The lives and voices of Cumbria’s queer youth may form part of a historical record that has been consistently under-reported.

The month of June is LGBTQ+ History Month, a month experienced nationally by all to reflect on queer history, the historical and ongoing fight for equal rights in the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and abroad, and to look at where we go as a nation from the present.

It’s part of history which has been covered lightly for reasons attributed to the historic and current under-representation of LGBTQ+ people, but the parts uncovered are often experienced as living history by those who remember what it was like to face oppression in their youth.

We’re a while away from the Stonewall riots and the mishandling of the AIDS epidemic but today’s queer youth are still experiencing discrimination and oppression in new ways.

This is what filmmaker Sophie Broadgate, from Dalton-in-Furness, spoke on as she explained the foundation of her next project with Carlisle LGBTQ+ youth charity Pride in North Cumbria.

She is working on a documentary, produced, and filmed in the city, focussing on the lives and voices of the region’s queer youth.

A two-year project, the film will document the lives of a diverse group and follow their everyday lives and views on identity, politics, lifestyle, and authentic experiences.

“The idea is to collaborate with (PiNC’s) youth group, they’ll be co-creating the doc with their voices at the forefront,” Sophie said.

“I’m queer and in my 30s, and my experience back then was very different to how it is now.

“Back then there were discussions about queer identity, and questions if it was valid or not.

“Now it’s around a lot of other things, particularly heated narratives of trans rights in the media.

“I thought queer lives may be easier now than from when I was growing up, but the problems are still there, just different.

“When I was growing up in the 90s it was about ‘is queerness a legitimate thing?’.

“Today there’s still an othering of the queer community; when I was growing up there was no social media, and particularly with the anti-trans narrative being spread and the rise of false information going around, we’re hoping that just by showing these voices, it will offer authentic representation,” she added.

“The trans community are going through something that the gay, lesbian and bisexual community went through years ago, as the more seen you are the more vulnerable you are for attack.”

Pointing to the issue of under-representation in the media, this is particularly experienced in the trans community, where debates are had concerning their general rights to live equally in the mainstream media, a lot of which do not contain authentic representation from trans people, but this is starting to change.

Making a film about the everyday lives and experiences of these people is one step towards this change, as Sophie hopes that by doing this it will act as a snapshot into a reality that is relatively unseen by most people.

“I’m hoping this doc gives those young people a platform to speak about these things and decide for themselves how they want to be seen and represented in life.

“Hopefully with enough resources, representation, and time, people can move on.”

Safety for transgender people is of high concern for many in the community, as hate crimes and violent attacks on them have risen in recent years, with one well-known example being the murder of trans child Brianna Ghey.

This has been attributed, by many, to UK Government policy and influence, particularly from human rights NGO Amnesty International, which welcomed the preliminary assessment made by Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN’s independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, and his calls on the UK government to protect the rights of trans people and pass legislation to end “conversion” practices.

Amnesty UK met with Madrigal-Borloz during his visit and expressed serious concerns with the UK government’s approach to gender recognition and trans rights in the country.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said: “This is a much-needed injection of common sense from the United Nations into the UK’s approach to trans and LGBTI+ rights across the country.

“The rising rhetoric on trans rights in the UK and the real impact it is having on people’s lives and on our institutions is toxic and needs to be addressed.

“There are major concerns about the impact the (UK) Government’s approach is having on the standing and credibility of the Equality and Human Rights Commission as well as the functioning of devolution, with a gender recognition bill passed with cross-party support by the Scottish parliament now blocked by the UK Government.

“Meanwhile, LGBTI+ people across the UK are still waiting for a promised but undelivered end to harmful ‘conversion’ practices.

“Anti-trans rights rhetoric is steadily becoming another wedge issue in the UK that is undermining the domestic and international human rights framework.

“We are witnessing the UK backsliding on LGBTI+ rights, where we used to be proud in our world leadership.”

One of the leading causes of death in the transgender community is suicide, and trans young people experience disproportionately high levels of mental ill health.

Data from LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall’s 2017 school report showed that 92 per cent of trans young people have thought about taking their own life, 84 per cent of trans young people have self-harmed, and 45 per cent of trans young people have tried to take their own life.

A study from Goldsmith’s University in London suggests affirming and supporting trans youth, individually and in wider society, can reduce this.

Back home, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people have increased in Cumbria from last year, with no sure sign of it waning.

Sophie’s film may touch on this, but it’s hard to determine in what specific direction it will go, as principal photography is yet to take place.

It is thought this film will be screened locally first, then at film festivals, and finally online.