Tell your LGBT stories, like I did, for Pride

Funds are being provided to end discrimination and bullying but we must all push for equality now

Today the wonderful city of London will open its doors to people from across the country to mark the annual London Pride event. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities will be coming together to fly the rainbow flag, which is fittingly a symbol of peace, as well as a symbol of the LGBT community.

I think every Pride is special. It was a really special one for me last year after I posted a tweet about being in a same-sex relationship.

There was a massively positive reaction at the time – much more than I ever expected – and it was quite humbling.

But I think this Pride is really special because it marks 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality. And after this year’s general election we have a record number of openly LGBT MPS in our Parliament.

I am proud to live in a country where we are free to be who we are. Such freedom is not something welcomed in every part of the world. But although we are a world leader when it comes to equality, we still have a long way to go.

Earlier this year I attended an event held by the LGBT charity Just Like Us and had the privilege of hearing one of its ambassadors speak about her experience growing up. She recounted movingly how, as a young woman she had felt being gay was something to be ashamed of. And sadly this was by no means an experience that was unique to her – she also told us how a friend of hers had been physically beaten up after the other boys at his school found out that he was gay.

Let me say very clearly that no one should feel ashamed, or be made to feel ashamed, of being who they are – and we can all play a part in helping to make that possible.

As Education Secretary, part of my role is making sure we teach young people the life skills they need to stay safe in today’s world, and to have happy, healthy relationships – both with themselves and those around them. I am proud that earlier this year we worked across the party divide in the Commons to change the law so that education about relationships forms part of the teaching in every primary school, and that relationships and sex education (RSE) is taught in all secondary schools.

But we cannot just ensure that these vital subjects are taught, we have got to make sure they are taught well, in a way that is suitable and relevant for young people today. So we are updating the guidance for RSE to make sure it helps young people with the challenges they face in the 21st century. Remarkably, this guidance hasn’t been updated since 2000, before social media and smartphones were as ubiquitous as they are today. Then, things like Facebook and Instagram didn’t even exist, so there’s a lot of catching up to do.

We’re also working with schools across the country to stamp out homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in our playgrounds, with £3million to support initiatives that educate young people to accept and respect each other’s individuality.

Discovering who you are isn’t always easy, but through initiatives like this we can help to make that journey easier for the next generation.

As the minister for women and equalities I’m also committed to looking at what more we can do to make sure LGBT people of all ages are not held back. It’s why we have committed to reviewing the Gender Recognition Act so that more transgender people, who do not identify with the biological gender of their birth, can get the protections they need and can change official records and documents like passports more easily.

We have also invested in grass roots programmes to help tackle hate crime – including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic abuse.

I want to see my department do all it can to improve the lives of LGBT people across the country.

But often it’s all of us, and our own stories, that can have the biggest impact in the push for equality. By telling those experiences and being true to who we are, we can make it that bit easier for the next person to feel confident about doing the same.

After my own tweet about being in a same-sex relationship, I had lots of parents get in touch with me saying their children were gay and that my message had helped reassure them that “it was OK”.

And at the Stonewall hustings during the election campaign, a girl came up to me and said it had given her the confidence to speak to her parents about her sexuality.

We can all help one another on this journey. It matters because, in the end, I believe that people can only be at their best when they can be themselves.

I hope everyone has a fantastic time at Pride events across the country and I look forward to seeing you at the celebrations in London.