Gay in NI

Being a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender young person in Northern Ireland can seem kinda tough, but there’s plenty of stuff going on that you might not know about. In fact, LGBT young people have never have never had it so good. Thanks to recently passed legislation LGBT people are all but entirely protected by the law. There are plenty of clubs and bars that cater to the LGBT community, as well youth groups, sports teams and even an art festival and a parade. If you live in a rural area, it can be especially difficult, but there a number of LGBT youth groups across Northern Ireland and even if you can’t make it to one of them, there are loads of online communities that can offer support.

The Law and Rights

Thanks to the Goods and Services Act, Civil Partnership act and the Gender Recognition act LGBT people are now treated almost entirely equally to anyone else in the eyes of the law. This means it’s now illegal to discriminate against a person based on their sexual orientation or gender, whether you are applying for a job or doing course at school you have the right to be treated fairly.

With regards to sex, well at the minute the law in Northern Ireland is different to the rest of the UK.

What are the rules?

• In England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland you have to be over 16 to have homosexual (gay or lesbian) or heterosexual (straight) sex.
• ‘Sex’ means penetrative sex, oral sex or masturbating together. (Yes, this counts!)

Bars, Clubs, Groups and Associations

When you are just coming out as being LGBT it can sometimes feel like you are the only one, but trust me you’re not. There are plenty of places where you can meet other LGBT people in Northern Ireland. Though the clubs and bars are often the first place people go to, they usually aren’t the best place to make friends or just hang out. That’s why we have groups like GLYNI, where you can come and chill out, meet new people and work on community projects like art workshops and volunteer training.

Rural Areas

It can be really tough if you are young, LGBT and live in a rural area, small towns often breed small minds and it can be hard to find other LGBT people your age. There are quite a few groups around Northern Ireland so you shouldn’t find it too difficult to travel to one of them, but if you can’t then there’s always our website and message boards. Why not sign up and get in contact with young people all across Northern Ireland.