Jahmal Howlett-Mundle speaks to Year 9 students

On Wednesday 9th November, 2022, the Year 9 students had the opportunity to listen to Jahmal Howlett-Mundle, a semi-professional football player for Ramsgate F.C.

In July 2021, Mr Howlett-Mundle became the first openly bisexual semi-professional football player in the men’s game in the UK. The assembly, arranged by Ms McGuigan, focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport and Jahmal’s passion for ensuring more is done to educate and support young people around this topic. Jahmal also spoke openly about his own journey and his decision to come out to his friends, family and with his teammates.

The Year 9 students listened with maturity as Mr Howlett-Mundle discussed his football career and how his decision to come out as bisexual was important to him. Mr Howlett-Mundle spoke candidly about his own experiences with depression and anxiety and how he struggled with his identity before taking the step to share his sexuality openly with those around him. He was accompanied by his nephews, who also shared their own experiences as LGBTQ+ allies and stories from their own football careers.

Rian, Year 9, told us: “I really enjoyed the assembly. Having the chance to listen to Jahmal and his nephews discuss their football careers and the work they are doing within the sport was really interesting.”

Neve, Year 9, supported these comments: “I was really impressed that Jahmal was so open with us all about his experiences coming out. I found how confident he was talking about himself really inspiring.”

Thank you to Jahmal for visiting the school and speaking to our students about this important topic. We would love to welcome you back in the future to share more of your expertise and insight with our student community.