Mencap
Myth
A myth is an idea about something that is not true.
Buster Sas shares her story for
LGBT+
LGBT means
lesbian
A lesbian is a woman who fancies other women.
, gay,
bisexual
A bisexual is someone who fancies men and women.
and
transgender
Transgender means someone who feels like they have the wrong body. This could be someone who has the body of a man but feels they are a woman, or the other way around. Some people who feel like this have an operation to change their body.
. The + means that it also includes lots of other identities.
History Month, what her
sexuality
Sexuality is how you feel about yourself and your body. It is about finding out and knowing what feels right for you.
means to her, and what life is like as a
gay
Gay means a man who fancies other men, or a woman who fancies other women.
woman with a disability.
"LGBT History Month helps people understand more about LGBT issues. The media talk about it and it shows people who don’t really know about LGBT, that people can be different but that it's OK!
"As a Mencap Myth Buster, I want people to know that people with a
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
can know their sexuality; I definitely know I am attracted to women! People who are gay should be able to do what anyone else does have
relationships
Relationships are about the people in your life. You might have different types of relationships like friendships, family relationships, or a boyfriend or girlfriend.
and get married, if they want.
"It’s important to remember that things weren’t always easy for gay people. People faced so much
discrimination
Discrimination is when someone is treated differently (usually in a bad way) because of things like their disability or their
religion
Religion is to do with the things you believe about the world. For example you may believe there is a god or something else. Examples of religions are Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
.
in the past. Being gay even used to be against the
law
Laws are the rules that everyone in the country has to follow. If you don't follow the rules you can get in trouble with the police.
, so people could be put in prison just for being themselves.
Mencap Myth Buster Sas Granville
"I realised I was gay when I was a teenager, but my Mum knew before I did. I never liked wearing dresses and was a bit of a tomboy. There wasn’t really one moment that made me realise that I liked girls, it just sort of happened. I know some people’s families disown them because they’re gay, but luckily this didn’t happen to me. It would have been really upsetting.
"When I was growing up, I don’t think there were so many gay people on TV, but it’s good to see this changing. It was amazing to see Johannes and John dancing so brilliantly on Strictly last year. Their dancing looked so great it didn’t matter that they were two men. And they nearly won!
"Relationships are difficult for most people, but when people have a disability it might mean that it’s really hard to trust someone. Lots of people with a disability don’t have as much
experience
Experience is when you have learned or tried something before.
of relationships as other people. I think it’s hard to meet a partner if you have a disability, and even harder if you’re gay too. There aren’t so many places to go to meet people.
Sas in action
"My sexuality is very important to me, it’s a big part of who I am. I like being gay and being with other gay people. I like to look quite ‘blokey’ and don’t mind if people think I’m a boy. I always have very short hair and would never wear what I'd call 'girly' clothes. Being part of a football team – the Brighton Seagals - is really important to me as my teammates are all LGBT and are all very supportive.
"Being gay isn’t an illness and it doesn’t happen overnight, but for me it's special to have a disability and be gay because I've found people are more caring and thoughtful towards me. It shouldn’t matter who people are with or who they love, at the end of the day. People should be able to love whoever they want to love."