Wick social group Stepping Out wants to raise confidence levels of LGBTQ+ people – ‘We’ve heard some horrific stories… that’s why we set up this group’
A social group for LGBTQ+ people in Wick is hoping to help attendees build confident in their authentic selves.
Meeting every Thursday evening, most Stepping Out sessions are for 16-19-year-olds, but once a month they host a mix-up that is open to anyone over the age of 16.
Food and snacks are provided, as are activities like pool and board games for those attending – but there is also space to just sit and chat, and some members bring along crafts to work on.
Occasionally a speaker will be invited in, and the concept has proven popular enough that around 30 people are part of a Facebook group to keep up to date with the latest information.
Stepping Out was started due to the lack of social spaces available to LGBTQ+ young people in particular around Caithness, and when posts first started appearing on social media to gauge interest and advertise the group some of the negative reaction only reinforced why it would be important.
“I just felt that we needed to put something there into the community for people to feel safe,” a Stepping Out spokesperson explained.
“Unless you’re part of the community, or know somebody who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I don’t think you really understand the obstacles that are in their way.
“We’ve heard some quite horrific stories of people being bullied at school just for being themselves. That’s something that’s hard to comprehend still happens in this day and age, but that’s why we set up this group.
“The people that we’ve had come along were very quiet and anxious when they first came, and now they don’t stop talking, which is great.
“They have built some lovely friendships. If they are part of the LGBTQ+ community, that’s not all they are – they are human, and they’ve got human connections.
“I know we are faced with the negative comments like ‘why do they need a space’ or ‘why are they treated special’, but that’s not what we are here for. We are purely a safe space for people to gain confidence.
“We’re not here to try and segregate the LGBTQ+ community from the wider community, and our members certainly do not want that to be the case. That’s not what we’re looking for, we are just providing a service so that those who aren’t confidence can come forward.”
The initial goal of Stepping Out, in many ways, has already been achieved. That has only meant bigger plans have begun to formulate though.
The group is looking at attending Highland Pride in Inverness next summer, and there has been a suggestion of looking for funding to get a counsellor into the space regularly to further the level of support for young people.
Some attendees also travel to Wick from Thurso, so if interest continues to grow there could be scope for having multiple meet-ups around the county.
Such a strong level of support in Stepping Out’s first few months has taken organisers by surprise, but it has absolutely been a pleasant one for them.
“It takes a lot of courage from people for them to actually come to the group, however the amount of people who are following us and the amount of support we’ve had has really surprised me,” the spokesperson added.
“So many people wanted this to happen. At the end of the day all we wanted from the group was for people to feel like they could be themselves and make connections without fear of being judged or rejected, because in this day and age everyone should have that.
“We have had some negative responses as well from when I was sharing the page initially to see what people wanted. There were some comments, and we were told it was blasphemous and that kind of thing.
“There’s still that stigma around it, and those negative comments just highlighted more that there is a need for a safe space for people.
“Some of the comments that were being said quite openly on a public space were quite upsetting, and one of their friends of family members might be part of the LGBTQ+ community – seeing those comments will only hinder them from being able to be themselves and be open.”