From the News In brief
Teenage mother Hannah White is celebrating GCSE success despite going into labour half way through her exams. The 16-year-old got 10 GCSEs - seven at A* and A - and wants to become a doctor. She had sat six subjects before going into labour just hours after an English Literature exam. She gave birth at 5am the next morning. She then sat a 90-minute Religious Studies exam in a hospital side room the following day. Hannah said: 'It just shows that you can do well at school if you are determined. I might be a teenage mum but it doesn't mean you have to be a failure.'
You go, girl!
Pensioners were urged to come out of the closet at the biggest gay festival in Europe yesterday, when the charity Age Concern took a stand for the first time. Age Concern estimates that a third of Britain's 3 million lesbians and gays are over 50 and were reluctant to come out when they were younger. The charity is hoping to tap into the 'often hidden population of older lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender individuals'.
I do not feel comfortable that organisations like Age Concern, or Saga, define their target demographic as 'over 50'. I appreciate there are some issues that start to hit people in their 50s, eg redundancy or 'early retirement' with diminishing hopes of re-employment, or certain health issues, but I would have thought that the issues of the 50-70 age group are quite, quite different from the over-80s, say. And I guess that sexuality is very much one of those issues. That having been said, I think it's definitely a Good Thing that Age Concern, like the Army, are participating in Pride.
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