Inside Holyrood: We must improve LGBTQI+ lives according to MSP Emma Roddick who points to research showing around 24 per cent of young homeless people identify as LGBTQI+ and around 69 per cent of them had experienced violence or abuse
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February marks LGBTQI+ History Month which led me to think about how LGBTQI+ issues intersect with many of the other things I care deeply about as an MSP.
To mark this, at the start of this month I attended a poetry evening at a local cafe The Alleycat. A large part of the evening focused on LGBTQI+ events and moments in history, offering a time of reflection. The Orlando nightclub shooting which sadly took the lives of 49 people was six years ago now and, whilst a lot has changed in six years, there is still so much work to be done.
As the co-convener for the Scottish Parliament’s LGBTQI+ cross-party group, I am committed to improving the lives of queer people in the Highlands. I think it’s important to stress that whilst those who of us identify as LGBTQI+ experience casual discrimination issues such as exclusion from society, there are also systemic, material implications that affect us. For example, research carried out by the Albert Kennedy Trust found that around 24 per cent of young homeless people identify as LGBTQI+ and around 69 per cent of them had experienced violence or abuse. A majority of LGBTQI+ homeless people stated that their identity was the cause of them being homeless.
LGBTQI+ people in Scotland are also more likely to experience mental health problems partially due to the stigma attached to our identities. We are also less likely to access mental health support services due to fear of discrimination and a general lack of understanding. As an MSP who frequently raises issues of mental health in parliament, I firmly believe we must focus on the intersection of mental health and queer identities if we want to improve either.
I feel fortunate to live in a country that so often leads the way on LGBTQI+ issues. Just last year, Scotland became the first country in the world to make LGBTQI+ education compulsory across the school curriculum. Accomplishments like this should be celebrated, however, statistics like those shared above should remind us that whilst we may think we live in a progressive country, marginalised communities are still struggling.
The poetry evening gave me time to reflect on the things we need to do to improve the lives of LGBTQI+ people in Scotland, however, it also made me feel proud of the communities and identities that we have created for ourselves across the Highlands. For example, organisations like SAGA in Alness, provide a safe space for LGBTQI+ young people to make friends and attend marches together. Pillar in Inverness run weekly youth groups and offer a chance to discuss LGBTQI+ issues in a supportive environment.
The policy work that happens during debates or at parliamentary groups is vital in creating a more LGBTQI+ progressive society, however, it is community-led organisations like the above that have led the way in making the Highlands a safer place for LGBTQI+ people and it is, therefore, the voices of our community that I would like to raise this month.
Related Story – Shocking new data has revealed a significant rise in hate crimes against LGBT+ people in the Highlands
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