By Siobhan Donegan

The American actress Tommy Dorfman recently (in fact just last month in July) ‘reintroduced’ herself as Transgender, saying, ‘I’m still an actor, still a writer, still a creative, still a storyteller, and I’m a woman -a Trans Woman’. Dorfman explained that she had been ‘privately’ identifying and living as a woman for a year. Furthermore, expanding on this she also explained that for many years she had wanted to transition, but found the prospect ‘very daunting’ and ‘scary’ because she is very young and at the very beginning of her career.

Dorfman also said that she was never ‘not out’ in reaction to ‘coming out’ as transgender, declaring ‘Today is about clarity’. Fans have in fact been curious, speculating, and questioning her gender identity for about a year amid a ‘change’ in her ‘style’ on posts on Instagram. Commenting on this, she stated that she has been living in this ‘other version’ of coming out also claiming that she kept a ‘diaristic time capsule’ instead that makes clear ‘one that shows a body living in a more fluid space’. She also stated in reference to the previous speculation and her medical transition that there had/has been ‘discourse about my body’, which as an experience she claimed started to feel ‘overwhelming’.

As regards her name, I personally find it fascinating that she decided not to change this as part of her transition and subsequently found out through research why this is; she was in fact named after her maternal uncle who actually held them as he was dying, thus understandably she feels a very strong connection to this name stating ‘This is an evolution of Tommy’. In response to this, during an interview with Torrey Peters for Time Peters stated, ‘I like that idea: transition as amplification of yourself rather than a qualitative change’.

Dorfman also stated that through her transition she had to ‘recalibrate’ her intimate romantic relationships. Having been in a nine-year relationship and thought of as ‘a male-bodied person’ in a gay male relationship stated, ‘we’ve been learning that as a trans-woman what I’m interested in is not necessarily reflected in a gay man’. Furthermore, she added that the transitional experience has in fact acted as a catalyst to some ‘incredible conversations.’

In reference to transitioning in general, Dorfman stated, ‘I’m especially grateful to every single trans person who walked this path, broke down barriers, and risked their lives to live authentically and radically as themselves’.

Having written at length of Dorfmans transition, I thought this would be a suitable juncture to say something about her background. Tommy Dorfman was born to a Jewish family on May 13^th 1992 and brought up in Atlanta, Georgia. It was at the Fordham University’s Drama program that Dorfman graduated in 2015 with a B.A in Theatre Arts. Dorfman is also a photographer and director who has worked in multi-media platforms for example television, film, and performing live in theatrical stage productions, recently having performed in the ‘hit Play’ Daddy at the Signature. If these creative talents weren’t already impressive enough Dorfman is also a Dancer and has performed as a member of the Atlanta Ballet. As such, she is a young person with a brilliant career ahead of her and has already attained celebrity status. Thus it is understandable that she has been photographed for certain magazine covers, one being ‘American Studies’. She has also worked and appeared in popular ad campaigns for Calvin Klein and Fendi.

As mentioned above Dorfman had previously been in a nine-year relationship with a gay man. In other words, she has been in the recent past openly gay, however, due to her transition, she is now apparently questioning her orientation. As regards to her relationship, Dorfman in fact married their partner Peter Zurkuhlen on 12 November 2016, who is a former real estate agent and founded the tech company Chip-Chop Systems. Dorfman and partner Zurkuhlen have however now decided to just be friends. Interestingly Dorfman had previously come out in November 2017 as Non-binary changing her pronouns to they/them, having subsequently come out to ‘reintroduce’ herself as transgender, she now has updated her pronouns to she/her.

Dorfman made her acting debut in 2009 in the short movie ‘Foreign Exchange’. Her TV debut was in the series ‘i-witness’. She is apparently most famed for ‘Jeremy O’. Outside of the Netflix series ’13 Reasons Why’, she has also starred in ‘Jane the Virgin’ (2019) which is a romantic comedy, ‘American Princess’ a dark comedy drama, and appeared in two episodes of ‘Insatiable’.

The Netflix TV series ‘13 Reasons Why’ has been defined as a ‘Teen drama’ as the series explores a number of important social issues that impact the lives of modern teenagers including suicide, alcoholism, bullying, mental health, and even sexual assault. The series was centred on the character Clay Jensen and the emotional fallout after the suicide of another student character, Hannah Baker. Dorfman, who appeared in the first and second seasons, plays the character Ryan Shaver ‘who had betrayed Hannah’s trust’. They also appeared in the final season in a guest role. It should also be mentioned here that Dorfman played a character in the film ‘In my Skin’, and as mentioned above appeared in stage productions, one such being ‘The Enigma Machine’.

Dorfman also had a starring role in the series ‘Love in the Time of Corona’. Here in the part of Oscar their ‘mostly platonic’ friendship with roommate Elle is explored. The complexity of the friendship increases due to the ‘uncertainty’ of the pandemic as they begin to question if they can find love ‘under one roof’.

As regards the prospect of future performances by Dorfman, the actress confirmed-stressed that she would no longer be going to play any male roles. This is an important statement considering the fact that she will play her first female role in the film ‘Sharp Stick’, written and directed by Lena Dunham. Furthermore, in the context of her acting profession she reflected that she had been thinking about how she can ‘infuse my trans body’ into performances in film and television.

Dorfman is also an LGBT activist and also supports the Ali Forney Centre which through their programs provides help to LGBT youth. Dorfman also had the honour of accepting their first GLAAD award in recognition of the fact that she wants to raise awareness of what it’s like and her experiences as a young gender non-conforming person in Hollywood.

Tommy Dorfman who has quite rightly been described as ‘beautiful and talented’ has attracted into her orbit a large fan base through her recent activity on her Instagram profile. Together with this her official Facebook profile has also attracted many followers.

By Siobhan Donegan

The ground-breaking popular TV series Star Trek Discovery now in its third season has made Trek history in the Sci-fi franchise by introducing for the first time a Non-binary and a Transgender character. These are Non-binary actor Blu del Barrio, who plays Adira and Trans actor Ian Alexander as Gray. This latest and up to date incarnation of what is in all probability the most successful Sci-fi franchise has already broken new ground in its opening season with the introduction to the series of the first ever openly gay couple, namely Lt. Commander Paul Stamets played by actor Anthony Rapp and Dr Hugh Culber-Wilson Cruz, both of whom are members of the LGBT community in real life.

Michelle Paradise, Co-Showrunner of Discovery, explained that ‘Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to unrepresented communities’, further explaining that this is because of  the faith in a ‘future without division on the basis of race, gender ,gender-identity, or sexual orientation’. Hence the moral philosophy or agenda of the show encompasses the ‘gender revolution’ of the current identity politics.

If we go back to the beginning to the original Star Trek series-we find that by pushing the boundaries of representation on television, as regards gender and ethnicity, this show was attempting to ‘boldly go where no one has gone before’. Furthermore, some episodes were used to explore political and social issues of the time using metaphor reflecting a decade which was a revolutionary one of change.

In fact the moral agenda of Star Trek has always been to celebrate ‘humanity’s potential for tolerance and understanding’ which would seem to be represented not only in its revolutionary portrayal of people from different ethnic backgrounds, but also the very foundations on which the ‘Federation’ was built. Despite this and despite the fact that Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry admitted that his thinking/attitude towards the LGBT community had to evolve, telling The Humanist in 1991, ‘My attitude towards homosexuality has changed-I came to the conclusion that I was wrong’. Unfortunately, it still took a whole 28 years after Roddenberry had passed away for the first gay character to appear in Star Trek.

Although the original Star Trek has been acknowledged as having stories that dealt with gender politics it never had any explicit reference to queer representation. However, through the perception of the fan community the relationship between Captain Kirk and first Officer Spock was seen to have a queer subtext and as such these two officers were portrayed as a same sex couple in a number of fanzines circulated in the 1970s. Furthermore in this context although comics, novels, ‘fan work’ showed good LGBT representation amongst its fictional Starfleet characters-this was all considered to be ‘non-canonical’. Within the official Star Trek franchise, in its various incarnations, any notion of ‘queer identity’ was cast into the limbo of ambiguous symbolism and metaphor.

In 1986 at a 20^th anniversary convention, a founding member of the Boston LGBT science fiction group The Gaylaxian Network and fan of Star Trek, pointed out that the series had taken the ground breaking step of bringing Black and Asian characters to television, and furthermore asked Gene Roddenberry himself-whether the series Star Trek-The Next Generation would introduce gay characters to the show. At the time Roddenberry agreed stating’ ‘Sooner or later, we’ll have to address the issue. We should probably have a gay character’.

The Gaylaxians by 1990 had begun to put pressure on the show’s producers with a letter writing petition. Roddenberry didn’t, it would seem, need convincing intending to make good on his promise. He wrote, ‘In the fifth season of Star Trek-The Next Generation viewers will see more of shipboard life which will include gay crew members in day-to-day circumstances.’ However, this LGBT friendly Starfleet environment never materialized due to the fact that in October 1991 Roddenberry unfortunately died.

However, there is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that is definitely worth mentioning; this is episode 17-season 7-titled ‘The Outcast’-which can be and has been interpreted as allegorical of queer issues outside of the heteronormative binary. In this episode an alien species known as the J’naai-in which gender binary doesn’t exist is encountered by the crew of the Enterprise. However, as the story unfolds Commander Riker meets and works with a J’naai named Soren who reveals to him that she ‘feels’ as though she is female resulting in the two becoming romantically involved. Obviously in retrospect it is easy to see how such a fascinating episode would have ‘spoken’ to fans who were transgender and other members of the LGBT community.

Furthermore, in season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation an episode called ‘The Offspring’ perhaps  marked the beginning of an exploration and a willingness on the part of the writers of gender identity and ‘shifting gender’. In this episode, Data apparently wanting to embrace parenthood, creates an ‘artificially intelligent child’ who is given the option of not only choosing their race but also their gender identity-presentation, the child eventually choosing to present as Female.

The next milestone in the Star Trek franchise was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. One of the main characters of the series was Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax who in all probability was the most symbolically queer character of the Sci-fi series up until the advent of S. T. Discovery. Dax is of the alien species Trills who coexist in a mutually beneficial relationship with slug like symbionts who unlike their Trill hosts have extremely long life spans. Iin fact the symbionts can live up to 700 years, whereas the Trills have a similar lifespan to the average human. Furthermore, considering the fact that the symbionts can switch from male to female bodies, their Trill hosts can thus have access not only to male and female memories, but also feelings including sexual attraction. This Science fiction premise was instrumental for the writers of Deep Space Nine being able to ‘Push the boundaries of sexuality’.

To add to the metaphorical/symbolic complexity there is a Trill law against ‘re-association’. This was explored dramatically in the episode ‘re-joined’ 1995 in which Jadzia encounters Lenara Khan, who happened to be the wife of one of  Dax’s  previous male hosts. Ultimately Jadzia and Lenaraare unable to resist their mutual attraction-leading to Star Trek’s first ever historic Gay Kiss. At the time this was one of the producer’s ways of ‘challenging taboos’.

Returning to the brilliant Star Trek Discovery Season 3, Wilson Cruz, who is a gay actor who plays Dr Hugh Culber and partner to Anthony Rapp, who plays ‘mycelial network engineer’ Lt. Commander Paul Stamets stated, ‘I’m proud to say that we are bringing you the queerest Trek in history’. As mentioned above this season introduces Non-binary actor Blu del Barrio as Adira, and it is through them that we meet their transgender alien Trill boyfriend Gray played by transgender actor Ian Alexander who is the first openly transgender Asian American to appear in an American TV series.

by Siobhan Donegan

Abigail Thorn is the innovative creator/producer of Philosophy Tube, a YouTube channel with 900,000 subscribers. It was after she made the courageous decision to come out as Transgender that she ‘made headlines’ and has since become one of the most high profile transgender individuals in Britain. Thorn actually came out to the public on her YouTube channel. As she explained in an interview with LGBT correspondent Ben Hunte, Thorn felt that if she had continued to ‘pretend’ to be a man, she felt that she would die.

As regards Thorn’s orientation she had also previously come out as Bisexual in her YouTube video ‘Queer’ in October 2019 in which she discussed her sexuality.

The YouTuber and Actress came out in a 37 minute video entitled ‘Identity’, in which she shared her thoughts about gender identity and identity politics. She also explained that in preparation for the video, she had started writing the script for it about a year ago. During the video Thorn also discussed Trans Rights, demanding new legislation and also exposing an economic element-stating that there needs to be a ‘redistribution’ of resources so that ‘Human need’ and Trans equality is served rather than profit.

Abigail Thorn’s public coming out statement was on 30 January 2021 and was a video entitled ‘Coming Out As Trans-A Little Public Statement’. According to Jezebel Harron Walker, this statement was a ‘feminist, anti-capitalist appeal’, also advocating ‘physical autonomy’ and transgender people’s legal equality and ‘broader liberation’. Thorn-during her coming out statement also spoke out against journalistic ‘fearmongering’ against transgender individuals and the lack of trans representation as regards elected transgender people. She also discussed healthcare issues and the fact that homelessness can ‘disproportionately’ affect the trans community.

In the recent past what could be described as the artistic direction or style of the show has become more dramatic and theatrical-featuring costumes, makeup and creative studio sets.

In this context it is thus interesting that Thorn has also came out as transgender in a subsequent video entitled ‘Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story’ which was more dramatic and theatrical. This featured Rhys Tees playing the part of Thorn’s previous self-and drew on the work of American writer Audre Lorde presumably for dramatic inspiration in the style of the video’s presentation.

Having spoken at some length of Thorn’s coming out statement I think we should now briefly look at her educational background. Abigail Thorn is from Newcastle upon Tyne and attended the Royal Grammar School. It was whilst she was a student here, that she decided that together with Biology and Chemistry-she would take Philosophy as an A level. Thus at the University of St Andrews, Thorn went on to study Philosophy and Theology. As such in 2015 Thorn graduated with a first class Scottish Masters of Arts in Philosophy. She also completed a Master of Arts awarded by the University of Exeter in 2017-having done her dramatic training at East 15 Acting School. Having made these personal achievements in education Thorn then decided to move to London.

According to Thorn it was the ‘quiet and scholarly’ teacher of philosophy Howard Baker that invited her to take up the subject. Thorn explained that at her school-it was basically Law, Medicine-or ‘other’-Philosophy became Thorn’s third ‘other’ subject-next to Biology and Chemistry (covered by ‘Medicine’ I presume)-and Thorn discovered in the process that not only did she like Philosophy but that she also had a knack for it too. Furthermore, Thorn apparently found insight in the context of her own gender identity by studying the works of ‘Trans Philosophers’.

As regards Thorn’s innovative creation of ‘Philosophy Tube’-it was a girlfriend of the time who first suggested to her starting a YouTube Channel. Thorn had previously tried the role of Stand-up-which she described as, ‘increasingly challenging, deliberately esoteric, ‘Brechtian’, political (in a superficial way) and confrontational’. Thorn in fact wasn’t enthusiastic about having to create regular stand-up videos, however she did like the idea and challenge of creating a YouTube Channel.

Hence it was that Philosophy Tube was created and it was in May 2013 that Thorn’s first video was uploaded to her YouTube Channel. Considering the fact that she was later to publically come out as Trans on this same Channel, it was perhaps almost ‘prophetic’, in an ironic sense, that the first video was entitled ‘I Think Therefore I Am’ and was about the Philosopher Rene Descartes.

In 2018 Thorn uploaded a video to her YouTube Channel entitled, ‘Suic!de and Ment@l He@lth’ which had the agenda of examining Mental Health from the perspective of the mainstream attitudes of society. As Thorn has a ‘history of self-harm’ and has in fact attempted suicide twice, she obviously has an ‘insiders’ point of view on this important subject and thus also talked about her own personal experiences.

Emily Van-DerWerff, who writes for Vox, in a brief description of Thorn’s Philosophy Tube, stated that the Channel covers Philosophical information and ‘socio-political ideas of the current era from a Leftist point of view’-one example being a video that launched into a discussion of Brexit, but ended being an examination of democracy from a broader perspective. Philosophy Tube apart from being described as a Channel that obviously explores Philosophical issues has also generally been described as an educational Channel.

Returning to the subject of Thorn’s coming out statement, she also stated that there are no policies for equal rights as a policy goal for the Transgender Community by any of the major political parties also stating, ‘Trans people, especially trans people of colour, are hit hardest by unemployment’. She also made the more personal observation: “But I’m also scared. Things are very, very bad for trans people in the U.K and they’re getting worse.”

Thorn has also admirably managed to raise over £100,000 for the Samaritans. She did this whilst she read plays from the ‘Complete Works of Shakespeare’ hosting a livestream on ‘Twitch’ in 2019-in a stream that lasted five days-for the Mental Health Charity.

Abigail Thorn’s Philosophy Tube has been very well received and in fact praised by various sources in the media; as I like to end my articles on a positive note I would like to quote a writer for the Bay Area Reporter-Gwendolyn Ann Smith who was impressed with Thorn’s video, ‘Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story’ affirming that this statement was ‘delving deeply into the very nature of being trans in ways (she has) not typically seen’.

By Siobhan Donegan

Quentin Crisp despite the fact that he often courted controversy with his radical and somewhat incomprehensible views on Gay Liberation was, and remains, iconic in British Queer history. He has been described as an English writer, raconteur and actor. When I was very young, I think in my mid to late teens, I actually encountered Mr Crisp myself on the Kings Road, Chelsea, London. He had just gotten onto a bus and basically he was aware that I’d seen him-and knew at once that I recognized him-as such he held my gaze as his bus pulled away in a moment I can only describe as electric.

Quentin Crisp was from an ordinary suburban background and was eventually to become a famous LGBT+ icon. He is famous for having been a flamboyant character, for having worn colourful makeup and nail polish when it was obviously dangerous to have done so. Crisp’s father was a Lawyer whilst his mother had been a nursery governess. He was born in Sutton Surrey, 25 December 1908, with the rather ordinary name of Denis Charles Pratt.

Crisp described him-self as ‘effeminate’ from an early age, something that made him the target of teasing at his school-Kingswood House in Epsom. However, he did well winning a scholarship to Denstone College Uttoxeter. At King’s College London, he attempted to study journalism, but failed to graduate in 1928. He also took art classes, near to this time, at the Regent Street polytechnic.

‘Denis’ after leaving home in his twenties changed his name to Quentin Crisp. At this time he cultivated a very feminine appearance, even sometimes experimenting with ‘cross-dressing’, which was flamboyant and somewhat ‘outlandish’, especially the fact that he dyed his long hair crimson, had ‘bright’ colourful makeup and painted fingernails and toenails that he showed off with sandals. Mr Crisp’s outlandish appearance provoked various reactions amongst the Londoners of the time and obviously not all of them positive; from some people this brought admiration, respect (probably for his courage) and curiosity. However, the world generally was not ready for such a unique character as Quentin Crisp, and thus the more usual reaction from strangers was hostility, homophobia and violence. Quentin Crisp’s uniquely individualistic lifestyle, especially his effeminate and colourful self-expression insured that he had to live a life of poverty and isolation for a significant amount of time.

Crisp moved to the centre of London in 1930, and after living in various accommodations settled into a bed-sitting room in Denbigh Street. At the outbreak of World War Two Crisp felt obliged to try and join the British Army. However, his application was rejected by the Medical Board on the grounds that he was ‘Suffering from sexual perversion’. Crisp moved again this time into a ‘bed-sitting room’ in 1940, which was a first floor apartment at 129 Beaufort Street where he lived for the next 40 years. He apparently and famously claimed that he never attempted to do any housework claiming in his memoir ‘After the first four years the dirt doesn’t get any worse’. Also, Crisp variously described his flat as a ‘ward’ a ‘prison’ and even an ‘asylum’.

For six months of his life, before working as a model, Quentin worked as a ‘rent-boy’-in other words a male prostitute. Later upon reflection he stated he was ‘Looking for love, but found only degradation’. However, it was probably at this point in his life that he acquired a love for all things American as during the War he had dated some very ‘open-minded’ G.I’s.

It is at this point in his life that he began to frequent the cafés of Soho where he would meet with gay men, his favourite being ‘The Black Cat’ in Old Compton Street.

Quentin Crisp is also famous for having earned a living as a professional model in Art classes for thirty years of his life. Before working as a model amongst other things, he had worked as a book illustrator. Crisp’s life and experience as a model inspired his memoirs that he wrote in his book ‘The Naked Civil Servant’ in 1968. However, Crisp had originally wanted to call it ‘I reign Hell’, referencing the quote ‘Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven’ from Milton’s Paradise Lost. Even after his agent had talked him into its eventual title Crisp had misgivings due to the coincidental publication of Desmond Morris’ book ‘The Naked Ape’.

‘The Naked Civil Servant’ was eventually made into a brilliant film for television, which was broadcast in Britain and the U.S. The success of the film turned Quentin Crisp and the actor who played him-John Hurt into Stars. In fact, John Hurt’s brilliant performance of Crisp earned the actor a BAFTA award. Hurt also apparently starred in a sequel thirty years later.

Crisp eventually moved to America New York-partly due to his already mentioned love of all things American. Whilst in the initial stages of his big move-the American Embassy asked him if he was a ‘practicing homosexual’, to which Crisp answered, ‘I didn’t practice. I was already perfect’. He later described his move to America as his proudest achievement.

Riding on the wave of the success of the film ‘The Naked Civil Servant’ and his newly acquired fame Crisp created a one-man show with which he toured the country. This was his ‘celebrated’ show ‘An Evening with Quentin Crisp’. This show consisted of two parts, the first being a monologue ‘loosely’ based on his memoirs-the second half being a question and answer session in which Crisp would choose some of the written questions of the audience at random and answer them in his unique and witty style. On the 20th December 1978, the show opened at the Players Theatre in New York City, going on to tour the U.K and North America.

As already mentioned Quentin Crisp was a flamboyant character whose unique style and very individual idiosyncratic views-on ‘social manners’ and ‘the cultivation of style’ eventually and inevitably attracted curiosity into his orbit. As such, he has been described as an individual who ‘defied convention’. His unique views were no doubt partly due to his unusual life.

What has been described as Quentin Crisp’s legacy includes a number of written works spanning a significant time of his life on various subjects, his two earliest works being manuals on design-one for typefaces used in advertising 1936, the other for colour in window displays 1938. He also wrote a second instalment to his autobiography entitled ‘How to become a Virgin’.

Sting in 1986 visited Crisp in his New York apartment-and listened with shock and fascination to Crisp recounting his unusual life and obvious experiences of homophobia in early 20th century Britain; this ultimately resulted in Sting dedicating his song ‘Englishman in New York’ in 1987 to Crisp.

Quentin Crisp sadly died on 21st November 1999, however, considering his extraordinary courage, his incredible and unique individuality, his flamboyant style, his sharp wit and his well-deserved status as an icon of British Queer history, I doubt if he will ever be forgotten.

By David Thomas

The story of Gladys Paterson falls into many chapters, most you will know better than me. I can only share here a flavour for the stories that Gladys cared to share with me. I only ever knew Gladys but she always generously acknowledged her past, in particular her beloved wife.

Gladys deeply empathised from age seven or so with a neighbour’s young girl (Gladys), inside she felt she ought to be a girl like her. Although not having the words back then for this, she was convinced she felt she had been assigned the wrong gender at birth. Early attempts to discuss this with her doctor as a teenager, (itself brave at that time); had been dismissed and Gladys explained; the doctor had said “join the army, that’ll make a man of you”. Looking back, Gladys was absolutely convinced, given the time, this had been the only real caring option the doctor probably had.

Conscripted into the army, she saw service in Africa, at one point; as bodyguard to the Hollywood film star Victor Mature whilst on film location there. From the little Gladys said of this time I took it she quite enjoyed the adventure if nothing else.

She met her wife at the Majestic Ballroom in Glasgow, they married in 1962. They had a very strong, loving marriage, and two children. For over forty years theirs was a devoted loving household. Gladys had three grandchildren of whom she had access to only one under personally difficult preconditions which she put up with to maintain a connection that she valued above all else.

Gladys was an antique dealer, auctioneer and valuer: as part of a winning team with her wife, they set up an antiques business and together, through dogged hard work; they made for a very driven, dynamic and successful career with lots of travel for Gladys all over the UK and near continent; sourcing quality antiques for export to the Americas (at its height they were shipping six Sealink style containers a week to the US). They were Lloyds Names, a high risk, rich rewards affair; effectively underwriting Lloyds Insurance losses. In a good year (with few losses) they shared rich rewards. The worst insurance disasters in living history wiped out all they had worked for and they had to start over, this time in lawn mower supply, servicing and repairs where again, they had the magic touch and knew how to get the best deals.

Gladys’ wife contracted Parkinson’s and was cared for throughout by Gladys nursing her through to the end in 2003. Gladys told me she had lost her soul mate.

Gladys now began the transition process which would fully realise Gladys as the woman she always was. The potentially life-threatening operations in her late 60s and just a few years after having heart bypass surgery didn’t faze her and as one might expect; she persuaded the doctors that it was the right thing to do.

Gladys has been quoted in the media as saying “Only I know what torment I went through for most of my life. If this opportunity (to transition) had been denied me I think I would have ended up in a psychiatric hospital and the cost of that would soon have exceeded the cost of my transition. To me, this procedure was every bit as vital as the heart surgery that saved my life.”

It was perhaps this deep understanding of struggle that made her such an LGBT community ally at the Glasgow LGBT Centre in Dixon Street. Often Gladys was the first welcoming face that greeted you in what could be a somewhat dingy, daunting reception area. Many have subsequently attested to the value they placed in Gladys making them feel less nervous and really welcome with a firm but friendly “come away in” and pointing folk on in the right direction. Safety was always uppermost in her mind back then.

Driven, focussed, successful people can often be strident, even brusque in reaching for some goal or other; Gladys was no different when she wanted the best for herself and “her girls”: as she was wont to refer to those who attended her support and social group at home in Buchlyvie.

Gladys swore by the Sandyford Transgender Group and directed folk along there as appropriate. She also promoted Lesbian & Gay Switchboard and its associated services, Crosslynx and Icebreakers. Gladys wanted to be a beacon for the support services that are available to the Trans community and her regular advocacy extended to the Glasgow City Council Community Safety Forum, the West of Scotland LGBT Forum and Crosslynx.

Gladys was especially proud of her role as a police advisor to the Tulliallan Police College at Tulliallan Castle, Alloa. She felt she impacted well on getting hate crime for the Transgender community be better recognised and understood within the police force and thus more likely reported by those suffering from it.

Gladys served on the board of the LGBT Centre at Bell Street and she maintained an ongoing connection with the Parkinsons Disease Society Scotland in Stirling.

Gladys was the least politically correct person I knew; a product of her age. Many a person was made blush by the straight from the shoulder Gladys and her blunt statements. She did work at it and over the time I knew her, she did make improvements to prevent fainting. We shared a mutual admiration of April Ashley which helped us initially bond and we both passionately believed; visibility is important for our community wellbeing and safety.

Gladys addressed the young LGBT attendees at LGBT History Month and by the end of her session I think she was happy that the kids had gotten all she could give. She wanted the young to get involved with the community to take it and its challenges through to the next generation.

Whilst she was content to speak of her journey with the media; sometimes she fretted about lacking control of the resulting articles. Already the subject of one BBC documentary some years ago, Gladys took steps to ensure a forthcoming documentary; out November 2015 and in the final stages of completion, gave her a higher degree of control of the finished product.

It was “her girls” to whom Gladys was dedicated and it was known that if someone was in need and phoned her, Gladys would talk and talk and if appropriate or necessary, jump into her car and drive through the night to Brighton just to be there for someone having the jitters about surgery the next day. To my knowledge, she never made a promise to the community or indeed anyone that she didn’t meet.

She felt passionately that we needed to get a new LGBT centre established as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy and she still had that hope alive, when she passed away. With the loss of her beloved LGBT Centre, Gladys had lost that stage from which young folk and those having it tough could see and hear her. They could witness that if Gladys could go through so much in pursuit of herself; then they may feel; hell yes “I can be me too”.

For young LGBT folk she exemplified the ethos; if it’s worth having, it’s worth working for. Gladys for me typified that view that life is all about the journey and the destination will make itself clear in time. Gladys kept on going.

She well knew she was a work in progress, I well remember the skip in her step when she hit upon a wig that suited the self-image she harboured. Electrolysis, though a necessary evil; she tolerated as best she could.

Gladys took the obstacles life put in her path as challenges to be resolved by calling on friends for help and as a team finding a way to overcome them. With a generosity of spirit, she was willing to help anyone do the same as part of their team. Gladys subsequently had her hip replaced at the Beardmore about four years ago where doctors begged her to forego high heels, at least during recovery!

Gladys was greatly encouraged by all of the legislative changes that improved things for the LGB & T Community eliminating many of the difficult hurdles she had had to endure on her path to being who she ought to have been all along. She was insistent the T remain part of the LGB for community strength it brought.

For me, I only ever knew Gladys as a distinctly positive force for the good of the LGBT community. She was keen to see young people supported in any way possible to ensure they benefitted from the progress made in terms of services available, the support of the police and in particular the access to appropriate medical support as appropriate as soon as was possible to benefit them.

She was a strong advocate of good sexual health and as a community, mutually supporting one another.

Gladys loved good tastefully feminine clothes and she was nicknamed ‘Glad Rags’ by those closest to her. ‘Fun was her game’, she enjoyed her holidays having just returned from another Cypriot break; a place she found accepting and warm towards her, she had a knack for making these trips self-financing by selling her mobility scooter there and buying a new one at auction upon her return. She was happy outgoing and for many, the very life and soul of her groups. Gladys has been characterised by many as always approachable always welcoming and a good kind soul.

I never tired of Gladys’s company especially her enthralling stories of the past. We had recently persuaded her to sit down with the folk from Our Story Scotland and their recorders to set her record down for posterity. Sadly it was the one date with us she didn’t make.

So too with Pride Glasgow this year; there will be no Gladys heading the march, her mobility scooter bedecked in rainbow pennants and her in her compulsory cowgirl hat in homage to Doris Day in Calamity Jane or sitting at the forum’s stall, taking in the spectacle whilst administering sweets, drink and condoms to wide eyed youngsters.

Gladys Paterson that force of nature who didn’t mind who knew it, part of our LGBT family, she stood for community good, being true to yourself, a trailblazer for those whom, perhaps, might be feeling; it’s too late to change.

Gladys had been cared for throughout this last short chapter by the staff at Ward A22 Acute Stroke of the Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert. She was treated very well and with total respect for her dignity. Sadly her recovery was not to be and Gladys passed away on the 6th July 2015 at 05:00hrs after a short overwhelming illness.

A great many of us are proud and privileged to have known Gladys; we will find it hard coming to terms with her not being in our lives anymore.

Originally written by David Thomas in 2015.

by Siobhan Donegan

Having previously written a series of articles on the history of ‘Drag’, from the perspective of female impersonation, it has been my intention for some time to write about the less well known culture of Drag Kings. The specific term ‘Drag King’ in contradistinction to ‘Drag Queen’- is in reference to individuals who dress in the clothing that is stereotypically associated with masculinity and usually, but not always associated with the performance art of Drag. The attempt to temporarily pass as men-and individuals presenting themselves in a masculine gender role without necessarily identifying as men-is included in the usage of the term.

Drag Kings in the same manner as Drag Queens, are performing artists who attempt to parody masculinity in their presentation-performance. Methods employed by some Drag Kings can include binding breasts with binders, bandages or tight fitting sports bras, while some Drag Kings have also made an art of creating the illusion of facial hair, drawing it on with eyeliner and also applying dark eyeshadow for the unshaven look. Furthermore, Drag Kings-as part of their performance can often include ‘exaggerated macho-male characters’, or include impersonation of famous male stars such as Elvis Presley.

The popular usage of the term Drag King, which didn’t actually appear in print until 1972, emerged in the 1990’s simultaneously to the diversification of gender queer identities, in contradistinction and some would say ‘opposition’ to the heteronormative gender binary. Drag Kings have also taken on an activist role in ‘gay, lesbian and queer cultural spaces’ not just in the form of organizing Drag King contests, but also running ‘gender workshops’. It should be noted as such, that as a phenomenon Drag Kings have emerged-to a large extent-from lesbian culture. However, this does not mean that all Drag Kings are lesbians-or involved in lesbian subculture- from the perspective of politics etc.

Having partly defined the phenomenon of Drag Kings I think we should briefly look at its history. The history of women performing as male impersonators is entwined with the history of the Theatre and Opera-and this tradition was known as ‘breeches roles and ‘en travesti’’. In 1700 Susanna Centlivre who was an Actress and Playwright appeared in a breeches role. Also, it should be noted that like the history of Drag Queens-Drag Kings also have a connection with British Pantomime which had a tradition of women performing male roles. Lastly here, in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries a number of Drag Kings became British Music Hall stars.

However, it should be noted that British Music Hall male impersonators, such as Vesta Tilley, the history of these performers dating back to the 1800’s, were obviously for the entertainment of straight audiences, something which has radically altered today.

In the U.S. Theatre the first male impersonator was Annie Hindle, who in 1867 achieved popularity with her routine in New York. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries the above mentioned Vesta Tilley British Music Hall performer had an act as a male impersonator. Ella Shields and Hetty King also emerged as male impersonators of the British Stage.

Returning now to the subject of Drag King culture in general; within the Drag King community, the practical utilitarian need to form ‘collectives’-performance troupes-ensembles, is based on the economic necessity of being able to book shows. As such, Drag King performing troupes are in sharp distinction to Drag Queen solo performers who have made individual names for themselves. However, as Drag Kings are finally getting more recognition this is slowly beginning to change. As such individual Drag Kings are getting bookings outside of the troupe stereotype.

It is in fact only recently that Drag Kings have become more visible in the LGBT community. This has been perceived as a Drag King ‘renaissance’ and described by ‘Sleek Magazine’ in an article on Drag King culture as a ‘revolution’.

In reference to the above mentioned diversification of gender queer identities, it should be mentioned in this context-that some individuals involved in this performance art-explain that Drag King culture is for them a starting point to transition to a ‘Transgendered identity’. As such it should come as no surprise that Drag Kings usually prefer the use of male pronouns whilst in their male persona. However, others see their Drag performance as a means to allow the outward expression of an inner part of themselves’ which is masculine. The truth is of course that Drag Kings can have diverse gender identities or forms of gender expression; such as women, transgender, genderqueer or ‘butch’.

Also there have been developments in Drag King culture in the recent past. One example being in 1999 Columbus, Ohio in which was founded the International Drag King Extravaganza-IDKE which is a premiere annual conference for Drag Kings, which has since evolved into a traveling event. ‘Lesburlesque’ is another example of an organisation emerging out of Drag King Culture in general. This is a British lesbian Cabaret organisation founded by Pixie Truffle. This group has made it their goal to promote further inclusion for Drag Kings on the British Cabaret circuit. Truffle also stated her desire-during an interview-to bring Drag Kings, Queens and stand-up comedians closer together.

As for the term ‘Drag King’ itself-although most Drag Kings still traditionally refer to their performance as ‘Kinging’, other terms have more recently been adopted, such as ‘gender blurring’. However, this term also refers to a mixture of and deviation of not just gender expression but also a deviation in performance style. Furthermore the gender ambiguous term ‘Drag Thing’ has been used by Vancouver performer Rose Butch.

Just as Drag Queens parody femininity and obviously Drag Kings parody masculinity-as a comment on this one online writer described it-this ‘expose the construction and fluidity of gender’. However, critics have made the observation, generally speaking, that there are ‘disparate implications’ with often gay men performing as Drag Queens and gay women performing as Drag Kings as we still live, for the most part, in a patriarchal culture.

Finally, I didn’t really want to end on such an ambiguous note, so I just wanted to mention some famous modern Drag King performers; we have the wonderfully named Elvis Herselvis, Mildred ‘Dred’ Gerestant and Murray Hill.

by Siobhan Donegan

It has been my intention for some time to write an article on Gay Art which in a broader context has also been referred to as Queer Art. Very early examples of Gay homoerotic art, including poetry, can be found within the Greek culture of the ancient world. This culture not only considered male sexual attraction normal but even sanctioned same sex relationships. For anyone interested in this amazingly open minded culture, specifically on this subject, I can highly recommend reading Plato’s classic text ‘The Symposium’. Many homosexual images were often painted onto black background vases, many of which survive to this day as a testimony to this genre.

As hinted at above, there is also a broader definition to what I am referring to as exclusively as ‘Gay Art’ which is ‘Queer Art’ which can be categorized as LGBT and Art or even ‘Queer aesthetics’. Queer art is also an umbrella term which can refer to the art practices of LGBT individuals on an international scale. However, the term Queer being reclaimed in a positive context emerged from outside specifically artistic circles, and in fact was part of the historical developments of gender and identity politics of the USA.

Queer art as such can draw on the modern visual art practices of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender individuals. Contempory Queer art however, cannot be defined-categorized in one medium or ‘style’ as it can be expressed in multi-media outlets such as performance art, video art, mixed media and of course the more traditional drawing painting and sculpture.

Queer art has in fact manifested through multiple art ‘historical trajectories’ and Queer art can also be categorized generally in terms of ‘art and identity’. Within Gay-Queer art there has what could be termed as  dialectic between two opposing factors; the necessity for concealment-within the context of coded references, this is Gay invisibility, and the desire for visibility, this is the movement towards the creation of representations of identity and experiences-because ‘none exist’.

It is interesting to note that an artist doesn’t even have to be homosexual themselves in order to produce ‘Queer Art’. A good example of this is Henri de Toulouse Lautrec’s portrait of Oscar Wilde. Obviously Mr Wilde, who unfortunately was sent to prison in 1895 for two years, was a ‘Queer’ artist himself. Lautrec was able to produce a portrait of Wilde, as from the perspective of his disability and height he was able to sympathize with Wilde as he too was an ‘outsider’. According to Art Historian Richard Meyer this can be explained as, “Shifting constructions of desire and deviance have shaped Modern Art in ways that extend beyond sexual biography”.

Gay and sexual acts in England and Wales before 1861 were dangerous for those involved as they could lead to a conviction. As such references to homosexuality in art had to be hidden presumably in symbolism. Laura Cumming British Art critic, by successfully decoding such symbolism was able to explain it in art with classical themes, “Artists could paint Sapho embracing Erinna and David strumming Jonathan’s harp and speak surreptitiously to particular viewers”.

During the inter-war period there was a change in culture or cultural attitudes, including more acceptance of the gay community in artistic urban centres. Homosexuality was no longer perceived as wrong amongst literary groups in Paris and Berlin. The 1920’s saw ‘Speakeasies’ emerge in Harlem and Greenwich Village welcomed gay clients. There were similar developments in European Cafes and bars and also in Latin America, thus there was a step towards the integration of Gay men into mainstream culture.

From the 1950’s and 60’s a form of popular art emerged on the covers of Lesbian Pulp novels. Such novels which often had ‘lucid’ colourful’ images-involving ‘visual innuendo’-‘knowing glances’ and a fair amount of skin on display, was considered at the time a type of code. This was during an era before the feminist and gay liberation movements and was thus the only way for women to enjoy books on lesbianism. The covers of such books with this sort of artwork have now understandably become sought after collectors’ items.

It was in the aftermath of the Stonewall riots of 1969 that Gay and LGBT artists felt the confidence to create art about, for example, sexual identity. From a more objective perspective Art historians took on the task of recording-documenting-recuperating Queer LGBT Art that had previously been censored and basically written out of the history books; this intellectual movement has been referred to as the ‘politicization of sexuality’.

Having talked at some length about the subject of gay art I think it is important to mention some gay artists. A good example of Queer/Gay art is Jasper John’s ‘Monochrome encaustic’ White Flag of 1955. If one looks carefully at this painting one can see that John has ‘white washed’ the American Star Spangled Banner. This was John’s symbolic way of stating not just ‘homo-invisibility’ but also the fact that his voice would not be heard.

I thought this would be a suitable juncture whilst on the subject of ‘flags’ to mention the Rainbow Flag. The original rainbow Flag had eight colours, was hand dyed and was created by Gilbert Baker and his boyfriend Jomar Teng. Baker is optimistic and encourages the LGBT community to continue to develop the flag and in fact stated, “In my view the rainbow flag is unfinished”. Originally the different colours symbolized various concepts, such as healing, sunlight and nature. The Rainbow Flag now, having gone through many changes- being one of many versions- now has six colours, which basically symbolizes diversity and inclusiveness.

Another image that has been used at Pride festivals is the ‘Pink Triangle’. This is a symbol that has been reclaimed, but not by everyone, by the Gay community from the Nazi holocaust. During this era within the concentration camps homosexual prisoners were forced to wear the symbol of the pink triangle as a means of identifying them as gay. This symbol, as used by the Nazi’s was an inverted triangle however the symbol as used by the gay community is seen pointing upwards probably to give it a more positive aspect.

Probably one of the most famous gay artists that I have in fact previously written an article about is of course the iconic 1960’s Pop Artist Andy Warhol. He famously appropriated mainstream images such as photos of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe and gave them a ‘Queer twist’ by transforming them into Drag Queens.

The tradition of transforming mainstream heteronormative images into one with a queer aesthetic has been continued by contemporary artists like Alexander Glass a sculptor based in London; one example being his use of Locker rooms to explore gay male desire.

Hello there, how are you all doing?

For those who don’t know me, my name is Aaron Hume, I’m 19 years old and I have multiple disabilities which I’ll go on and talk a bit more about in this blog.

I have been a member of get2gether since last July 2020. I was looking online one night for a dating app and something fun to do but I then found a community. It is amazing to think I made a lot of good friends but I haven’t met anybody in person yet due to COVID-19.

This month is June which is Pride month, a chance to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community all over the world. Pride dates back to the Stonewall Riots which was a protest by members of the LGBTQ+ community which took place way back in 1969.   I am a supporter of LGBTQ+ people because I personally believe that love is love, no matter who it is, and if you feel comfortable in yourself, do not let anybody put you down ever because at the end of the day, all that matter is you.

As I said at the start of this blog, I have multiple disabilities. My main one being Cerebral Palsy which is a physical disability affecting people differently but for me personally, it affects my muscles all over my body which don’t work very well so I struggle to walk and use my hands properly and so I do stumble. My throat and voice muscles don’t work very well, I can’t communicate by speech but that won’t stop me from chatting and my eyesight is affected by a time delay between what I see and what my brain processes.

I am Autistic and for me my autism means I like my routines, like having dinner at 5pm on the dot every night or saying I love you 3 times to my mum when I go to bed. I don’t like changes at all and sometimes, I find new situations hard to deal with.

I also have a moderate learning disability. I got a diagnosis at 16 years old. I was diagnosed late because I mimic people and act like I was knowing things but I didn’t and it was a worry for me that I would become more vulnerable . My learning disability affects a lot in my life like I’m not good at recognising money or reading a long book. I also struggle with long tasks but I find that when it gets broken down into lots of little tasks then I can manage.

Also in June, it’s Learning Disability Pride which is a week of celebration across Britain – a celebration of being proud of who we are. In the past years, I have come to learn and see that everybody has something to bring to society and in #BecomingVisible, it just highlights the strong leadership of disabled people. I am very proud to be called Autistic and a physical/learning disabled man.

by Siobhan Donegan

Some of you who have hopefully enjoyed reading my articles may have noticed that I started out by writing a number of biographical pieces and then switched to writing about subjects which I have found intellectually more challenging. However, ever since I discovered the truly brilliant Jackie Shane it has been my intention to write an article about her.

Jackie Shane was a Transgender Woman of colour and iconic American Soul-Rhythm and Blues singer who sadly died recently, of natural causes, at the age of 78 on February 21^st 2019. The name Shane is actually inherited from Jackie’s mother Jessie’s maiden name, who reverted to this name after she split from Jackie’s father. She is rightly considered a ‘pioneer Transgender performer’ and described by the Guardian as a ‘ground-breaking Trans Soul singer’ and having her vocal style described as one of ‘sublime confidence’. She was active as a performer in the early 1960’s music scene in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her most famous hit was the single ‘Any Other Way’, which was a top ten hit locally in 1962 Toronto. This No.2 hit-soulful ballad interestingly had the hidden coded message-for those within the community that were conversant in it, knowing exactly what it meant ‘Tell ‘em I’m gay’.

Shane was unfortunately described-written off- by many sources as a ‘man’ and some sources mislabelled her as a ‘Drag Queen’. This no doubt due to the fact that her appearance was often in ‘ambiguous clothing’ in which she was obviously endeavouring to express her femininity. In fact when Shane was performing in the clubs of Nashville and Toronto, some of the audience actually thought she was a lesbian, no doubt due to her bouffant hairstyle, makeup and sequined top over pantsuit. Early sources that included Shane actually talking about her specific gender identity are rare. In fact in this context Shane would simply dodge questions on her gender identity. Considering the fact that the U.S.A was undoubtably racist, and in Shanes case also transphobic, at the time, it should come as no surprise that Shane identified herself as Male in early quotes of the ‘Toronto Star’. However, when music journalist Elio Iannacci interviewed Shane for the ‘Globe and Mail’ in 2017, her identity was at last confirmed as a Transwoman by a media outlet.

Shane was born on May 15^th 1940, and was originally from Nashville, Tennessee. She started to dress in feminine clothes early in life and even wore dresses publically, also growing her hair out. She was perceived as a smart child who knew her mind. In fact she has also been described as ‘self-assured’, to such an extent that adults would treat her as an equal from a young age. Interestingly enough, as it isn’t always the case, Shane’s family, and close friends, were in fact very supportive and knew that as regards her gender identity, she identified as a Transwoman. Taking into consideration the fact that Transgender people were ‘universally vilified’ at the time, it is a mark of the courage of this trailblazing Transwoman to appear on television in Nashville and of course in Toronto, where she headlined in clubs.

Having a natural love for performing and a ‘beautiful voice’ she perhaps inevitably joined a Church Choir. However, she would leave before the Priest started speaking, having no interest in what he was about to say. She eventually began to have some success singing and already in the 1950’s she wore her hair long with makeup and jewellery whilst performing locally. She ended up joining a travelling carnival as a means of escape, finally ending up at Cornwall, Ontario in 1959. Eventually her success as a performer led to her sharing the stage with such Soul legends as Jackie Wilson, Etta James and the Impressions. It was the Southern Soul Star Joe Tex who recognising Shane’s talent advised her to pursue her career elsewhere. She thus first moved to Boston, then Montreal and finally Toronto.

It is at this juncture that I would like to talk about a curious myth that became attracted into the orbit of the personality of Jackie Shane. This is that she was the cousin of Little Richard, and also at one time a backing singer for the Rock and Roll Star. Now according to one source that I found she was apparently friends with and influenced by Little Richard and it isn’t of course that improbable that she may have rehearsed with him. However, it would seem that this was/is an apocryphal legend as there is apparently no verification or evidence that Shane herself made such a claim. It would thus seem that this ‘fan myth’ emerged purely from a similarity of performing style of these two flamboyant R&B Artists.

As already mentioned Jackie Shane was a black Transwoman who performed in the American South in the 1950’s which was a particularly dangerous time and location to make such a radical stand. In fact there were ‘rigid laws’ that more or less made Jackie a veritable outlaw. However, amazingly enough there was a certain amount of space for ‘gender ambiguity’ on the Rhythm and Blues scene at the time; to name but a few who fit into this category, the above mentioned Little Richard, Esquerita-feminine pianist, Patsy Vidalia and Bobby Marchan.

Unfortunately Shane quit the music scene in the 70’s as she preferred to be close and presumably look after her aging mother Jessie Shane. Also, as a singer she was little known outside of Canada her adopted country. When Shane disappeared from the music scene rumours began to develop as many simply made the assumption that she had been the victim of violence-or even making an escape from the threat of violence. However, the truth turned out to be a lot more mundane; Shane having looked after her mother in Los Angeles, ‘retired’ to Nashville, for the most part keeping herself to herself.

However, fortunately what some could describe as a miracle, especially if like me you happen to be a fan 60’s Soul the ever elusive Shane, who has been described as indulging in ‘aggressive reclusiveness’-in contradistinction to the fact that at the same time she was ‘radically visible’, was convinced by the archival record company, Numero Group, to sanction an official compilation of her 1960’s work/legacy.

In the context of her recording history Shane recorded a live album that was released in 1967 and reissued in 2015. Interestingly Shane it would seem preferred the raw sound and power of live performances to studio recorded tracks. However, part of the reason for this was because taking into consideration her fantastic stage presence and her powerful Soul vocals, she inevitably drew interest into her orbit from such legendary soul labels from the time as Motown and Atlantic. But Jackie deliberately resisted the temptation to record a studio album due to her fear of being manipulated by the big music labels. In practical terms this meant that she was worried that one of the Soul labels would probably want to streamline and ‘re-package’ what could be described as her ‘Queer’ or ‘Trans’ image to a more acceptable ‘Male’ public friendly image.

I would like to end this article by simple quoting Jackie Shane herself: “When you’re different, people are not sure how to approach you, so what I’ve done is I’ve loved them first. I had to”.

I’m Phoebe (she/her) and I live in Edinburgh with my girlfriend, working from home.

How did you find out about LGBT Health and Wellbeing first and what was your journey to then becoming a volunteer?

I first found out about the helpline at LGBT Health and Wellbeing in 2013 when my flatmate was volunteering. Hearing about her experience, I knew I wanted to volunteer one day. I contacted the organisation a few years later, once I’d gained a bit of life experience and resilience. The Helpline Coordinator was so friendly and helped me work out whether the role was right for me.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your role?

As a helpline volunteer, I take calls from LGBT Health and Wellbeing office in Edinburgh for one evening a fortnight. The organisation kindly provided me with a landline phone to allow me to continue this from home over lockdown. We also provide a live chat service for those who aren’t able to phone and we respond to queries by email. As helpline volunteers, our role is to be a non-judgmental, listening ear to anyone who needs emotional support, advice or just a chat. We can also help with signposting to other services and providing information. One of the most valuable things we can give as helpline volunteers is the knowledge that a caller can speak to someone who likely shares some common experience with them and who they will not have to explain themselves to, as they might be required to do out in the world.

What are you the most proud of as a volunteer?

I am most proud of the team we have built and the support we give to one another. I have also been proud when I’ve been able to provide a space for a caller to voice something they haven’t been able to say aloud before. When I hear how much relief someone feels to be supported in this, it brings home how important helplines like ours are for people in our community.

What would you like to achieve as a volunteer?

As a volunteer I want to achieve a sense of community with my team and with the wider organisation. I believe in mutual aid and I know that this is a way I can give support to people who need it, as I have been supported myself. It’s also a great way to build my counselling and listening skills as well as my personal resilience.

What would you like to change for the LGBT+ community?

I want trans liberation and self-determination for trans people in the UK. Proper funding for trans health services should be a priority. Maybe some of that corporate Pride profit can be given to people in the local community. That would be a happy Pride!

Do you have a role model? Someone that inspires you?

Dolly Parton is my role model. She is a woman who works incredibly hard to make other people’s lives more joyful and hasn’t compromised her values to get to the top. Plus, she is the most talented singer and a camp icon.

I’m Zy and my preferred pronouns are they/them. I’m a PhD researcher at the University of Glasgow, and my PhD project focuses on creating safe and inclusive spaces for LGBT+ people in higher education.

How did you find out about LGBT Health and Wellbeing first and what was your journey to then becoming a volunteer?

I first found out about LGBT Health and Wellbeing through a friend that I had met when I had done my Masters in Glasgow in 2013. She sent me a link to the website and that was my first introduction to the organisation. But when I finally came back to Glasgow in 2018 to do my PhD, it was my partner who actually encouraged me to go to one of the events. I remember the first event I went to was actually a free session at the Cat Café in Glasgow, my partner loves cats so she encouraged me to go and I did. After the Cat Café event, I realised I enjoyed going to these LGBT+ events so I kept going, made friends, and became a regular attendee. Eventually when the organisation launched the call for the See Me Proud Community Champions I applied for that and it was my first volunteer role at LGBT Health and Wellbeing. Then after some time, there was a call for new Board members which I decided to apply to and so I’ve recently joined the organisation as one of the Trustees.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your role?

As Trustees we talk a lot about the strategic and admin side of running the organisation. I’m still quite new to the Board so I’m getting used to the role whereas I’ve been one of the See Me Proud Community Champions for much longer and in this role, we organise different activities to challenge mental health stigma within the LGBT+ community.

What are you the most proud of as a volunteer?

What I’m the most proud of as a volunteer is really just being part of the community, making connections, sharing and hearing other people’s stories. What I really appreciate about this space is that we all have a shared experience when it comes to stigma and discrimination. But even though we have that shared experience, we all have different stories and it’s great to be a part of that dynamic of hearing other people’s stories whilst getting to share your own. For me, it’s really like having a second family and being able to contribute to that family is something I’m really proud of.

What would you like to achieve as a volunteer?

When I started as an attendee, I found the organisation to be such a safe and supportive space. So now as a volunteer what I would like to do is to be able to reach out to more LGBT+ people. I want to help create and provide a safe space for them, to remind them that they are accepted, loved, appreciated and to let them know that it’s normal to be who they are even though our current society unfortunately can make us feel otherwise. So I’d like to focus on creating that safe and supportive space for all LGBT+ people.

What would you like to change for the community?

Ideally, I would want there to be LGBT+ equality globally. I want to get rid of anti-LGBT+ prejudice and discrimination, and for there to be no more need for LGBT+ safe spaces because all spaces would be safe spaces, and welcoming to all LGBT+ people.

Do you have a role model? Someone that inspires you?

The first person that comes to mind is actually a friend of mine, Eric Manalastas. One of the reasons he’s one of my role models is that to me and I think it would be fair to say to a lot of people in the Philippines, he paved the way for LGBT+ psychology in the Philippines. He’s one of co-founders of the Psychological Association of the Philippines LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group. This group was instrumental in my personal and professional development as an LGBT+ person and LGBT+ researcher. Eric has always been supportive and encouraging towards me. One of the things I remember him telling me is to create the things that you wish existed and to be the person that you wish you had or needed as a kid. And I guess volunteering with LGBT Health and Wellbeing is one of the ways I’m doing this. One of the reasons I applied to be a See Me Proud Champion to begin with, and why I decided to join the Board as well, is because when I was a kid, I wish there were LGBT+ champions and organisations like LGBT Health and Wellbeing. So, my friend Eric inspired me to create things I wish existed or to be someone I wish I had when I was a kid.

My name is Elise and my pronouns are she/her. I graduated last year (2020), in English literature in Edinburgh and I’m about to start a new job working for the arts publication ‘Boom Saloon’ that’s based in Edinburgh. I play a lot of music. I’ve played trumpet, piano and I’ve been singing since I was quite young, and right now I’m learning cello as a complete beginner.

How did you find out about LGBT Health and Wellbeing and what was your journey to then becoming a volunteer?

I find out about LGBT Health and Wellbeing through someone who used the service who kind of pointed me in that direction. They thought it seemed like something I’d love to get involved with which I definitely was. I was looking for a way to be part of a wider community and expand from my university bubble that I was in at the time. But also, I was really interested in the behind of the scenes of the organisation, I wanted to know more about what goes into planning these events and making sure that the needs of the community are fully considered. Volunteering seemed like the best way to go about learning all these things.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your role?

As part of the Events Team in Edinburgh, my role is very varied which I love. What’s helpful with this is that our supervisor Jules is very clear about boundaries and she’s very respectful of how much time we have and how much we can give. So, if it’s a point where I’m not busy, I might take on a lot more and write up a report for a community discussion or be more involved in the planning of an event. Whereas other points when I don’t have as much time, I will be behind the scenes at an online event sharing information in the Zoom chat, making sure that everyone’s tech stuff is okay and generally supporting whoever is running the event.

My role also involved contributing ideas and helping to create a safe space at events so being someone that people can talk to, if needed. I only started volunteering with LGBT Health and Wellbeing in October 2020 so all I’ve been doing is remote. I’m involved with Rainbow Lounge which is a fortnightly new space (online right now) that we brought during lockdown. It’s a really nice space to just chill and catch up with people. We have a lot of regulars so we get to see a lot of familiar faces who also come from out with Edinburgh. It’s also been a really intergenerational space which isn’t necessarily as easy to achieve with in person events. We also host a monthly Big Queer Quiz which we’ve started during lockdown to provide a regular meetup space for the community.

How does the whole Events Team in Edinburgh work then?

We have team meetings every two weeks which is a time to brainstorm any upcoming events we want to plan. At the moment, we have a community discussion coming up about diversity and drag event. I’m really excited for this one especially since it’s such a precarious time right now for venues and live performance art. It’ll be a great opportunity to bring the local creative community together so we can learn more about it and maybe even find out how to get involved in it. This came about by us all getting together and thinking what does the community want to know more about? A big part of this is listening to attendees during events and being attentive to what people are talking about and what’s coming up for the community.

We also look at feedback from events where folks can let us know what they’d like us to put on and to also think about what things we can improve on for future events. We’ve had some great feedback from people who because we hosted things online, were able to come to their first queer space ever. They might have not talked during the event and were just there to listen but it was great to know it made it easier for them to access our events.

As a team what are you the most proud of in your roles?

We are very proud of our response to the pandemic and how we managed to get things online very quickly. Being able to provide regular contact to the community which was the most needed even though it could be tiring at times especially as we were all grappling with the situation. However, it was really helpful for us as volunteers as well and volunteering for LGBT Health and Wellbeing definitely helped us so much through lockdown as some of us were living at home and feeling like we didn’t have much of a connection to the queer community anymore.

We are also proud every time someone told us it was the first time they had been to a queer space and how relax and open they had felt, even coming back a second time. And seeing friendships being made. As volunteers, it’s nice when you almost don’t have to do much because people are just getting to know each other and leading the conversations themselves. We know when this happens that we’re doing a good job. It’s good to be part of a wider community and queer spaces that are always evolving. Our spaces are quite intergenerational and it’s great when there’s people of all ages learning from each other’s’ stories and experiences.

And finally, we’re proud to have created spaces where people feel comfortable to just sit back and listen. Not engaging verbally doesn’t mean someone is not engaging, being simply present and hearing from the community is a form of engagement.

What more would you like to achieve as a team?

We want to keep raising awareness and building empathy and understanding for different sections of the LGBTQ+ community. And simply continue on building supportive spaces where we give people the structure they might need to meet other people so they can build a sense of community.

What would you like to change for the community?

We would love for queer spaces to keep being more varied where diverse perspectives keep growing so we can learn from each other more actively.

Do you have a role model? Someone that inspires you?

We all look up to our supervisor Jules. Just seeing how committed and passionate she is and how she’s always making sure that we are feeling empowered. She provides really sincere and constructive feedback which is great for our confidence and make us feel very valued. I’ve definitely learned a lot from Jules about how to communicate clear boundaries to people in a way that’s really respectful. Thanks to her I understand that it’s just about valuing yourself and making everyone’s job easier. She is so enthusiastic and works so hard, it’s inspiring. I don’t think any of us would have such a good experience if it wasn’t for Jules.

My name is Thierry (he/him), I’m from Cameroon and I’m a volunteer with LGBT Health and Wellbeing in Glasgow. Outside of volunteering, I’m a student in Social Care at Clyde College. I’m really passionate about working with kids so that’s what I’d like to do in the future. I believe the kids are the future of tomorrow so I’d like to help them on the right path for them so they can shape a better future.

What was your journey to becoming a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

I came across LGBT Health and Wellbeing when I was struggling with myself. I was in London and when I moved to Scotland, I only had one friend who took me to a meeting with LGBT Unity. After going to several meetings, Solomon who ran the meetings told me about another event with LGBT Health and Wellbeing that I could go to. I told myself I’d go see how it is because I didn’t know anybody and I was looking to be part of the local community. So I went (back in May 2019) and that’s where I met Benn (Glasgow Mental Wellbeing Development Worker) and as we spoke, I thought it was really interesting what the organisation was doing so I asked how I could actually be part of it. Then Benn gave me the programme booklet with all the events happening at the time, and from there I joined the Wellbeing Café (back when it was in a café), the Wellbeing Walks and few other events.

The first time I volunteered was with Ian at the Rainbow Spoon meetup in Project Café. One of the main reasons I decided to volunteer was to know more about the LGBT community and how I could help. But also, how I could be supported in terms of my mental health and wellbeing. I thought if there’s one place where I could really understand what LGBT stands for, it’s by joining these events and volunteer for them. In Cameroon where I grew up, we don’t actually know what LGBT stands for. We don’t even speak about the term LGBT so it was new to me and I wanted to know more so that’s why I joined LGBT Health and Wellbeing. I took it as an open door to understand more and to belong to a community and be part of a group of people.

But also, when you go somewhere and meet people like Ian and Benn who can help you feel positive about yourself and when you receive all the help then the logic is for you then to help others. There are so many people coming to LGBT Health and Wellbeing who need help too, so you receive then you give back. That’s my way of doing things and that’s how I understand it. I was fortunate to have these people around me that were able to give me something that I will value for the rest of my life, so it’s my duty to transmit it to others.

What do you do as a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

I volunteer with Benn on the Mental Health Project and with Stella on the LGBT Refugee Project which is massive but quite new, where I run the Men’s Group (there is also a Women’s Group). We have so many members and at the moment, it’s a bit difficult because we only meet online and there are a lot of them I haven’t met face to face so there’ll be a lot of catch up at some point but that’s just how it is with everything happening right now. It’s still fun and we’re trying as much as possible to help the ‘new Scots’ as we call them and the asylum seekers.

Sometimes it’s not easy because you come across different kind of people and then you can find out it could be difficult to talk to someone or to approach them to help them. But if you’re happy doing something and you have the will to do it, no matter what the situation is with someone, you will always be there to give a hand to them when needed.

When I first started volunteering, we would get briefed about what to do, how to approach people but during the meetup you might not do it the way it’s supposed to be, or if you did it how it should be, someone might not respond to that so you will have to adapt to make them feel at ease and comfortable. They are coming to find a place where they can enjoy a social life, they want to be happy and to feel safe but creating a safe environment isn’t always easy, there might be issues but we always find a way of resolving them at the end of the day. It’s a learning process, every day, every week, every month, you learn something.

What are you the most proud of as a volunteer?

When you give help to somebody, you have that sense of satisfaction because you are able to help that person. And by doing that, you know that you did something good. You were able to impact on the life of somebody. Being able to impact the life of someone and to put something in the life of that person that they will remember for the rest of their days.

When the pandemic started, I lived in a hotel for 9 months and that wasn’t easy. At that time, I only had my phone so imagine doing meetings and basically everything on your phone. But the best thing that came out of it was the fact that I was able to do those meetings and to tend to someone who needed help when they were going through something difficult. I remember one day at around midnight when I was asleep, my phone rang with someone who just wanted to talk. I woke up and spoke to them for about two hours which isn’t easy because you don’t know what the person is going through. But couple days after when we spoke again, he said that night he called, he was afraid to call me but I told him my phone is always open so he could just give me a call when needed and that we will figure what to do. With the poor conditions in the hotels where asylum seekers are living, it’s important to have somebody you can count on. It was difficult at the beginning but now we are able to do things much better and we feel much more comfortable where we are at the moment.

Another thing I’m proud of, I remember last year around October or November, out of the blue Benn called me about an event that needed to be coordinated by someone. I hadn’t done anything like this before so I wasn’t sure how to deal with it but then I coordinated it with someone else and at the end I was really satisfied because everyone who attended reported they were happy with how things went. Being able to see the smile on someone’s face, it’s just pure joy.

What more are you hoping to achieve as a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

At the moment, I’m learning how to create a safe ground for someone I meet for the first time. At the start, you don’t know how to approach someone so creating that safe space to maintain a sense of trust is important. The moment a person trusts they can open up to you, they will tell you everything and when you have all the information, you can help the person in the best way possible.

One thing I don’t really put out there is that I actually want to be out there and talk to people. By talking to people, you help but you also gain something. Because we are all different, we either have different backgrounds or different ways of doing things so by talking to people you learn something new. And when learning that thing, you might come across somebody who you might not be able to help the way you thought you could but you might use that thing you learned from that other person to help that new person. So, it goes around really.

If you could change one thing for the LGBT community, what would it be?

If I could change one thing, it would be acceptance. Because the LGBT community is still struggling, either here, in the US, Africa or Asia, wherever they are, they are still struggling. If they feel accepted and that they are being valued, things would be different. I had a conversation once with someone and I told them that no matter who they are, the first thing that I owe anybody in front of me is to love them, value them and accept them because I don’t have the right or power to change that person. They define themselves so it’s up to me just to accept them the way they are. So yes, if I had a magic wand to change anything, it would be being accepted. Being able to walk out in the world without being afraid, being able to do things without anybody judging you. That’s the first thing I’d do, it might not be the biggest thing but it’d be the first I do.

Where I grew up when they don’t know something or understand something, they are afraid of it. They say it’s bad. When something new comes up, they say it’s bad because they don’t understand it. But how would you understand something if you are afraid of it. Unless you try to understand or that person speaks to you, how could you? When I was growing up, I was always open-minded. When I was looking at something new, I would ask what is that, I want to know what it is and it’s always pushed me to do things that people were always questioning. They would ask why is he doing this, why is he doing that, but that’s just the way I am. It’s not because you don’t understand something that it’s bad. And if you have power, it doesn’t mean that you have to control everybody else. That’s not how it works. Unfortunately, that’s how things seem to work at the moment but if I had the power to change this, I would. Simple, everybody has the right to live, everybody has the right to feel safe and by being safe, they can actually do more things, explore more things.

Who do you look up to?

Growing up I was really lucky because I was looking up to my dad. He was the person I wanted to be like. But I didn’t want to only be like him, I even wanted to be more. He was a very social person and he was out there. He would travel a lot for work and when he came back, I was always close to him, I wanted to talk to him and know more.

But now, those I look up to are those that communicate and that I know that whatever happens I can call anytime. I’m thinking people like Benn and Stella because they have experience that I don’t have at the moment. Seeing what they are doing for the community and for themselves, I want to do more to be like them and maybe even more actually.

Also, when I listen to the speeches of Nicola Sturgeon on TV, I see somebody who wants to do more for the Scottish people and one of the good things is that she supports the LGBT community which is good for me also. These are the type of people that when I wake up in the morning, I want to be greater than them or like them at the very least.

Hi, my name is Robin, my pronouns are they/them and I’m on the LGBT Health and Wellbeing Board of Trustees. My day job is as the Representation and Democracy Manager at Edinburgh University Students Association, and outside of work, I spend most of my time caring for my embarrassingly large house plants collection and dreaming of a wardrobe that is entirely of multi-coloured jumpsuits.

What was your journey to becoming a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

I had been involved in LGBT Health and Wellbeing and community groups over a number of years from when I was a student and all the way to kind of the present day. I had also accessed LGBT Health and Wellbeing’s counselling service. And so when I saw that you were advertising for Trustees, I thought that was a really good opportunity to use some of the skills that I developed from my day job, and really apply them to helping to develop and enhance the services that LGBT Health and Wellbeing offer.

What is your role as a volunteer?

So along with all the other Trustees on the Board, we’re responsible for the strategic management and governance of the organisation so making sure that everything is on track, and that we’re really working together as an organisation towards our ultimate goals of supporting the LGBT community in Scotland.

What are you the most proud of as a Trustee?

I’ve only been with LGBT Health and Wellbeing for a couple of months now but I’m so proud of the way that we’ve supported some of the most marginalised members of our community during COVID. We’ve really stepped up to support our asylum-seeking communities that we work with, in really practical and tangible ways, and I think that is so important.

As a Trustee, to me it’s really important that we’re not only delivering great services that are reactive and responsive to the needs of our users, but that we’re also looking after all of our volunteers and incredible staff members as well so one thing I’ve been really passionate about this year has been supporting staff through COVID and making sure that they’re well supported and able to deliver those great services out to our service users as well.

If you could change something for the community, what would it be?

So I’m fighting for a world in my personal and professional life where trans people have safe and affordable access to health care and housing, and that every single trans person has the love of the people that matter to them.

Who do you look up to?

I don’t really have a role model but I am inspired every day, as cliché as it sounds, by the young people that I get to work with. They have taught me so much about community and care and growing into the person that you want to be no matter what age you are so all of them are my role models.

My name is Ndubuisi (he/him) and I am an asylum seeker here in Glasgow originally from Nigeria. I am a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing for the Refugee Project. In my spare time, I love swimming, it’s something I used to share with my partner in Nigeria, we would relax and have fun together.

What was your journey to becoming a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

I find out about the organisation in March 2020 through my partner. I joined LGBT Health and Wellbeing, not only because I’m a gay man but also because I was looking for support with my mental health. I contacted Stella who coordinates the Refugee Project and I joined online meetups like Queerantine Nights and many more. I then started to volunteer in January 2021 to provide 1:1 support to asylum seekers and refugees.

What is your role as a volunteer?

The first person I supported was an asylum seeker who was mentally down and on a 6-month waiting list to get support so I made myself available to check on him every week during that time. I was a barber in Nigeria so I also offer free haircuts to asylum seekers and refugees, 3 times a week. And I help run the Men’s Group (there is also a Women’s Group) which meets twice weekly (online for now) where we share information about support available for asylum seekers and refugees at LGBT Health and Wellbeing (such as the counselling service, monthly phone top-ups, food vouchers, etc…) and information about the Home Office and the process of seeking asylum as an LGBT person. We also have a What’s App group so we can all stay in touch and I make sure new people feel welcomed to the group.

What are you the most proud of as a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

I am passionate about working with the most vulnerable in society and particularly asylum seekers and refugees like me to help them with their mental health. The asylum-seeking system in the UK is very hard and it has a big impact on people’s wellbeing. I want to work towards setting up a charity to support asylum seekers and refugees with their mental health through digital support. Digital is my line of profession and I want to use this to help others cope when they need mental health support.

Who do you look up to?  

I got a lot of support and love from charities in Scotland, they gave me life and hope as an asylum seeker and inspire me to do the same and support those less privileged. I would also like to thank Stella (the Refugee Project Coordinator) for her quick response to issues faced by LGBT asylum seekers in Scotland. She has done so much for us especially during the pandemic, checking on us regularly to make sure we were ok. I am proud to be able to support Stella’s work now and to give back to my community.