Monmouthshire County Council’s first LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) conference was a huge success and many who attended are already looking forward to the next event scheduled for the summer. Over 80 people flocked to County Hall in Usk for the conference organised by the council’s youth service on Friday 12th February.

Youth Service manager Tracey Thomas said: “We’re proud to have hosted our first LGBT+ conference when we celebrated diversity and demystified myths.” The conference was run in conjunction with LGBT History Month, celebrated every February.

First class guests included headline speaker Jenny-Anne Bishop OBE – a well-respected UK-wide LGBT+ advocate - and the council’s Chief Officer for Children and Young People, Sarah McGuinness as well as representatives from Stonewall Cymru and LGBT Sports Cymru. Sally Holland, Children’s’ Commissioner for Wales opened proceedings on her first visit to Monmouthshire since her appointment.

In addition to formal speakers, discussion workshops were arranged to examine subjects like hate crime, the dangers of sexting and stereotypes in the media.

Nick Lewis, Director of Umbrella Gwent – an organisation providing support and information on sexual orientation and gender identity matters – said: “It was a fantastic day and I thoroughly enjoyed the event with great speakers, great workshops and great fun! It was fantastic to see the support from the council for such an important learning experience. Support from senior management was vital and made the day a great success. The event provided a wealth of information for delegates to learn and reflect on gender and sexual diversity matters”.

His colleague Stacey Johnson added: “As a student social worker, I am keen to broaden my knowledge of diverse issues, and I found that the day was extremely helpful. It will help me better support young people in the future. I was able to gain information on the day as well as discovering where to go for further resources and support.”

Sixteen year old Ieuan Darknell of Caldicot agreed that the talks had been informative. He said: “I felt that the opening ceremony with its interesting speakers was amazing. The organisers have been very helpful and friendly while the day has given us a chance to network. The event itself was very well organised.”

Monmouthshire’s cabinet member for equalities, Cllr Phil Hobson welcomed those attending and gave closing remarks. He said: “Young people in Monmouthshire have told us today what they think and about their experiences. We have listened. As a council we’ve been challenged to respond and we’ll take steps to meet those expectations.”

For further information about services provided by the council to the LGBT+ community contact: [email protected]