Midlands LGBT+ Project plan expansion into Westmeath
By Sarah Slevin
Midlands LGBT+ started off as a Laois group last year and grew in numbers so rapidly, it has become a midlands group already. The interest is such that an Offaly Westmeath group is now being formed.
After a virtual meet-up on February 2, the group plan to have a physical meet-up somewhere in the locality within the next couple of weeks.
Andrew Gannon, development assistant with Midlands LGBT+, is spearheading the Offaly Westmeath group launch and explained how important such groups are.
“Over the course of the pandemic, a survey was done with adult LGBT+ people, and it found that 90 percent of those in rural places said their mental health had decreased due to the lockdowns, meaning they couldn’t reach out to communities that were further away,” Andrew said.
“Since we set this up, we have had people telling us that it has been fantastic for them to have people that are like them nearby that they can reach out to,” Andrew added.
The growth of Midlands LGBT+ has been huge and Andrew said they had to quickly adapt and expand to include all nearby areas.
“When we started off as the Laois group, there were just five members, and now Midlands LBGT+ has grown to have up to 50 members. It massively exploded,” Andrew said.
“Quite quickly, as the news got around and other LGBT+ people who were suffering the same things, such as rural isolation, and community isolation started reaching out to get involved,” Andrew said.
Andrew explained that the idea behind the groups is to make connections, and they are not a place of judgement.
“Our groups are a free place for people to come and be themselves. Nobody is ever asked questions; one thing I hear from people who are nervous is that they’re sometimes not sure themselves where they fit in, they didn’t want that forced upon them by other people,” Andrew said.
“But the entire vibe of our groups is laid back, we are there, we have all gone through similar experiences in coming to terms with sexual orientation,” Andrew said.
Midlands LGBT+ have been working closely with Westmeath schools, doing LGBT inclusivity workshops and sending out information packs.
The Midlands LGBT+ group have a large event on April 23 in Offaly, which will include family events as well as an over 18s evening.
To find out more about the group, visit their Facebook or Instagram pages at midlandslgbt, their website at midlandslgbtproject.com or email help@midlandslgbtproject.com.