Club leader sad as LGBT teens leave after ‘attacks’
THE leader of one of north Wales’ only gay youth clubs has revealed he was “left heartbroken” after members were forced to quit the club because of homophobic abuse.
The club, set up for young members of the LGBT+ community, has endured a recent spate of attacks on some of its members.
One club member was allegedly assaulted at a bus stop in July after leaving a session at the youth club, which is based at the cafe run by young people’s charity Gisda on Caernarfon’s Maes.
Other incidents of verbal abuse have been reported to North Wales Police.
Since opening in 2017, the youth club has flourished and is now a popular hub for more than 150 young members of the LGBT+ community.
But due to recent concerns over members’ safety, club founder Aled Griffiths has opened up on the “tension and hostility” aimed at the organisation from sections of the community.
Mr Griffiths said: “This club means the absolute world to me, and it really hurts at the moment that we feel very threatened.
“I started the club because I had a very difficult time coming to terms with my own sexuality when I was growing up, to the point where I thought that it couldn’t be an option.
“Luckily, I was able to move on from there and be truthful with myself, my family and friends, and I could move on with my life.
“I moved to England and lived there for 10 years, then I came back.
“When I came back I thought that society had changed and life would be easier for young people.
“But when I came to Gisda the same feelings that I felt back then were also felt by the young people of today.
“They were afraid to be themselves, and one-on-one therapy wasn’t meeting their needs.
“What they needed was to feel that they were a part of something, a community and something to build up with peer support. That’s why I started the youth club.”
According to a report from Stonewall, the number of reported hate crimes in the UK has increased, while the number of prosecutions has fallen.
Mr Griffiths added: “Social attitudes have changed a lot, but not to the point where these young people feel accepted in their communities. There’s still a lot of hostility towards them and these statistics sort of point to that.
“Young people are being rejected or afraid of being rejected. Coming out is a big step, you’re gambling so much. When I was coming out I felt so scared that I would lose my parents and that’s an awful thing to be able to carry for so many years.
“And a lot of the young people that come to the club are very often at this stage, they haven’t got anybody and they don’t see their true self.
“It’s so important and I am so scared that something this valuable is in jeopardy.”
After the alleged homophobic attack in July some youth club members took to social media to say they felt they couldn’t return as they felt scared and had had enough of the abuse they were receiving.
Addressing representatives from organisations including North Wales Police and the Children’s Commissioner of Wales’ office, Mr Griffiths said: “That really broke my heart.”
He added: “I want different organisations to come together, start a core group and look at the situation for LGBT people in Gwynedd. See what we can do, see what education can do and make others realise that we are just like everybody else.
“This club is massively underfunded and threatened, but we’ll fight.”
Gisda’s LGBT youth club is the only one of its kind in Gwynedd and has attracted members from further afield.
Chief executive Sian Tomos said: “We feel very happy and proud that we are able to offer a safe and nonthreatening environment for these young people.
“There is no provision for young LGBT+ people here in north-west Wales, especially for young bilingual individuals that want to communicate with their peers in the Welsh language.
“So that’s why we are proud to be able to deliver that space for them.”
Sgt Non Edwards, from North Wales Police, said: “We’ll continue to work to deal with problems. We don’t have any more police officers, so education is the key as well.”
■ A 13-year-old boy has been arrested following the reports of homophobic attacks