Ferndown Assembly

Speech at ferndown upper school

Friday, 10/11/17 

Today I went back to my old upper school where I had been for 5 and a half years. Every teacher had seen me throughout my transition and have really supported me. I left last year to move onto a new college and course. I first did my talk there in 2015 after coming out. The talk today was for the year 9s who have come up from middle school. I came out in 2015 and at school was treated like any other guy.

Ferndown Upper School was a place I truly found myself. At the presentation today, we spoke about allies and standing up and speaking if you see something wrong. We showed a short film showing you should always stand up when you see something wrong and to support your LGBT allies. It also showed that you shouldn't always follow your friends opinion especially if it is homophobic or transphobic.

After the short film, Sarah introduced me to year 9 and I began my talk. I felt nervous before but once I knew all my old teachers had come to see I wanted to read it proudly to leave a positive impact on the school. After I finished reading there was an applause which I didn't expect. From doing the talk and see all the teachers that have helped me through my journey in discovering who I really am.

When I'd said bye to my friends and teachers, we left to go outside. As we got to the car, Sarah and Michael had noticed a rainbow going straight across the school. A nice finish to a great morning!

My talk focuses on how the school have helped me develop as a person throughout the years of being there. The staff guided me and supported me after the year off and built up my confidences step by step. They are a true blessing to the school and amazing people as a whole.