Pride in everything we do
Hey all,
Sam here wishing you a happy Wednesday!
Tonight we celebrate the end of pride month with our It's A Sin workout. Our class tonight will begin at 6:15pm with a chat with Matthew Hodson, Executive Director of NAM Aidsmap who are an amazing charity we are donating to on behalf of our SMASH community. Matthew will talk to us about his activism and his journey with HIV as someone who lived through the AIDS crisis of the 80s. The workout will start from 6:30pm and will use songs featured in the amazing series that remided us how AIDS affected the LGBTQ+ community throughout the 80s.
Tonight's class is a big reminder that although we have come so far in terms of LGBTQ+ rights, unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rights of our transgender community - "Transphobic hate crimes have quadrupled in the last five years, with 4 out of 5 trans people experiencing a transphobic hate crime, and 1 in 4 experiencing physical assault or the threat of physical assault. Some UK media outlets frequently carry articles by anti-trans hate groups that are active in seeking to undermine trans people’s rights." (Stonewall).
Outside of the UK, in some countries being LGBTQ+ can be punishable by death. There are still 69 countries where it is illegal to be gay and it is interesting to note that many of these countries had these laws brought to them through the Victorian British colonisation era. According to Wikipedia, 35 out of the 54 commonwealth states "still criminalise sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex and other forms of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression".
Recognising that pride is not just a time for celebration but a time for protest and action is still as important now as it has always been.
One of the biggest things for me, especially over the past 18 months, is education - reading and listening to podcasts about what different groups and communities are going through. It can be overwhelming at times but as a cis-gendered, white presenting woman born to liberal parents and living in the UK, I recognise that my overwhelm is a very small burden in comparison to what so many of our fellow humans are going through. It is important to look after our mental health and not to put unnecessary pressure on ourselves, but here are some ideas of how to be a strong ally -
Research current issues from non-biased sources, being aware and conscious that sensational headlines tend to be click-bait and aim to spread unhelpful opinions to the general public. Following LGBTQ+ charities and organisations on your social media can be the best place to see what issues are affecting the community and how we can best get involved.
Be a good human! Homophobia and Transphobia can be something within us or others learned from family, friends or the media depending on where and when we grew up. It can mean that may take some of us longer to counteract the impact of the discrimination that we hear or read about. Treating others with respect, without judgement or assumptions and with love is such a simple thing that we can do!
Speak up - without putting yourself or others in danger. If somebody is being openly homophobic or transphobic are you able to challenge their behavior or the language used? Gently reminding a colleague, a friend or family member that what they are saying may be discriminatory can be a way to educate and inform those close to us.
Donate or share - there are many charities supporting LGBTQ+ rights in this country and worldwide. Researching a charity that resonates with you and donating can really help them continue the amazing work they are doing. If you are not able to donate, then sharing their work on social media platforms can be such a great help. Not only does it raise awareness of the work they are doing to a wider audience, but it may help the people that need the support themselves.
Write to (or email) your MP. Remember that your MP represents you and your concerns. A current ongoing campaign in the UK is to ban conversion therapy. A practice still legal in the UK which "includes medical, psychiatric, psychological, religious, cultural or any other interventions that seek to erase, repress or change the sexual orientation and/or gender identity of a person". This campaign has certainly shown me that there is still so many outdated practices that our government "support" by allowing them to continue.
Throughout this month we have done our best to represent different aspects of pride and what it has meant to us. Last year we supported Mermaids and Kaleidoscope and this year we are raising money for -
UK Black Pride, "Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQI+ people"
Gendered Intelligence, "Gendered Intelligence, established in 2008, is a registered charity that exists to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve trans people's quality of life"
NAM Aidsmap, "NAM changes lives by sharing information about HIV & AIDS. We believe independent, clear and accurate information is vital in the fight against HIV & AIDS."
Including the profits from our "Celebrating Every Body" t-shirt range, we have already raised over £800 for these three charities and will continue to donate throughout the year. We want to thank you all so so much for your ongoing support to us and to all of the special guests that we have had this month, in particular Klamborghini, Juno Roche and Matthew Hodson
Together we can make the world a stronger and more amazing place. Nobody is equal until we are all equal.
All our love,
Sam and Ash