YOUNG people are rallying together to tackle homophobia and transphobia in the Borders.

'Involved' is a youth group for young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people aged 13-25 who are driving to stamp out sexual and gender discrimination in the region.

Hope Robertson from LGBT Youth Scotland set up the weekly Wednesday drop-in at Rowlands Cafe in Selkirk, as somewhere for young LGBT people to get support for the difficulties they may be facing, and discuss how to overcome these.

Hope said: “There are a wide range of gender identities in our group and some people are very sure of who they are, and others aren't as confident yet.

“The drop ins and workshops are about peer mentoring, informal learning, and getting advice and support.

"They get support on issues such as bullying, relationships, coming out, or self esteem, and the young people decide the curriculum themselves and decide what issues they'd like to discuss.

"The young people may have suffered prejudice and discrimination because of who they are, and this can be very hard for them.

"The members are diverse in their gender identities, their sexuality, their opinions, who they want to be, and the journeys they have been on, but their hopes are the same - for an inclusive, safe community of respect, tolerance, and celebration of difference."

The informal meetings are a chance for young LGBT people to share ideas, experiences, and support one another in what they know to still be a very discriminative society.

This week, the group were addressing LGBT representations in the media and the negative stereotypes of many LGBT characters.

One member said: “Our society can find it difficult to comprehend gender roles out-with the standard male, female, gay, straight categories.

“This is largely the reason why there are a lot of bad LGBT stereotypes in the media because even when the media tries to positively represent an LGBT person, it more often than not ends up being offensive.

“For example, when an LGBT person is represented in a soap, their 'gayness' or whatever it may be, is not seen as a positive aspect of their personality, but something they are battling against.

“They are never shown as being comfortable in their skin but distressed and isolated by their sexuality.

“There is never a confident gay or lesbian character, but a tortured one who suffers from depression or ends up committing suicide. Their sexuality isn't portrayed as something natural but something the character is battling with - what kind of way is that to portray LGBT people? Why are they always troubled?”

The entire group then gave a bemoaned sigh when the sexualization of lesbians in the media was brought up – a subject they despise as a tired, overplayed, demeaning trope.

Another member believes that we live in a society which pretends to be accepting of LGBT people when in fact, they are still seen as 'other' to the norm.

She said: “People know that the LGBT community exists but it's shut away and kept separate. What we need is subtle integration into mainstream media.

"Programmes like Orange is the New Black, a really positive LGBT empowering programme, isn't even on mainstream tv.

“LBGT people need to be seen like any other person and not as 'different' or 'other.'

“Also, when LGBT people are represented it's as though that's their only characteristic. They never have any other features to their personality -they aren't the funny one, or the cool one - but the gay or transgender one.

“Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender isn't a personality quirk - just like being straight isn't - it's a part of the make up of who you are.

"The media can be very powerful, so it's important that they start to get representations of LGBT people right."