A new film from UK charity The Proud Trust brings Edinburgh-born Olympic curler Bruce Mouat together with Dannii Minogue, Sir Stephen Fry and other well-known figures. Their message is aimed at LGBTQ+ young people across the UK: everyone deserves to feel safe, accepted and supported.
Essential Takeaways
- A 30-person line-up: Bruce Mouat appears in The Proud Trust’s #DeserveBetter film alongside celebrities and high-profile allies.
- A clear message: The campaign calls for greater understanding, safer spaces and better support for LGBTQ+ young people.
- An accomplished curler: Team GB records Mouat’s Olympic silver medals at Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026.
- Support is in demand: The Proud Trust says referrals to its services rose by 171% after the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.
- Acceptance matters: The Trevor Project’s UK survey links more accepting school environments with fewer reported suicide attempts.
Bruce Mouat lends his voice to a call for support
The line-up is starry, but the point is simple: LGBTQ+ young people deserve to feel safe, accepted and able to thrive. Bruce Mouat joins 29 other LGBTQ+ figures and allies in The Proud Trust’s #DeserveBetter film, alongside names including Dannii Minogue, Sir Stephen Fry and Dame Kelly Holmes. GCN’s report confirms the campaign’s message and several of its participants.
Mouat brings a notable sporting profile to the film. Team GB records that he skipped the men’s curling rink to Olympic silver medals at Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026, as well as world championship titles in 2023 and 2025.
What #DeserveBetter is asking for
The campaign calls for greater understanding, safer spaces and better support for LGBTQ+ young people. The Proud Trust’s Pride 365 page frames that as a year-round commitment: young people should be able to grow up feeling accepted and understood, not just hear supportive words during a campaign launch.
And the charity’s work extends beyond the film. It describes services including youth groups, one-to-one assistance, inclusive education, training, community spaces and advocacy. That practical support is the quieter, less showy side of the campaign, but it’s central to its purpose.
Why safe, accepting spaces matter
The challenges behind the campaign are not abstract. Stonewall’s School Report 2017 found that nearly half of LGBT pupils surveyed had experienced bullying because of being LGBT. The report is not a current measurement, so its date and research context matter, but it offers UK-specific evidence of why safer school environments remain part of the conversation.
The Trevor Project’s 2024 UK survey provides a separate perspective on wellbeing. It found that young people in more accepting school environments reported fewer suicide attempts than those in less accepting environments. The survey covers LGBTQ+ people aged 13 to 24, so it should not be treated as a direct measure of every secondary-school pupil or as confirmation of every statistic used by the campaign.
The charity says demand has risen
The Proud Trust reports that referrals to its services increased by 171% after the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers. That figure comes from the charity, which presents it as a sign of increased demand for specialist LGBTQ+ support.
For anyone looking for help, the useful next step is to explore the services available rather than assume one kind of support suits everyone. The charity lists youth groups, one-to-one assistance, family services, education programmes and training, alongside community spaces and advocacy.
A sporting name with a wider platform
Mouat’s presence connects elite sport with a message about everyday support. Team GB’s profile documents his Olympic and championship record; the campaign report from GCN places him among a broad mix of people using their public profiles to back LGBTQ+ young people.
A film can’t replace specialist services or make every space safer on its own. But a prominent, shared message can help make the central point harder to miss: young people should not have to face these challenges alone.
Explore The Proud Trust’s campaign and support options if you or someone you know could use them.
Source Reference Map
Story idea inspired by: [1]
Sources by paragraph: