BAM! – A new Bridlington-based LGBTQI+ Youth Group is formed

The group, named Bridlington Alphabet Mafia (BAM), will meet every fourth Thursday of the month.

The name was chosen through consultation with young people at the meeting and a series of questionnaires.

The aim of Bridlington Alphabet Mafia is to provide an opportunity to meet others of a similar age, to hang out and to meet new friends.

BAM will observe the following values:

○ Be respectful towards each other

○ Be mindful of a person’s pronouns and ask if unsure

○ Be honest and say if there is a problem (within or outside of the group)

○ Be fabulous

Donna Walker, co-chairperson at Bridlington Pride, said: “Coming out can be a difficult and stressful process.

“Questioning is a term used to describe people who are becoming aware of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and are uncertain what this means in terms of their identity and relationships.

“This usually happens in teenage years, and because our society sometimes excludes LGBTQI+ issues from school topics of sex, family and relationships, when you begin to feel different to ‘the norm’, it can be very confusing.

“That is why it is really important to have safe, confidential spaces to openly discuss feelings. With very little advertising, 20 young people attended the first group and were happy to let us know what they wanted from the meetings and what problems they felt needed to be addressed.

“BAM will meet every fourth Thursday in the month, with the time and place being published only on a private Facebook group and Whatsapp Chat.

“Bridlington Pride would like to give a special thanks to ERVAS, Hey Smile Foundation, Morrisons and Greggs for their support. We would also like to ask for your help in making BAM successful.

“We are in need of further funding/sponsorship and volunteers.

“So if you, or anyone that you know may be interested, please could you contact [email protected] for further information.”