Advertisement
Advertisement
For other LGBT people, PACE was helpful simply because it seemed more approachable than the NHS."Some people don't feel comfortable talking to their family GP about issues to do with sex or sexuality," says mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin. "I went to PACE because I didn't want to talk to my GP about my sexuality while I was still coming to terms with it. I didn't think my GP would be homophobic or anything like that—I had a great GP—but coming out was difficult for me, and I decided I'd rather go to PACE. I knew there was someone there who'd understand what was I was going through and wouldn't judge me for it."As well as paying tribute to PACE's three decades of good work, Matthew Hodson of gay men's health charity GMFA says its closure should be taken as a warning sign: "Many of us working in LGBT health do this work not because it offers financial security, but because we believe in it and recognise that if we don't make that effort, nobody else will. The sudden, sad closure of PACE demonstrates how urgent it is that small charities receive support, not only from local and national government, but also from the communities that they serve."Or as Jonny Benjamin puts it succinctly: "PACE offered LGBT people a lifeline for over 30 years. Who knows how many more people it could have helped?"If you need support, PACE recommends contacting LGBT Switchboard via their website.Read on Broadly: The People Who Can't Recognize Faces