Tuesday, 15th March 2016
As part of our commitment to provides support and services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans communities of Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland, we want to provide a voice for the LGB&T communities in the more rural areas. So, to start us off, we want to focus on the smallest, yet beautiful, county in the UK; Rutland.
We want to encourage all LGB&T individuals in Rutland to share their stories of what it's like to be an LGBT person living in Rutland by using the hashtag #LGBTinRutland on social media. You can also submit your stories directly to us here at Trade to then add onto our blog on a regular basis.
So to start us off, here is a submission from one of our volunteers, Will:
"So being a rural LGBT individual, you may not have the biggest network of people like you in your area, but what you do have is time to grow, this allows you to not rush into being the person you want to be, but take steps to become YOU whatever or who ever YOU is. Just know that Rutland is a beautiful place to live in and will give you the foundations for the rest of your life. I’m Will, a rural gay, and thank god I’ve had time to realise who I want to be or else I think I would have burned out by now!!"
Will Hughes, Artist, Rutland Resident
We have also had a submission in from Danny, who is a Project Officer at Leicester LGBT Centre:
"I'm 28 years old and disabled and have lived in Rutland villages for all of my life. Living in a village can be isolating with limited public transport links, this can be especially so if you are gay. I know there are LGB and T people in the county spread out, there are no social groups as such so the nearest as a young person were either Leicester or Peterborough. As an adult I have been with the LGBT Centre as a volunteer and then Project Officer for 18 months and I am proud to be part of this community, the scene in Leicester is quite vibrant though small with Trade, Rainbow&Dove, Dover Castle and other venues, organisations and events such as Leicester Pride. Also now I do have a car so I don't feel as isolated as I was."
Danny Lavery, LGBT Project Officer, Rutland Resident
