Personal development course for local GBT+ men

A new men's personal development course for GBT+ (gay, bisexual, transgender) men will launch in Athlone this week.

The free six-week course is being organised by Midlands LGBT+ and will be held in Athlone Family Resource Centre every Thursday from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, starting tomorrow.

The course structure will cover topics such as relationships, assertiveness and self esteem and motional management and positive thinking. Coordinator of the Midlands LGBT+ Project, Christina Fitzharris, said that the local LGBTI+ awareness and support project is “very excited” to launch this new programme.

“It is done quite regularly in Outhouse in Dublin, both women's ones and men's ones and to my knowledge it is the first time it has been ran in the midlands. We have seen a good demand for it since we released the dates, however, it can be difficult to reach the people who need this the most. We really hope to create a space for GBT+ men where they can feel safe to explore their personal development, sexuality and gender identity.”

The course content is courtesy of Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre in Dublin 1 and it's supported by Healthy Westmeath. To learn more about Outhouse, visit www.outhouse.ie.

Anyone interested in joining the course should register on Eventbrite. Email

help@midlandslgbtproject.com with any queries.

The Midlands LGBT+ Project ia a support organisation covering Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Kildare, and its aim is to reduce isolation, provide support and a community to LGBT+ people across the midlands. They offer a range of adult support groups, from trans groups, bookclubs to coffee meet ups.