On Tuesday 8 September, Minus18 came to St Catherine’s, and gave a virtual presentation.

Minus18 is an organisation that addresses bullying and discrimination in spaces where LGBTQIA+ youth belong. They are an organisation that aims to support LGBTQIA+ students, creating inclusive, safe spaces for them to learn, ask questions, consider the viewpoints of others and most importantly, be who they are.

Approximately 21% of Secondary School students identify as LGBTQIA+.₁

• 75% of these students experience bullying or discrimination
• 75% of these students are diagnosed with depression
• 72% are diagnosed with anxiety
• 23% are diagnosed with an eating disorder

In 2020, LGBTQIA+ youth are more visible than ever before. They are the young people at the forefront of this conversation and Minus18 aims to educate and empower young people, to encourage confidence in all students and importantly, create an inclusive environment for our students to reach their true potential, in an entertaining, yet educational and respectful way.

Ensuring this awareness is an important part of our care for students. Not only those students who identify as LGBTQIA+, but also the many students who want to be allies and support the community. This presentation was designed to educate students on the variation of genders and to encourage positive conversations to occur at home and at school. Finally, I hope that this workshop will give hope to the future generation and be a catalyst for change, for a better, more accepting, colourful and kind future.

Here are two reflections from students about their experience.

“On Tuesday 8 September, the youth organisation Minus18 visited our school where we collectively did a workshop on LGBTQIA+ awareness. The presentation was heavily focused on LGBTQIA+ youth experiences, with personal anecdotes from the presenters. The main presenter shared his experience as a transmasculine youth, showing us how much LGBTQIA+ support and education is needed in our community in order for us to be respectful towards everyone. Overall, this has been a wonderful opportunity for LGBTQIA+ education to be integrated in our learning.”

“The Minus18 workshop was very entertaining and interesting, as I learnt many new things that I did not know about the LGBTQIA+ community. I learnt how to correct myself if I mis-gender someone by accident, the meaning of LGBTQIA+, how to support the community and how to call out homophobic behaviour. Something I will take-away from the workshop is how to be supportive to a friend who may be scared of coming out to their family.”