Friday 21-02-2025 - 13:26

For each week of LGBTQ+ History Month, The Union are shining a spotlight on those in the community. We're asking them to tell us a little bit about themselves and what the month means to them. This week, we've spoken to Mythos.

 

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Tell us about yourself

Hi, I’m Mythos (he/they). I’m from Manchester and currently studying History at Manchester Met. I’m part of the lgbtq+ foundation which means within my role I often engage with The Union.

 

What Does LGBTQ History Month Mean to you? 

LGBTQ History month and Learning about other queer people helps remind me that I’m not alone in my struggles. Learning about the difficulties we have overcome as a community reminds me, I can overcome this current wave of LGBT+ discrimination and rise above it.

Learning about people like me also helps me see that just because I’m LGBT, doesn’t mean my life has to be defined by tragedy, and that I’m just normal, and I deserve to live a normal, human life.

 

 

How has the LGBTQ community at your university impacted your sense of belonging? 

I’ve only recently started to live my authentic self as a queer man, and this community has been the first in-person group I’ve come out to, with their support and having a group of people like me in that sense, has really helped me. I’ve come out of my shell a lot and everyone has been so welcoming and kind. The community here has really helped me embrace my true self and just have fun being me.

 

What are some challenges you’ve faced as an LGBTQ student, either socially or academically? 

Given that I am early into my social transition, I can still find it hard to fully recognise who I can come out to and who it’s better to stay in the closet with. There have been no harsh outward challenges I have faced yet as an LGBT student, but the idea that I feel it’s necessary to hide who I am does still exist.

 

How important do you think it is for those who aren't necessarily members of the community to act as an ally to those who are? 

One very simple answer: we cannot fight alone.