GCNnewvoices in partnership with BeLonG To will platform the opinions and thoughts of LGBTQ+ young writers from across the country, speaking about issues that matter to them.
Joseph Burke speaks about growing up gay in rural Ireland and trying to find your tribe.It can be lonely, being gay in rural Ireland.According to a recent LGBT Ireland report, “The impression also emerged that it is more difficult to be happy and LGBTI in rural Ireland”.When I was still in primary school before I knew I was gay, I had to put up with homophobic bullying.
For someone who was still in the closet and only figuring out my sexual orientation, this experience made me hate myself. I even asked my mother, “Why does it always have to be me that has to stand.