LGBT+ History Month – Clare’s Journey: Celebrating identity, independence, and new beginnings

February has been celebrated as LGBT+ History Month for the past 20 years!

And this year, we’re shining the spotlight on Clare, who we support alongside six other people in our Hatfield, Hertfordshire supported living service.

“I’m really happy with what I am,” says Clare. “I’m a lesbian. I’m happy with my life.”

Discovering her identity has been a journey for Clare, who’s in her thirties. At the age of 18, Clare first identified as bisexual.

“I was very scared to tell my mum and my family,” said Clare, recalling the moment she decided to reveal her orientation. “I was really scared. I thought: ‘They’re going to disown me.’”

Thankfully, Clare’s family accepted her orientation – along with that of Clare’s younger brother, who is gay and also performs in drag.

“She [Clare’s mum] has got two gay children,” said Clare. “She’s happy.”

Today, Clare identifies as lesbian and has a female partner.

And for Clare, celebrating her identity isn’t restricted to a handful of occasions in the year. She’s festooned her living space with rainbow flags, as you can see in the picture above!

As a personal first, Clare is currently planning to go to Pride in the summer – but hasn’t decided yet whether to go to the London or Brighton festivities.

Heartfelt advice

Clare shared advice for anyone who is younger and unsure how to reveal their identity to family and friends:

“I should not, like, be frightened. Just come out and say what you are. Have a little meeting with them. And also, get to understand yourself and other people who have been on a similar journey. Get books out of the library, find stuff out on the internet about LGBT+ history and identity, which can help you.”

New goals

Two years ago, Clare moved from a service run by a different provider to Lifeways. Clare’s previous service didn’t actively work towards boosting her independence.

Now, Clare’s team, led by Anett Kun, a new Service Manager, have been encouraging Clare to achieve new goals.

Clare’s team are currently exploring voluntary and paid employment options, in line with her strengths and preferences. “I like working with animals,” Clare added.

Another goal is to get fitter, so Clare’s team have been encouraging her to go to the gym. Clare has also become a Health & Safety Champion at the service, carrying out essential checks on the building with the support of the team.

She’s also taken on the role of Fire Marshal, and is responsible for fire safety in the building.

Instead of only receiving support, Clare’s sense of empathy and willingness to help has also made a real difference among the support team at the service.

“One of my friends who lives opposite me – I help him when staff can’t understand what he’s saying,” said Clare. “So I listen to what he’s saying and help the staff understand him.”

Clare’s goals include plenty of fun, too.

Later in February, she’s planning to see an Arsenal Women’s Team match – for the first time. And hopefully, this summer, she’ll fulfil another long-held dream: to visit Disneyland Paris and see Stitch, one of her heroes!

Hoping 2025 is a year of happy firsts, Clare!

 

Looking ahead – Pride in 2025

Our colleague-led Diversity Council at Lifeways has recently created a list of Pride dates and locations this year. The aim is for interested colleagues to be able to attend the festivities and assist people we support in coming along, too!

Here’s the list:

• Birmingham Pride: May 23–25, 2025
• Pride Canterbury: June 7, 2025
• Pride Cymru (Cardiff): June 21–22, 2025
• Edinburgh Pride: June 22, 2025
• Pride in London: July 5, 2025
• Belfast Pride Festival: July 19–28, 2025
• Leeds Pride: July 20, 2025
• Glasgow Pride: July 20, 2025
• Brighton & Hove Pride: August 2–3, 2025
• Manchester Pride: August 23, 2025

 

 

About Lifeways:

Lifeways is the UK’s largest team of support professionals providing support for adults in the community.

We support adults with diverse and complex needs, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and mental health conditions.

Lifeways delivers support across three divisions: supported living, residential and mental health services.

As the supported living sector’s largest team of professionals, Lifeways’ extensive experience and national reach mean we deliver extraordinary support to adults, enabling them to live fulfilling and independent lives in the community. 

Our 9,500 colleagues currently support around 4,200 individuals who live in our 1,500 supported living and residential services across England, Scotland, and Wales. 

Follow us on:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Youtube