Platform Youth Hub has begun workshops to meet rising demand among Islington teens to explore sexuality amidst rising levels of reported homophobic crimes in the area.
The programme, called “Insert Name Here,” uses performance art and group discussion to explore issues of sexuality and is aimed at helping lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allied teens feel safe.
“There was an incident in the last year when a young gay person had a particularly bad experience in the borough,” said Jo Tyabi, 28, youth programme coordinator at Platform.
“We were approached by some young people expressing the desire for a safe space and we knew we had to do something.”
“Schools can be very homophobic places, even unintentionally.
“Questions of sexuality do come up and having a safe space to look at these things is really important.”
Lowell Black, 30, youth engagement manager, added: “Stats have shown us that in Islington, there is a lot of pressure on young people to act in certain ways because of ideas about what a man is and what a woman is, including how way express ourselves, how we dress and how we speak.
“This is even more difficult if you are struggling with your sexuality and identity.
“The scenario becomes like a pressure cooker.”
Metropolitan Police figures show 309 recorded cases of homophobic assault in Islington between 2010 and 2013, the third highest after Westminster and Lambeth.
The most commonly recorded complaints were harassment and assault with injury. In London as a whole the number of homophobic crimes reported increased from 344 in 2003 to 1101 in 2013.
