Personally, pride also means proudness and for anyone who is LGBTQ+ to be proud of who they are. Furthermore, I believe pride provides the opportunity for children to explore important questions about identity, empathy, and personal self-reflection in an age-appropriate manner that ensures their rights and freedoms to exist as their own true selves, to feel valid, valued, and included in every aspect of their lives. 

How can organisations and individuals best support young people throughout Pride Month and beyond? 

Personally, I believe that organisations could raise more awareness about their inclusiveness and how they aim to support the LGBTQ+ rather than just changing their logo to rainbow colours and calling it a day. It is vitally important to the fundamental rights of children and young people that their education is inclusive and diverse, providing them with a range of role models from different backgrounds that can help them to feel empowered and become well-rounded and empathetic individuals 

How do you feel this connects with children’s rights? 

I feel this connects with children's rights as the percentage of young people and children who identify as LGBTQ+ is increasing rapidly each year. The right of children to be heard when they speak up about how to feel and to know that they will be listened to and understood is imperative. It's vitally important that children are confronted with the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people so that they can develop the skills needed to tackle prejudice that they or their peers may face, and to prevent their own prejudices from taking root.

Anything else that you would like to add.

Children deserve the basic respect that comes from understanding that everybody's personal experiences are different, and that families and relationships are complex and diverse. Children develop a sense of their own sexual and gender identity from a young age, and LGBTQ+-children have the right to be respected and accepted as they begin to understand more about themselves.

 

Lisa - Pride Cymru Volunteerr

 

Brief outline regarding the work of Pride Cymru, how are we celebrating Pride in Wales?

Pride Cymru is a volunteer-led charity that works to promote the elimination of discrimination. We are committed to campaigning for equality and acceptance of diversity within our communities. We recognise and celebrate the contributions made by LGBTQ+ people in society and we continue our work to create opportunities for LGBTQ+ people around Wales to connect and support each other. This Pride month has consisted of the launch of the HIV Action Plan for Wales consultation, which Pride Cymru fully supports and encourages wide engagement with the consultation. This is my first Pride as a member of Pride Cymru, and I am really excited to see how it all unfolds. 

What does Pride mean to you? 

Pride is a celebration of the love and belonging the community provides for each other. It is a time to feel safe to be your authentic self around people who won’t judge or hurt you. It does, however, remain a protest as discrimination continues. We would all love Pride to be only about fun and positivity but unfortunately in a world where we still face hate crimes, discrimination, poorer mental health, higher rates of homelessness and the constant feeling of threat from some elements of society and some political systems in the world, we cannot rest.

How can organisations and individuals best support young people throughout Pride Month and beyond? 

Listen and involve! Youth participation gives a fresh and inspiring perspective to any organisation. Listening to LGBTQ+ young people is the only real way to know how to support them best. LGBTQ+ groups are positive places where peer support can be offered, experiences shared, and strong friendships can be formed. I would advise any school, college, workplace or charity to support the set up and enable sustainability of an LGBTQ+ group (UNCRC Article 15). 

How do you feel this connects with children’s rights?  

Everything about equality and inclusion is based on the UNCRC principles. The right for a young gender exploring person to change their name, to have their pronouns respected and to have a say in their own gender journey has firm foundations in Articles 3, 8 and 12. The right to be heard, to have a say in decisions which affect them and to be kept safe and healthy are all embedded in the UNCRC, and all relate significantly to LGBTQ+ rights for young people.

 

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I would like to thank Lisa and Ellis, for their contributions to this article. I do hope that you have been inspired by their words to support LGBTQ+ organisations and that of other marginalised groups within your community!

 

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Ellis rests hand on chin. Wearing light coloured shirt against a dark background
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Lisa has shoulder length blonde hair and is wearing a dark blue top
Interviews
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland