On June 9th this year I’m taking on my most ridiculous physical challenge yet; cycling 190 miles across the country from Canterbury to Bath - in a day.

June is not only Pride Month, it’s my CEO birthday! It marks one year since I joined the wonderful charity, Just Like Us.

But why 190?!

Growing up, we spend 190 days at school every year. Days that should be filled with opportunities to learn and flourish; days that should provide safety and support for all children and young people.

But for 91% of LGBT+ young people, those days are spent hearing homophobic and transphobic language as they walk the school corridors. 42% of LGBT+ pupils are bullied. And they're twice as likely to feel lonely every single one of these 190 days at school. 

For me, many of those 190 days at school each year were spent hiding and worrying about who I was; considering if I could ever be happy. So much of my energy was spent dreading lessons, break times, lunch times when I knew there would be no escape from children who bullied me for not conforming to what I should look like or how I should behave as a girl. Energy that I could have used to focus on my education, was drained by the continuous wave of homophobic and sexist comments that went unchallenged, and by the constant fear of isolation and rejection.

No one told me it was ok to be gay; no one showed me that I could be proud of who I was; no one protected me from the bullying.

At Just Like Us, we're working to change that - so every single day at school can be free from homophobic and transphobic language and bullying.

No child should face barriers or feel anxious because of who they are.

No child should feel alone and unsafe at school.

Every child should be supported to learn and thrive.

Please give generously so that Just Like Us can continue to work with schools and create inclusive environments where LGBT+ young people can embrace their education and grow up feeling proud of who they are.

Thank you x

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.