Pride Month: putting the spotlight on LBGTQ+ charities

June is Pride Month - an annual event that exists to honour the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan (a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States).

A prime opportunity to take pride in our diverse, rainbow nation, we’re celebrating by highlighting the work of some of our fabulous LBGTQ+ charities in the UK.

And we’re kicking off with Mermaids.  

Mermaids

Mermaids was set up in 1995 by a group of parents whose children had gender dysphoria, defined by the NHS as ‘a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity’.

The charity’s primary aims are to relieve the mental and emotional stress of gender-diverse children and young people aged 20 and promotes education and awareness among wider society.

What services does it provide?

• Support for trans children and young people, and their families in the form of:

• A dedicated helpline, email, and web chat support

• Moderated online forums for parents/carers

• ­Residential weekends, family days, and events for young people and families

• ­A network of local support groups for families

• ­Online support groups

• Tailored, CPD-accredited gender diversity training for public, third sector, and corporate organisations to better support trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse individuals in the workplace.

The charity also campaigns for things that matter to trans children and young people. One of its current aims is to get the government to rethink its draft trans guidance for schools and colleges.

Galop

Galop is the UK’s leading LGBT+ anti-abuse charity.

Run by LGBT+ people, for LGBT+ people, it specialises in supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, hate crime, honour based abuse, forced marriage, ‘conversion therapies’, and other forms of interpersonal abuse.

What services does it provide?

• A confidential helpline manned by LGBT+ staff with experience of working with LGBT+ survivors of abuse and violence. Staff are trained to handle calls relating to domestic abuse, hate crime, sexual abuse, rape and violence, and conversion therapy. 

• Advocacy and casework support for LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse and violence. The advocates provide a wide range of services including:

  • ­advice on rights and options

  • emotional support

  • ­medical support

  • ­assistance and advocacy around navigating the criminal justice system

  • ­information on safety and emergency housing options

  • ­referrals or signposting to specialist LGBT+ services and organisations

The charity also works with national and local policymakers to ensure the needs of LGBT+ people facing abuse and violence are considered within legislation, commissioning, and professional guidance.

Fighting With Pride

Launched in 2020, Fighting With Pride is a ‘lived experience’ military charity that supports the health and wellbeing of LGBT+ veterans, serving personnel and their families, with a particular focus on those who were affected by the ban on LGBT+ military service before it was lifted in 2000.

What services does it provide?

• connects LGBT+ veterans with service organisations to resolve the challenges they face in their lives beyond military service. The charity does this through its partnerships with NHS England, NHS Improvement, the Royal British Legion, SSAFA, and Stonewall.

• works with the UK and devolved governments to provide support and reparations for personnel impacted by the “gay ban”.

• researches the impact of the ban in partnership with the Veterans and Families Research Hub at Northumbria University.

Micro Rainbow

Micro Rainbow offers a holistic package of support for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees, including peer support groups, employability workshops, and safe housing.

If asylum is granted, the charity helps refugees find permanent accommodation and supports them to become employment-ready.

What services does it provide?

• provides LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees with temporary housing while they navigate the legal process. The charity has 22 safe houses across the UK.

• facilitates access to employment, volunteering, training, and education through its moving on programme

• provides social inclusion activities to reduce isolation

• conducts research to better understand the specific issues faced by LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees, and to make recommendations that improve their lives.

Queer Britain

Queer Britain is both a registered charity and the UK’s first and only museum dedicated to the history and culture of LGBTQ+ communities.

Based in King’s Cross, London, it boasts an extensive archive of artefacts, artwork, images, and videos, which it shares through a series of temporary exhibitions.

Fun fact: The museum’s first exhibition, We Are Queer Britain, which’ marked 50 years of Pride in the UK won the Museums Association’s ‘Museums Change Lives, Best Small Museum Project’ Award.