Most of us whose families celebrated Christmas will remember wanting a new bike, the latest toy, or the coolest trainers. But many of us in the LGBTQIA+ community will also remember wishing for those around us to understand and support who we were during the festive season and all year round.

Growing up, during the days of Section 28, I received the message loud and clear that I didn’t fit in. In secondary school, I was bullied every single day. There was no one to reach out to for support, no one to tell me that being different was a wonderful thing, so I hid instead. I grew my hair, I wore skirts, I tried to be like the other girls. I was so uncomfortable; so unhappy in hiding who I was.

Though I eventually learned to feel confident in my LGBTQIA+ identity – coming out whilst working as a teacher and now proudly leading the LGBTQIA+ young people’s charity, Just Like Us – I often wonder how life would have looked had I been supported in finding that confidence as a child. Would I have felt more positive about the future, more secure in my interests and passions, more able to learn and thrive in the classroom?

I know I’m not alone in this experience. At Just Like Us, we constantly hear people tell us: “I wish Just Like Us had been around when I was at school.” Thinking about the work we do, ensuring schools are inclusive, understanding, and supportive, it’s impossible not to think of the profound difference it could have made for us as young people.

But this Christmas, I’m thinking about the thousands of young people across the UK who still, as we reach the end of 2024, don’t have access to truly inclusive school environments.

Growing up LGBTQIA+ is still unacceptably tough. The vast majority of pupils in primary and secondary schools are still hearing homophobic language. LGBTQIA+ school pupils are twice as likely to face bullying as their non-LGBTQIA+ peers, and four times as likely to rarely or never feel close to other people.