GAY TO Z
PROGRAMME 1
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In Programme 1 we are introduced to six LGB young people:
- Lewis is 18 and lives in Leicester. He is fed up with one-night stands and is looking for Mr Right
- Jen is 21 and goes to the University of Durham. She is in love for the first time, with Bex, who she has been with for the last six months. They are spending their last few weeks together before university ends
- Bex goes to the University of Durham and has been having her first serious relationship, with Jen, for the last six months
- Justin was thrown out of his home when he came out to his family. He has been living with David for the last six weeks
- Reem is 17 and lives in a YMCA hostel. She left home after coming out to her family who are Egyptian Muslims and hold very conservative values
- Jack is 19 and Hindu. He left home after coming out to his family and is now unemployed, living in a hostel and struggling with money.
All of these young people are experiencing very different issues and are leading very different lives. Some are in relationships, some are single, some have supportive parents, but others have been thrown out of their homes for being gay.
This programme looks at young people looking for love, being in love and experiencing relationships. It shows different ways of meeting partners, ranging from the traditional to the potentially dangerous. It also shows some of the difficulties that can be involved in being LGB, especially in terms of coming out to parents and family who may have negative reactions. The programme introduces pupils to the idea that many young people who choose to come out experience discrimination and exclusion, and find it difficult to access the support they need.
The concept of sexuality being in conflict with traditional religious beliefs and traditional cultures is also introduced and we see some young people who have been rejected by their families because of this. Reem is enjoying the freedom of living on her own for the first time, but we also witness the down side of this as Jack is finding it difficult to cope on his own.
