People of Edinburgh

Bryony

She shares her struggles of accepting her sexuality and how the club supported her through this challenging process. 

​

“It’s been so great to read all of the People of Edinburgh posts, and get an insight into the positive effects the club has been able to have on some of our members’ mental health. One thing I have noticed, though, is that despite EUWHC being a strong and vocal advocate of inclusivity, there is a definite lack of coverage of the LGBTQ+ community’s experience. I’ve thought about this for a long time and decided to share some of my own experience, in the hope that it might help any others who have been through/ are going through something similar.
Throughout pretty much the entirety of my teenage years I suppressed and tried to hide my sexuality. This was because I went to a school where casual homophobia was everywhere, and as a result there was literally no one I knew who was ‘out’. This had a horrible impact on my mental health. I genuinely hated myself, and I felt desperately lonely and unable to speak to anyone. This led to a couple of occasions where I drank too much and ended up saying things I didn’t want to, to people I shouldn’t have, which in turn led to more speculation and rumours spread at school. It was all a vicious spiral and it made me genuinely miserable. It took me years to summon up the courage to open up to my closest friends about it, but doing so was the best thing I ever did, and the weight off my shoulders ever since has been unimaginable.  
Coming to university is a chance for everyone to reinvent themselves, and EUWHC has been the perfect place for me to finally be myself openly. The club has provided me with endless support and love (and I should probably mention, a girlfriend, ha) and I am unbelievably grateful for that. It’s been a seriously long journey to get myself to where I am today, and even now I am still very anxious at posting something like this, but the support I’ve found in EUWHC is enormously responsible for the progress I’ve made mentally, and has made me feel safe in who I am. 
I’m not posting this to have a pity party. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and I know now that all the worry and shame that I pent up as a teenager was entirely pointless. If I had spoken out earlier I would have saved myself a lot of time and energy worrying over nothing, but it really isn’t always that easy. I am definitely one of the lucky ones, as my family and friends (and EUWHC) have been nothing but loving and accepting as I have ‘come out’ to them over the years that it has taken me. Obviously, the end goal is to live in a society where ‘coming out’ doesn’t need to happen, but unfortunately we are not there yet, and so I want to say that if anyone reading this (whether part of EUWHC or not) is struggling with anything similar then my inbox is always open. Speaking up genuinely really really helps, and though it might seem terrifying, it is so worth it in the end. You are very much not alone, and you deserve to be able to be yourself.”