Trigger warning: contains detailed reports of violence against transgender people. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance was first observed in 1999; a vigil to honour the memory of trans woman Rita Hester, killed the year before.

The first time I became aware of TDOR was last year.  A memorial was being observed at a trans event in my LGBT centre.  I walked into a cosy downstairs room and saw a couple of my friends sitting on the comfortable seats, silent and sombre.  On two coffee tables sat a small memorial tree, messages tied to the branches with coloured ribbons; and the book of names of those killed in the last year.

I said a difficult hello to my friends and sat down.  I studied the memorial tree for a bit, then pulled the book toward me and read the front cover.

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2018
369 reported murders of trans and gender-diverse people in the last year.

I didn’t really feel the weight of that number until I started reading through the book.  It was laid out by country, and under each name is listed the person’s age, occupation, date of death, location of death and cause of death.  Trans people of all ages and from all over the world – Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil…

Cause of death: shot; beaten; stabbed; decapitated; set on fire…

I took in some of the names and the details, pausing to think about the people I was reading about and how horrible it was that these people had suffered and been killed, just for being trans. I felt it important that I look at every page.

It struck me that some of the highest numbers of murders were in Brazil, Mexico and the United States.  Some of the victims were just kids.  Some of the causes of death were absolutely horrific.  All of them unnecessary, and illustrative of the discrimination and hatred that many trans people suffer.

This year I’ll be volunteering at an event where TDOR will be observed. I’m not looking forward to looking through the 2019 book, but I’ll approach it as a kind of morbid duty.  It’s important for me to remember these people and for us as a community to make sure that we stick together and look out for one another.

It’s easy to dismiss these deaths into extreme cases and that trans people, in the UK at least, are protected under the Equality Act.  But legislation doesn’t protect you from jokes or harassment; from being misgendered or deadnamed; from being denied access to the proper changing facilities or bathrooms; or from violence.

The deaths reported are the extremes, but many of us go through discrimination every day.  Having our identity challenged or denied, seeing near-constant anti-trans news reports, having to wait nearly two years for access to gender identity services – all of this wears us down.

The statistics from Stonewall are disturbing:

• 2 in 5 trans people have been attacked or threatened in the last 5 years
• 1 in 4 trans people have experienced discrimination at work
• More than half of trans people have been diagnosed with depression at some point
• Almost half of trans people in Britain have attempted suicide
• More than half of trans people have been told by their GP that they don’t know enough about trans-related care to provide it

Media representation of trans and nonbinary people is getting better, with well-known people including Laverne Cox, Munroe Bergdorf, Fox Fisher, Owl Fisher, Laura Jane Grace, Kye Allums, Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, Eddie Izzard, Lana Wachowski, Rain Dove Dubilewski and Stephen Whittle, all increasing our profile.  However, negative reporting is much more prevalent.

I hope that on 20^th November this year you’ll spare a thought for those whose lives have been taken in acts of hatred.  Not just trans people, but victims of any hate crime.

Eve Moore
(volunteer with LGBT Health and Wellbeing)

Today is Bi Visibility Day and to celebrate, some of our bisexual staff share their personal thoughts and experiences about being visible with their identity.

We would love to hear from anyone else who has something to share for Bi Visibility Day. You can interact on our Facebook page or via Twitter.

Importantly though, we’d like you to know that no matter how visible you feel today or any other day, your experience of bisexuality is valid.

“When people ask me how I can be bisexual, when I’ve been married to my husband for 42 years, I just reply ‘it doesn’t make me straight – it makes me monogamous.”

My coming out story makes me blush now, as I did so as a result of my book being published. Instead of just letting people read about my falling in (unrequited) love with my best friend, I decided I needed to tell everyone beforehand. So I did a whistle-stop ‘Shirley’s Coming Out Tour’ of the UK, which I realise now was totally unnecessary and was actually a rather underwhelming experience, since nobody seemed the slightest bit interested. It was hard, because of course for me it had been a hugely significant and difficult event in my life, especially I was in my fifties at the time (you’ve heard of late bloomers…and then some!).

One friend told me I couldn’t be Bi, because there was no such thing and everyone else just shrugged and asked me if I was sure… Ironically, the people who were most supportive were my husband and my adult children. Followed by my niece, who is one of the only people who asked me how it felt.

So yes, Bi-invisibility is live and well out there. People still think someone’s sexuality is up for debate, so it is really good to be asked to write this and to feel that I am valid and part of this community.’

Shirley (Glasgow Service Manager, maternity cover for 11 months)

“I’ve spent a significant portion of my life thinking my bisexuality wasn’t relevant, and an equally significant portion wondering how to express its relevance to me.”

There was a lot of work in between, and I think for that reason visibility feels really important to me.

I came out later in life and know all too well the feeling of being out of place: not quite fitting in straight spaces but without the herstory and cultural knowledge to feel like I fully fit queer spaces. But our community is always teaching me that everyone’s story is different and valid; and that queer spaces are ours to make and shape.

So for me being visible doesn’t mean I’ve nailed being ‘out’. It means I’m prepared to be seen as I am now and to bring my bisexuality, along with all the other parts of my identity, into the world.

Rosie (Policy and Influencing Manager)

“I believe in self-identification so it is extremely annoying that I find a way to exclude myself from my own mantra by feeling like I can’t claim an identity without the ‘right’ credentials.”

Bisexuality (and any sexuality really) is about how you feel, not how people perceive you. This statement resonated with me and revealed the lingering imposter syndrome that sits within me, whilst being perfectly comfortable with the fluidity of my sexuality.

I have always lived in nuances and love to explore them in my emotions and thoughts. So it makes perfect sense to me that my sexuality exists in nuances. But some people do not do well with nuances: too much grey area when it’s more comfortable to exist in black or white. And unfortunately this rigidity can come from all sides: not settled enough for heterosexuality and not queer enough for bisexuality. But recently, as I’ve started to go to bisexual-centred spaces, I have come to realise that my experience is probably one of the most common amongst bisexual and non-monosexual people.

I believe in self-identification so it is extremely annoying that I find a way to exclude myself from my own mantra by feeling like I can’t claim an identity without the ‘right’ credentials. So at this point in time, visibility for me is about being visible to myself. The only person I need to make sense to, is myself.  

Camille (Communication and Evaluation Officer)

Did you know that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Scotland experience poorer than average mental health and yet are less likely to use mental health services?

Join us in developing LGBT inclusive mental health services in Scotland.

As the only charity in Scotland providing specialist services to LGBT adults, we know that LGBT people continue to experience poorer than average mental health. But we also know that we can change this, together. In our bid to improve the wellbeing of LGBT people in Scotland, we are launching a National Conversation on Mental Health to find solutions to the barriers LGBT people face when using mental health services in Scotland.

LGBT people are at higher risks of experiencing mental health problems

Research over the past years have consistently evidenced higher levels of mental health problems within the LGBT community. Stonewall Scotland’s latest report (2018-19) on the health of LGBT people in Scotland highlights a disturbing number of LGBT people experiencing depression (49%) and anxiety (60%), resulting in self-harm (16%) and thoughts of suicide (32%).

However, a common misconception is that poor mental health is an intrinsic part of being LGBT: “In my previous experiences with mental health professionals, people had often linked my sexual orientation to my mental health conditions and both had felt like labels”

After years of community work with LGBT people, we know that it is the stigmatisation of LGBT identities as well as people’s past experiences of discrimination and their anticipation of being discriminated against that profoundly impacts wellbeing.

Discrimination

Despite progress and legal changes in Scotland, for many LGBT people discrimination is still an everyday reality. In fact, hate crimes against LGBT people in Scotland have consistently increased over the past 10 years and were at their highest in the year to March 2019. It is difficult to know to what extent this rise reflects an increase in confidence around reporting hate crime, but a 2017 report from Stonewall Scotland suggests that despite the introduction of hate crime legislation, 87% of anti-LGBT hate crimes still go unreported.

Minority stress

The threat and reality of discrimination can have a devastating impact on wellbeing, pushing many LGBT people to live in a constant state of stress and fear. This is best explained by the concept of ‘minority stress’ which recognises that experiences of “stigma, prejudice and discrimination create a hostile and stressful social environment that causes mental health problems”. As a result, a majority of LGBT people in Scotland still ‘never’ or only ‘sometimes’ feel able to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity with their own family (52%), at work (60%) or when accessing services (71%).

Stigma

Coming to terms with one’s identity becomes difficult in a social environment that is prejudiced against LGBT people. As a community organisation, we witness the impact of stigma on a daily basis and a large part of our work focuses on supporting LGBT people to accept themselves and celebrate who they are, so they can grow in resilience and happiness. Currently, trans people in Scotland are being vilified in a toxic public discourse surrounding reform to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA). The consultation has put the spotlight on trans people in an unprecedented way, challenging their fundamental rights to live in safety and access public spaces and services.

LGBT people face barriers in accessing mental health services in Scotland

And yet, despite being particularly vulnerable to poor mental health LGBT people are less likely to access key health services. In fact, many of us are reluctant to be open about our sexual orientation or gender identity when seeking medical help because of fear of being treated differently. And when we decide to ‘come out’ to healthcare providers, we often have a poor experience. A few issues include:

Irrelevant or wrong information

37% of LGBT people find that health information isn’t relevant to their sexual orientation or gender identity. For example, 60% of lesbian and bisexual women say it’s hard to find relevant information about sexual health, and 37% of them were told that they did not require cervical screening test.

Gaps in knowledge

27% of LGBT people (59% of trans people) experienced healthcare staff lacking understanding of their specific needs

Assumptions and invasive questioning

55% of LGBT people experienced healthcare staff making incorrect assumptions about their sexual orientation or gender identity. And 25% experienced inappropriate curiosity because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Discrimination

13% of LGBT people received unfair treatment from healthcare staff, as well as being outed without consent to other staff or patients.

Those negative experiences contribute to mainstream health services not feeling ‘safe’ for LGBT people, who all too often feel unable to access the health care that they need.

Working towards LGBT inclusive mental health services in Scotland

Healthcare and service providers play a key role in the recovery and wellbeing of the people that reach out for support. Therefore, you play a key part in ensuring LGBT people can access services that are affirmative of their identities and inclusive of their needs. Together, we can work towards a health sector that fully embraces the diversity of the LGBT community, where LGBT people feel safe and taken care of with dignity and respect.

Practical steps and resources

We have developed a range of resources to help health and social care services provide quality care and support to LGBT people.

LGBT Inclusive Mental Health Services

A guide developed in partnership with the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, including practical steps you can take to improve the experience of LGBT people accessing your services.

LGBT Mental Health Audit Tool

A framework to help you examine your practice and identify practical steps to ensure your services include the needs of LGBT people (including around policy, evaluation and promotion).

LGBT Helpline Scotland

We offer a helpline service on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 12-9pm that you can use to ask for information and advice on how to best support LGBT people.

Find out about the experiences of LGBT people in Scotland

On Sunday 22^nd September, we are hosting a National Conversation on Mental Health bringing the LGBT community together to talk about mental health and identify solutions to overcome barriers when we look to mainstream services for support.

The conversation will span across 3 events:

• Community Brunch
• Community Discussion – book here
• Our Stories: Spoken Word

During the Community Discussion, we would like to engage organisations that want to improve mental health services for the LGBT community. This will be a great opportunity to learn about the experiences of LGBT people using mental health services in Scotland and identify solutions to overcome barriers. Join us in working towards a Scotland where LGBT people have access to services that are responsive to their needs.

An action campaign for transgender health and wellbeing

This is a call for action. We work to improve the health and wellbeing of transgender people, and the need for this has never been more urgent. As debate rages and services are strained, we are seeing a real impact on the health of trans people in our community. We didn’t think things could get worse than they already were – 7 in 10 trans people have experienced depression and more than a third have attempted suicide. Even against this backdrop, we’ve had reason to stay hopeful. We see the life changing impact of our mental health work. We hear from trans people about the difference that we make and we see people’s courage and resilience. But we need your help.

It seemed that society was becoming more tolerant, more gender aware, more inclusive and that if we just worked alongside this tide of progress we would get there. Trans people’s health would improve – too slowly, perhaps, but steadily nonetheless. But we’re being knocked back. Public awareness of trans lives has exploded – but without accurate information, respect and compassion. The debate is toxic, the negativity relentless. The impact on our community is huge.

Being an ally has never been more important. It’s time for us to stand together. And we know this is already happening. The thing is, though, the ‘debate’ rages on and the people who are the focus of the prejudice, misinformation and hatred are struggling. It’s hard to take strength in the fact you have allies when everywhere your allies are being shouted down. We are working in many different ways, desperately trying to repair the damage that’s being done, and we will continue to do this. But we’ve come to the conclusion that we need help – practical, tangible help. We need actions, small and big, to improve trans health. We need you to take action with us.

It’s a simple ask, but we understand that sometimes for allies it can be difficult to know exactly what would help. So we’re going to start sharing some practical steps you can take to improve trans people’s health and wellbeing. We firmly believe that the personal is political and that we must work at every level of society to keep ourselves well. We’ll start things off here with a really simple thing everyone can do. We’ll continue to post more through our blog and through all our social media platforms, and we’ll indicate who our ideas apply to – they might be for everyone or for those with particular skills or roles. We’ll do this for as long as it takes. And we absolutely welcome you joining in with ideas of your own!

So please follow us – and please help us. Our community is experiencing a health crisis and we simply can’t resolve it alone.

Action 1: Embrace pronouns

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This is one you may have head of already. Asking which pronouns a person uses – and then using those pronouns when talking about or addressing them – can make a massive difference to how a trans person feels. It is the difference between being acknowledged as yourself or feeling invisible.

Examples of pronouns are: she/her for female identified people; they/them for non-binary people; he/him for male identified people.

We all have pronouns we identify with. If people don’t regularly mistake your gender, it’s unlikely you’ve really had to think about this. But if someone referred to you by a gender other than your own, you’d certainly feel something about it. By actively sharing your own pronouns, you can demonstrate your awareness that pronouns matter – that you too have pronouns you expect people to use. This can help trans people around you to feel more confident in asking that their own pronouns are respected.

Places you might share your pronouns:

• Include your pronouns under your name on your email footer at work, and ask colleagues to do the same. We’ve been so pleased to hear from many organisations who already do this!
• If you have to make a name badge for yourself at an event you’re attending, include your pronouns.
• During introductions at meetings, ask that people let you know which pronouns they use. This will help you address them correctly.
• If you are meeting someone for the first time, simply ask how they like to be known (in lots of situations you would ask this anyway) and what pronouns they use.

We hope this helps. And we would love to hear your positive experiences of sharing and respecting people’s pronouns.

Action 2: Be clear that trans inclusion is important to you

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Does your job involve delivering a service or dealing with the public? If it does, it can really make a difference if you’re able to consider how a trans person might feel in that space and what you can do to signal they are welcome there. This might involve refraining from addressing people as ‘madam’ or ‘sir’, ensuring people are able to access toilets or fitting rooms they feel comfortable in, displaying a rainbow flag somewhere to help people feel better about coming out and asking for what they need, or seeking trans inclusion training for you and your team.

What have we missed? What else would help?

It’s so important to let trans and non-binary people know they are accepted for who they are and they will be treated fairly and with dignity and respect. And we don’t believe it’s possible to send this message too loudly or too frequently.

The fewer barriers people face to being recognised as themselves and being able to express their needs, the more confident they will feel in approaching services. When we repeatedly experience challenge or rejection we start to expect this, and we’re therefore less likely to ask for help because we anticipate an experience which will leave us emotionally drained.

Did you know, for example, that LGBT+ people generally are more likely to delay their engagement with services because they anticipate prejudice and discrimination?

But the more positive experiences we have, the more confident we feel in asking for help when we need it.

This belief is what motivated us to join our friends at HIV Scotland, Terence Higgins Trust Scotland, Scottish Drugs Forum and Waverley Care to ask the Scottish Government to go ahead with reforming the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) to make it easier for trans and non-binary people to change their birth certificates.  Please do what you can to let trans and non-binary people know you will treat them fairly. Help build confidence and spread more of the accepting and inclusive ethos we’d all like to see.

Action 3: Don’t judge people by what they wear

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Trans and non-binary people face many barriers to feeling comfortable and safe in expressing themselves every day. One of these barriers is being able to wear clothes that help them feel like themselves.

For people who have body shapes which do not conform to the standard ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ fashion ideals, clothes can be a real challenge. There may be a need to shop around or get creative. And it can be particularly important to feel confident about asking to try on clothes and shoes in shops, and to have positive experiences doing this.

For some trans people, it takes time to build up enough confidence to go shopping for clothes they are comfortable in and to dress as they’d like.  Moreover, many trans people in our community are on low incomes and struggle to find and afford clothes and shoes they like.

Adding to these challenges, as a society we still have very binary ideas about dressing in our gender. And trans people can feel judged when they do not conform to ideas about expressing femininity or masculinity ‘well’ enough. Will people believe they are trans? Will they be mis-gendered (again)? On a level, this is maybe something we can all relate to – how do you express your identity in a totally satisfactory way? This is especially pertinent if you feel ‘wearing’ your identity is key to being accepted and treated appropriately.

So we’re asking you to remember that getting dressed isn’t easy. It can take time, money, thought – and we don’t all have these resources in abundance! Don’t judge. Always we kind.

Luminate and LGBT Health and Wellbeing have collaborated with filmmaker Glenda Rome and with older community members, to produce a short community-led film exploring issues around care for older LGBT+ people.

‘Return to the Closet?’ will be screened on the opening day of the Luminate Festival, 1st May, at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion.

The film is the culmination of an eight month project in which members of LGBT Health and Wellbeing’s Age Project reflected on their knowledge and experiences of the care sector. In the film, they discuss their feelings around ageing and needing more support from care providers – in particular, will more engagement with services in later life mean having to ‘Return to the Closet?’ Glenda Rome collaborated with the group in the making of their film, including teaching filmmaking skills from interview techniques to editing.

Having lived though less liberal times which involved hiding their identity in different spheres of life, the film captures the ways in which a shared history of stigma and discrimination and the perception of non-LGBT+ inclusive care settings come together to give older LGBT+ people grave concerns about what care will look like for them.

Derek Anderson, who appears in the film, said: “We want this film to raise awareness about the care needs of older LGBT+ people, and to open up the conversations which will help our care needs be met. The idea of going into care can be daunting for anyone. We’ve lived through much less understanding times and we carry the impact of that with us. If we don’t feel welcomed as our authentic selves, this can be a real barrier to health. It’s so important that care providers deliver inclusive services where all older people can be their full selves and live healthy lives.”

Anne Gallacher, Director of Luminate, said: “Luminate’s creative work gives voice to older people’s views, hopes and dreams. Our collaboration with LGBT Health & Wellbeing has supported older LGBTI+ people to share their experience as part of a creative project, and to learn a range of documentary-making skills along the way. The group’s film is a thoughtprovoking exploration of their hopes and concerns for the future. I hope ‘Return to the Closet?’ will prompt discussion of the issues around care that the film raises, as it is important that our care services meet the needs of all older people.”

The complete Luminate Festival brochure can be download at www.luminatescotland.org.

Click here to download full press release.

In February 2019, we celebrated LGBT+ History Month 2019 with ‘Queering the Map of Edinburgh’ a workshop where we discussed the city from an LGBT+ perspective. This map shows a small selection of the places, memories and stories people chose to share in their own words.

Using a mixture of materials, miniature pride flags and three large maps, we recorded a whole range of memories and locations. These have been used to create this online map, and a printed version showing a smaller selection of places, which will be available around Edinburgh.

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When looking through the map, we particularly encourage you to think about how environments can be very different for different people – especially queer people of colour and disabled people.

This project is a collaboration between LGBT Health and Wellbeing, Scotland’s Urban Past, Scottish Civic Trust, and Our Story Scotland.

Click here to visit the interactive map.

Download a PDF version of the map.

In honour of Volunteer’s Week which takes place every year to celebrate the fantastic contribution millions volunteers make across the UK, we want to take the time to celebrate our fabulous volunteer Rachel who has been helping us around the office with maintaining our databases and providing invaluable support to the community on our helpline. Rachel has a lot to be proud of and we love that she embraces and recognises her own achievements, for self-pride is an incredible force that pushes you forward. Read more about Rachel’s journey below, in her own words.

With Edinburgh Pride rapidly approaching I thought it might be a good idea to write a little piece about what makes me proud, not just for one day when we all march together and wave flags, but over the last year?

So, I am proud of my own achievements first and foremost. I have spent the last years living entirely as female apart from 2 days because the plane tickets were booked in my male name. Otherwise I have lived, ate, slept and loved being an out MtF. I have done some pretty amazing but also scary things in that year:

1. A holiday to the Philippines, a little nerve wracking to be sure.
2. A trip around the western islands of Scotland, strangely more nerve wracking than the Philippines.
3. A holiday to Indonesia for two weeks, a level of scary that there are no words adequate to describe.

I am proud of the people I have made friends with who have helped me through the bad days where I have struggled with my depression or anxiety and helped me carry on.

I am proud of myself for reaching out to other people and helping them to come out or to overcome the difficulties they have faced in their everyday lives.

I am proud of my girlfriend for overcoming her personal misgivings and coming to realise that love between two people is love regardless of what body parts they have.

I am proud of all the people I have meet over the last year for the level of acceptance I have received, more than I had ever expected or even dared hope for. I think I have been asked the time, directions, where I got items of clothes from more times in the last years than the previous 45 years living as a male combined. It’s made me realise that although there are still some horrible people out there, 99.99% of the population just want to live their own lives and are happy for you to do the same.

I am proud of the country I live in that, even already being a good place to be LGBTQ+, has made advances to become more open and equal for everyone.

So as we approach the pride season, please reflect on your own year and be proud of yourself.

With love and pride,
Rachel  XXX

Written by our ever amazing volunteer: Lenka Murova.

You might have noticed that conversations around mental health have been more prominent on social media recently. The annual #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek kicked off on Monday 14^th of May this year, putting the emphasis on ‘stress’ and how we cope with it. People have been sharing their experiences of struggles and small victories with their mental health which is such an important part of making progress in helping to destigmatise mental health issues, to actually talking about them.

If you find yourself struggling, you might not even realise that it could be due to a mental health issue. I say this from personal experience as I’ve found myself having trouble being in crowds where I would feel like I was suffocating. I would lose motivation and would always find myself tired, not finding joy in the little things I used to. I thought that spontaneously bursting into tears and not being able to breathe seemingly without reason, was just me being overdramatic. So I ignored it, but it kept getting worse and worse and eventually, it felt like I was slowly suffocating.

Thankfully, as I am a child of the internet, I stumbled onto a blog that talked about mental health. I started reading about people’s experiences similar to mine and suddenly, I had a direction where to look for help. I went to see my first therapist when I was sixteen years old. I had no idea what I was doing, I was scared and thought I was making an embarrassing mistake. I am twenty three now and after years of not knowing what was wrong with me, I have words to describe what I can go through: anxiety and depression. Looking back, it should have been obvious but nobody around me has ever talked about this. The environment that I grew up in just made me feel useless and broken for not being able to just ‘get over it’.

So from my experience, raising awareness about mental health is nothing to scoff at. I simply didn’t know and had no idea that mental health was something that needed to be looked after. I thought that having a panic attack was normal for everyone (that or I was just weird). Being aware of your mental health is so important, because having to deal with these issues can be very isolating. After all – it’s just in your head, right? Talking about mental health issues, reading stories from others who struggle with it can all help at making people feel less alone.

Everyone has a unique experience with mental health and there is nothing wrong with asking for help when you think you need to. There are many resources out there that you can turn to. You can be sure of one thing, you are not alone, even if it often feels like it. Looking after yourself isn’t just about taking care of your physical health, it includes your mind as well.

Personally for me, it is important to be surrounded by people who care and understand, so I can build myself a support system. But I also understand that not everyone can have access to one which is why I love the opportunity to volunteer with LGBT Health and Wellbeing. I am so glad I can contribute in a small way to an organisation that focuses on supporting our community by providing a safe space where people can ask for help.

Just like anyone, I have good days and I have bad days, and I am learning to know how to ask for help when I need to. Well I’m trying, so I hope you give yourself the chance to try as well.

Useful resources:

• At LGBT Health and Wellbeing, we:
  – run a helpline that is open every Tuesdays and Wednesdays, between 12 and 9pm: 0300 123 2523
  – offer one-to-one meetings for people to find out more about mental health supports available and what services might best meet their needs
  – offer counselling
  – a programme of social events promoting positive mental health and wellbeing
• The Mental Health Foundation has a comprehensive list of different resources and places you can contact to seek help.
• Campaign organisations like See Me Scotland and Scottish Association for Mental Health create great social media campaigns which people can take ownership of to raise awareness within their community.
• If you are looking for an interesting conversation and artistic expression that aims to destigmatise mental health, check out Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and their wide variety of events across Scotland.
• There are also publications that work tirelessly to give voices and provide a platform for stories around mental health that often don’t feature in mainstream narratives:
  – Marbles: an independent print magazine
  – FearlessFemme: an online magazine for young femme and non-binary people