Jordan Daly talks about the success and struggles of his Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign attempting to get LGBT+ issues taught in schools
Can you sum up the TIE campaign in a sentence?
TIE is a campaign which seeks to tackle homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in our schools through an inclusive educational approach.
Is the campaign a full-time role for you?
Nope - both myself and the co-founder of TIE Liam Stevenson organise and run the campaign in our spare time.
What do you do when you are not spending time on it?
I work part time, and I'm also a full time student in my final year at Glasgow University - so, as you can imagine, my social life is pretty nonexistent!
Has it gone as well as you had hoped so far?
Our initial aim was to "start a national debate and help one person" so in that sense, it's probably gone better than we initially expected. I'm the kind of person who wants to see change in a hurry, so the fact that there's been lots of words of support and little action can get frustrating.
Have you received any negativity or opposition to it?
In the main, no - but of course we've had some comments of negativity from the most extreme religious fringes.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
I generally take life day by day so I have absolutely no idea! I do hope that, by that point, Liam and I will be able to sit down over a few gins and reminisce about our campaign, which will hopefully have been successful.
What was the last thing you did that scared you?
I actually don't know - I'm not really someone who's frightened easily. I can be a wee bit jumpy if I'm in the house alone though, as my childhood obsession with horror films that I really shouldn't have been watching catches up with me!
Were you scared coming out?
To this day I don't actually think that there's been anything that stressed me out more than when I decided to tell a friend of mine that I'm gay. That's an experience which, unfortunately, is pretty terrifying - even though it shouldn't need to be.
Would your 16-year-old self be impressed with where you are now?
I'd think so. I was quite a self-conscious person, and I definitely would never have thought that I'd have ended up sharing some of the most personal moments of my life with the public in order to influence change. 16-year-old me was a very different person.
If you could give one piece of advice what would it be?
Be yourself, don't be afraid of change and try not to take life too seriously. There's always a community of people out there who will embrace you for who you are.
Who is your campaigning hero?
Definitely Larry Kramer, from ACT UP. He was the rallying voice for the gay community during the HIV/AIDS epidemic; he consistently took on those in positions of power and really fought for the community. He's a pretty big inspiration.
What’s your favourite film?
I don't necessarily have a favourite film, but the documentary 'How to Survive a Plague' is probably my go-to if I want to rewatch something. It's brilliant.
Which Brian Cox?
I have no idea who either of those men are, should I?!
