Unite UK has been something I wanted to start years ago, yet I didn’t have the experience and knowledge to start such a thing. With adulthood starting shortly, I now want to help those who are confused, scared or just straight up curious. There was a string of events that has caused this, hopefully i don’t bore you too much!
Casting back to my childhood, it was amazing, my parents gave me everything I needed and wanted, I was truly blessed with amazing parents. However when I reached the age of 14, my life changed, I had to have two life threatening operations, which obviously changed my life, mentally and physically. Disclaimer, this isn’t a pity party I’m just sharing my story. The years after my operations caused a lot of mental health issues such as my eating disorder, which was a dark place in my life. Around this time I had also started questioning my sexuality, which scared me to the point I became non responsive to family and friends.
All of my friends around this time were getting into relationships, but I couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to, especially with a guy. I found the internet and made amazing friends to which I still have contact with to this day, the internet allowed me to explore and learn things that I had never believed could be possible. It was my release for so many years and it saved me from those dark places.
Reaching my 16th birthday, I had enough of being miserable with myself, I looked in the mirror and saw a stranger staring back, it got to the point where I knew I had to change. I started seeing a councillor for my eating disorder and began accepting who I was. Although this sounds easy, it was the hardest thing to do in my life. I had to accept who I was and make steps towards them changes, I had to become a whole different person.
Around a year and half later, my eating disorder was under control, yipee! I no longer had this burden over me. I knew then it was time to face my other underlying issue that I had pushed down so deep inside of me with the hope I’d never have to face it, but it got to the point where I couldn’t.
I was with my current boyfriend at the time, it just felt wrong. I wasn’t in love, but I forced myself to the point where I cried in front of him, how embarrassing. It was then that I knew I couldn’t pretend to be something I wasn’t. I don’t know what my sexuality is, so I can’t say I am Bisexual or I am Gay. What I can say is that I have never been so happy before and that happiness is down to a woman.
Coming out scared me to hell, I was scared of what my friends, family, work colleagues, everyone basically would think. I came out as bisexual, as I felt that is the closest sexuality label to what I feel. However I still question that to this day.
When I was going through this period, I was longing for someone to help me, let me know it was OK, give me real life experiences to what it is like to be out. Until I found my girlfriend, I was on my own. This is something that I know still happens to this day and it upsets me.
I don’t want anyone feeling as alone as I did, I want to help those who need that guidance, who share the same worries as I did back then. I am so proud to be part of the LGBT+ community and so should you. I’m just a typical day to day girl who lives in the UK, but if I can help one person through Unite, then it has achieved what I wanted.
After many months of hard work, Unite launched this year and so far we have received crazy amounts of views on the site and a crazy amount of support on social media. Unite UK is going to grow into something beautiful, but it’s not about me, it never will be. It will be about the amazing people that get involved and are uniting the LGBT+ community as one.
