National Coming Out Day 2024: Book LGBT+ speakers for your school

National Coming Out Day is celebrated every 11 October, highlighting the importance of allyship and safe, inclusive environments for everyone.

Why should National Coming Out Day 2024 matter to schools?

Just Like Us’ independent research found that the average age LGBT+ young people realise they are LGBT+ is 14 years old. Yet less than half (44%) say their school speaks positively about LGBT+ people.

National Coming Out Day 2024 is the perfect opportunity to show all pupils that difference is celebrated in your school community. By talking about the topic, your school will help create a safe and supportive environment.

Just Like Us has LGBT+ speakers available to give talks in schools for National Coming Out Day and beyond, helping pupils better understand allyship.

Just Like Us provides school talks to secondary schools and colleges across the UK. Our talks use the power of storytelling and lived experience to help increase knowledge and understanding in school communities.

Talks are delivered by our ambassadors who are trained LGBT+ volunteers. They’re all aged 18 to 25, meaning their stories are both inspirational and relatable to young people in the classroom.

Just Like Us ambassadors deliver flexible school talks, both in person and virtually, to thousands of pupils across the UK each year.

What does National Coming Out Day mean to you?

Alex, a Just Like Us ambassador, said: “Hearing other people’s coming out stories is so important as it lets us put our own coming out experiences into perspective. We see that many people have also gone through the stress, confusion and uncertainty of coming out, and we’re not alone when we have those feelings ourselves!

“There’s no correct way to come out and no correct age to come out. It’s a process that should be your personal decision only. Additionally, coming out is a process rather than a moment. After I first came out to my parents, I still felt nervous coming out to friends and other relatives afterwards. And that’s completely normal!”

Beatriz, another Just Like Us ambassador, added: “There are so many things, experiences and feelings that we don’t talk about with others that can make us feel alone and confused about what that means to us and to who we are. Being able to hear others coming out stories can really shatter that loneliness and doubt because you learn that your experiences are way more common than you thought.”

Book a Just Like Us school talk

Whether you’re a teacher looking to celebrate diversity in your classroom, or a school leader aiming to make a lasting impact and prevent bullying, book a speaker for National Coming Out Day 2024 now.