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.

By Siobhan Donegan

Caitlyn Jenner, in all probability the most famous Transgender Woman in the world, 1976 decathlon gold medallist and currently running for Governor in California, has recently been in the news having caused controversy-as she says she opposes transgender girls competing in girls’ sports at school. She later added that it was ‘a question of fairness’, referring to ‘biological boys’ who are trans competing in girls’ sports. Online reactions-comments to these opinions include one individual stating that she doesn’t represent trans people and doesn’t even represent cis views on trans issues.

On an even more cynical level it has been claimed that Jenner’s stance against young potential Transgender Athletes, is for no other reason than to pander to Republican voters. Also, that her statement represents and spreads the types of misinformation that will hurt transgender kids, that already need all the support that they can get. It should thus come as no surprise that Caitlyn Jenner has been criticized by many Transgender advocates.

If all this already wasn’t negative enough I feel I should add that unfortunately in the U.S.A the ability of transgender youths to play sports, or receive certain medical treatments has been limited by the fact that five states have laws or executive orders to that effect.

There is of course an ongoing discussion about Transgender inclusion in Sports. Also, this debate has in fact been going on since the Olympics allowed Transgender people to compete. This is partly due to the fact that Domestic Sport is actually considered a ‘complex environment’. The Sports Council Equality Group-SCEG actually initiated a review during 2020 to consider Transgender inclusion in Domestic Sport in the UK. The information collected by this council is now being processed and the work is ongoing towards a carefully considered outcome.

I just wanted to mention here that whenever I research these articles I’m always interested to see if I can find a local Scottish connection, and in this context I think it is important to discuss the Highland Games in relation to this issue. The Highland Games is of course very traditional and in fact the first historical references to the Games ‘heavy events’ was during the reign of King Malcolm the third between 1057 and 1093.

Returning to the issue under discussion, Transgender Sports competitors-entrants could be included in the native tradition of the Highland Games. The Governing body who takes into consideration and makes decisions on these issues, is the Scottish Highland Games Association (SHGA). This governing association has already come under pressure to update and improve ‘gender equality in its events’. Such ‘improvements’ could include ‘handicapping’, which would make possible Women being able to compete on a ‘level playing field’ with Men. The secretary of this governing body Ian Grieve, made it known, in a link, that there will be a Non-binary gender category included according to Scottish Athletics in all their Championship events.

The 72 year old governing body of the Highland Games- the SHGA remains under ‘active discussion’ about Transgender-Non-binary inclusion in the Games and is due to hold talks with the Scottish Government. As regards this a meeting has been organised by regular running competitor in the Games-Willie Rennie Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader and North East Fife MSP. The SHGA are also holding discussions with Scottish Athletics and Event Scotland. Furthermore, Rhoda Grant, Labour Highland and Islands MSP stated in reference to the possibility of the Organisers of the Games receiving Government funding- they would need to be perceived as an organisation treating people as equals. Also, James Morton, who is the Manager of Scottish Trans Alliance commenting on this said, ‘The Highland Games should showcase positive traditions but not out-dated sexist exclusion’.

The Highland Games does in fact have a diverse range of events, which includes tossing the caber, running, highland dancing and solo-piping. Morton stated that, ‘Bagpipers could compete against each other regardless of sex/gender’.

As the Trans Alliance pointed out, running events as organised by the Highland Games should have the same ‘inclusion policies’ as Scottish Athletics. Similarly with the ‘heavy events’ (tossing the caber and tug o’ war), a fairer policy should seriously consider grouping based on such factors as-lifting ability, strength, physical characteristics, rather than just gender/sex.

Finally here, if Scotland’s traditional Highland Games is to include Non-binary and Transgender categories in its events, this will be the first time in its 1000 year history. This possible positive outcome will depend on the final decision of the SHGA’s discussion on ‘development of strategies’ on these important issues of inclusion and representation.

Having attempted to highlight some of the broader issues on this interesting subject, I wanted to focus on some of the Transgender Athletes who have made a mark in their specific sport of choice. The first person I would like to mention here is Rachel McKinnon who is not only a Canadian Transgender Cyclist but also a record breaking Champion. Paula Radcliffe British long distance Runner has argued against the ‘fairness’ of Trans-Women competing against Cisgender Women in elite sports-stating that it should be ‘protected’ for ‘females’. McKinnon stated in response to this, ‘Paula continues to ignore facts: Trans-Women are legally female (and) Trans-Women have been permitted to compete in Olympic eligible sports since 2003’.

The first Trans-Man to make it to the U.S National Men’s team is Chris Mosier, who is also the founder of TransAthlete.com which takes a proactive role in trying to raise awareness of issues centred on Transgender Athletes. Mosier commented on trans-youth in ‘Out’ stating that there is ‘fear that somehow allowing girls who are Transgender to compete with other girls will give them a competitive advantage’, adding that this is based on ‘false stereotypes’, that athletes ‘come in all shapes, sizes and skill and ability’-and that it’s ‘unfair for us to police bodies’.

Fallon Fox was in fact the first openly Transgender Woman fighter in MMA history-who has now retired. However, Ronda Rousey the Cisgender MMA Champion refused to fight Fox in 2014, claiming that she had an ‘unfair advantage’. Rousey also stated that ‘I feel like if you go through puberty as a man it’s something that you can’t really reverse’. Fox in turn, responded to this on Facebook referring to Ronda’s ‘bone structure’ arguments as ‘ridiculous’.

Finally, Schuyler Bailer is the first openly Transgender Man-NCAA Division Swimmer. He was originally recruited to play on the Women’s team but now since transitioning has joined the Men’s team. Bailer stated that people worry that I’m ‘doping’ because he takes testosterone, as part of his HRT, and as such has a ‘steroidal advantage’, but claimed that this is not the case.

By Siobhan Donegan

Having written a whole string of articles on issues around Transgenderism, I thought it was time I wrote one that centres on gay issues. If one takes into consideration the prejudice inherent in heteronormativity towards gay issues, it then becomes obvious that as one writer described it we live in a world of ‘hetero-centrism’, which is why negative media portrayals can be due to cultural intolerance of the gay and LGBT communities, and as such this intolerance can include ‘homo-invisibility’. Also as the writer Judith Butler argues in ‘Imitation and Gender Insubordination’ it is socio-cultural conditioning-and especially ‘visual culture’ that reinforces heteronormativity.

Gay and lesbian representation in the earliest Hollywood depictions-from the 1890’s to the 1980’s-were often negative cruel homophobic portrayals. Such is the case according to the analysis of Vito Russo author of ‘Celluloid Closet’. Such negative Hollywood stereotypes have remained controversial as they were obviously a contributory factor in marginalising and silencing Queer people. The focus was often on sexual orientation and as such the drama suffered from any real or sympathetic complex character development.

Historically it was in 1895 that Edison Short’s silent film ‘The Gay Brothers’ in which there was the first depiction of same-sex representation. In 1923 homosexuality was used as a comic device in Stan Laurel’s silent film ‘The Soilers’. This brings to mind the fact that one prejudicial homosexual archetype of the early cinema was the ‘sissy’. For a heteronormative audience this figure was one of ‘ridicule and laughter’. According to Russo this figure was one of reassurance as it wasn’t one representative of the ‘threat’ of homosexuality, instead being often ‘foppish’, delicate of sensibilities, effeminate and in many ways this archetype must have been similar to a jester or a clown.

The portrayal of homosexuality, amongst other things, in cinema eventually came under strict censorship known as the ‘Hayes Code’. This was due to pressure groups, religious and women’s, who during the 1930’s and 1950s attacked Hollywood for its lack of morality. Overtly homosexual characters thus became strictly taboo. Instead homosexuality was ‘coded into the characters mannerism and behaviours’.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, which coincided with the Women’s and Gay Rights movements, the strict code of censorship specifically aimed at the Gay community was loosened. However, this was hardly beneficial as unfortunately their cinematic representation became overtly homophobic. During the Era of the 60’s and 70’s this can be seen in the fact that fictional gay cinematic characters were often presented as dangerous, predatory and sometimes even suicidal. Examples of films from this Era include ‘The Boys in the Band’ 1970, ‘Vanishing Point’ and ‘Midnight Express’.

By the 1990’s the depiction of Gay characters in the cinema had begun to improve which at least proved that from the perspective of a mainstream heteronormative audience that Gay characters could and were appreciated. Examples of films like ‘Philadelphia’, ‘The Birdcage’ and ‘Flawless’ are demonstrative proof of the success and popularity of these films. However, despite this unfortunately the film industry does always prioritise and show cautious concern as regards to large budgets and potential investors. This is due to the fact that Hollywood mainstream films have the ‘agenda’ of appealing to as large an audience as possible. As such films that focus on Gay themes and characters can thus be avoided for fear of offending a significant percentage of the audience.

The 1990’s probably as a reaction to this, also saw the emergence of ‘Queer Cinema’ and despite the fact that the movement has faded as a result of Gay themes and characters becoming more acceptable in the mainstream cinema, its legacy is seen in Queer Film Festivals all over the World. Examples of this Queer film genre are seen in the work of such filmmakers as John Waters, Alexis Arquette and Greg Araki.

Outside of exclusively gay cinema-media, LGBT representation in American TV is far better, as the proportion of LGBT inclusivity has steadily increased-including the diversity of these communities in contradistinction to cinematic representation. Reality TV is just one specific area of TV broadcasting that often includes members of the LGBT community. Hence it is considered as an undeniable fact that mainstream cinema is sadly lagging behind.

However, it should be taken into serious consideration that one of the main differences between the two forms of media is that the dramatis personae have more time to develop in TV Shows, eventually becoming complex rounded characters especially in TV dramas and sitcoms. In contrast to this Gay characters in films have much less screen time and cannot be developed sufficiently and as such are usually less essential to the plot. In reference to this specific factor of the limited amount of screen time gay characters often have and the fact that these characters can be irrelevant to the plot; producers can then be accused of ‘tokenism’. Alternatively, if the characters are overtly Gay and even in cases where their dramatic roles are important to the plot, there can be an accusation of stereotyping. As regards this, and referring back to Vito Russo, there is in fact an analytical test that has become known as the ‘Russo Test’. This specifically scrutinizes if a Gay character isn’t just defined by their sexuality-gender, and if their removal from a film-storyline would significantly impact on the plot.

It should of course be pointed out that Gay and other LGBT communities have been proactive over the years in order to achieve affirmative visibility and increased acceptance in mainstream media. Also, outside of exclusive reference to the cinematic genre and TV broadcasting ‘Queer media’ can be defined through multiple media outlets, including websites, documentary films and magazines especially if they are created by Queer people; the final creative product itself isn’t always necessarily overtly gay in theme. As regards this we should take into consideration the ‘Auteur Theory’, especially in reference to the fact that Gay film directors for example are perfectly capable of creating films with no recognizable Gay themes. However, according to the definition of this theory the film in question will have a distinctive style in which the director will be seen in terms of the Auteur or ‘Author’ of the movie. As such with close scrutiny and analysis the very style of the movie may be seen as Gay or might even have Gay themes woven into its symbolism.

Finally it has been expressed by one online writer that what is needed in the industry and not just within Film and TV but other forms of media as well, is more LGBT writers, directors and producers creatively working behind the scenes. However, cisgender heterosexuals, particularly talented ones are capable of writing scripts for Gay, Bisexual or even Transgender characters. Despite this, heterosexual writers seldom carry out the requisite amount of research by drawing on the experiences from members of the Gay or broader LGBT communities.

I would like to end here on a positive note. Broadcasting history was made in 1999 with Channel 4’s truly ground-breaking TV mini-series ‘Queer as Folk’. Although the series did inevitably cause some controversy, it was in fact a great success and was highly regarded by the Gay community and the mainstream press.

by Siobhan Donegan

As someone who identifies on the Trans-Feminine spectrum evidence for transgenderism in ancient cultures is a subject that has fascinated me for a significant amount of time. The evidence can be either ancient texts, including religious writings, mythological-folklore, and even archaeological.

It has been said that a pluralistic notion of diverse non-conforming gender identities in older  traditional cultures was crushed by Western Colonial rule in which European ideology, including concepts of sex and the gender binary, were ‘forcibly introduced’. The writer Ariel David adds ‘European concepts’-‘based on ‘Judeo-Christian values’. This is true but also partly unfair as the stage of historical development that we are scrutinising had of course become highly institutionalised, but furthermore if we go back to the roots of this tradition we find that according to traditional Jewish rabbinical legal writings, six different genders were recognized: the main gender binary, plus four other genders that can only really be understood as Intersex/intersexual.

I think a good starting point here would be to give a brief summary of the associated terminology in a modern context and then examining some of the more ancient traditional terminology for transgenderism. First of all, we have the word ‘Transvestite’ that was first used in 1910 and apparently created by Sexologist Magnus Hirschfield. The term ‘Transsexual’ was created in 1949, the term ‘Transgender’ emerged in 1971, and the very British term ‘Trans’ came about in 1996. When we turn to study the ancient world, we find that various traditional cultures had developed their own terminology for Transgender people. A few examples I think should suffice here.

For example, there is the Hijra of India, the Fa’afafine of Polynesia and the Tatatapui of New Zealand. Also, a third gender/social role in Arabia that has been attested since about 600 AD is the Khanith-(earlier there was the term Mukhannathun). Finally in this brief list, there have been since ancient times in Thailand Trans-Feminine ‘Third Gender’ communities made up of people referred to as ‘Kathoeys’. Whilst on the subject of terminology we can add here that in various ancient languages throughout the world, there are words that apparently denote ‘Transgenderites’ with examples from ancient poetry and religious leaders who use words such as ‘Ali’ and ‘Pedi’ to describe the ‘phenomena’ of transgenderism.

In such ancient cultures as Mesopotamia, Sumerian, Assyria, Babylonia and Akkadian there is historical evidence (including texts from 4500 BC) that document priests-priestesses known as ‘Gala’, a Male-to-Female priesthood that was accepted as sacred and given reverence. Furthermore, during the Old Testament Era there is evidence from an ancient Mesopotamian text known as ‘Erra and Ishum’ that references the worship of the fertility Goddess Ishtar and describes men ‘who changed their masculinity into femininity’. However, some writers have suggested that the requisite Male castration was a conspiracy to usurp Matrilineal leadership. The evidence is however against this theory as there are textual records for Transgender Priestesses dating back to the late Palaeolithic Era.

Research into indigenous Native American Pan-Tribal culture has shown that within this culture there were collectively ‘more than 100 different gender expressions’. Furthermore, five separate genders were recognised by some tribes. As such examples of gender variant identities amongst the Native American culture can be described as ‘Third Gender’ whose gender expression can also transform such as Navajo Nadleehi or Zuni Ilhamana.

As for archaeological evidence it has been discovered through a critical analysis of the funerary artefacts and skeletal remains at an archaeological site in Iran Hasanalu, that there is a strong possibility that offerings were made to individuals of three genders. If the analysis at this site is correct then this would mean that the skeletal remains of ‘third gender’ individuals prove that transgender people were recognised by this ancient civilization in Iran 3000 years ago, which has been described as an enigmatic civilisation that embraced diversity. According to Art Historian Megan Cifarelli from Manhattan-Ville College near New York City; the identifying of the sex/gender of the human remains at an archaeological dig can be based on the morphology of the skeletons and obviously close scrutiny of the funerary objects.

Furthermore, the analysis of the ‘mortuary accoutrements’ at the Iranian (Persian) Hasanalu site, showing the possibility of a third gender, is based on an algorithm that indicated that a third cluster, in about 20 percent of the burials, had a combination of artefacts, usually separated into their associated genders, and found accompanied with skeletons of either sex. Megan Cifarelli has thus theorised the existence of three different genders based on these three groupings of funerary artefacts. The argument against funerary objects associated with both genders being found in a third cluster and this simply being due to random factors, is the fact that within this ancient culture the funerary rites followed highly standardized ceremonial patterns.

Finally I would like to look at evidence for transgenderism in what can be referred to as the Mytho-Poetic Tradition and its sister subject Folklore. In specific reference to the Mythological tradition there are some esoteric scholars who will no doubt argue that as these stories tell of metaphysical levels of reality in symbolic language, as such transgenderism doesn’t really apply, however this is a matter of conjecture. As such, one example I think should suffice here; within the Religio-Mythological iconography of such ancient cultures as India there are hermaphroditic/androgynous beings that are depicted as Male on one side and Female on the other, such as Ardhanarishvara. However, within a pan-cultural context especially in the more ancient pagan polytheistic mythologies some of the deities that we encounter here have all too Human attributes. One really interesting example is within a narrative of ancient Greek Mythology that has been considered by some as a symbolic explanation for the creation of Transgender individuals. This is the story that the Greek Sun God Apollo, although some would claim that it was actually Prometheus, was drunk when he created people with the ‘wrong’ genitalia. As one online writer stated this means, ‘Trans people are not a new thing, we’ve always been here and we’ve always found ways to justify our existence’. It should also be added that a ‘metaphysical’ argument against transgenderism becomes harder to maintain, in my opinion when a specific tale deals with the creation of Human beings.

It has stated by some writers that there are what can be referred to as ‘Transgender themes’ involving gender identity that have been incorporated into Myths, Folklore and even Religious texts since ancient times on a Pan-Cultural scale. One good example of this is from West African Dahomey Mythology, which tells the story of Mawu-Lisa the celestial Creator God who is described as a merged combination of twin brother and sister deities Lisa the Moon and Mawu the Sun. They ‘present’ either in combination thus Intersex or changing gender in other words Transgender.

Finally when I was researching material for this article I came across the fascinating Creation Myth from the Native American Inuit Shamanic Culture. In this Myth the first two Humans are unusually Male, these are Aakulujjuusi and Uumanituq who become a couple with the result of Uumanituq developing pregnancy. However, not being biologically capable of giving birth, a magic spell is used to change his sex to Female.

Having written a number of articles on Transgenderism it has been intention for some time to look into the unique gender identity of non-binary. First of all I will start by examining the concept of the binary. Some cultures-societies generally recognize only two genders. The word binary means ‘having two parts’-and in this context refers to Male and Female; hence the ideological construct that there is exclusively two genders is referred to as the ‘gender binary’. This basic description thus helps to better understand ‘Non-binary’- as one term descriptive of gender identities that do not neatly fall into these two categories.

Within the current Cisgender heteronormative culture-ideology many people make the mistaken assumption that the Non-binary gender identity is nothing more than a fashionable trend being followed by a collective within the populace. However, in contradinction to the fact that some cultures only recognize two genders, the truth is that Non-binary identities have been recognized by cultures-societies on a global scale for millennia.

The Non-binary identity can come under the Transgender umbrella and together with such terms as ‘Genderqueer’ describes a gender identity that is ‘outside’ of the heteronormative gender binary-dichotomy. There are also the associated terms of androgyny, queer, third gender and two-spirit. Thus, this is an identity that is Trans in the sense that it is divergent/gender non-conforming to the gender of the individual assigned at birth, as such it is a gender identity that is neither exclusively male or female. This identity as such can be perceived as a ‘third option’ in which the ‘Transition’ isn’t as ‘linear’. However, it should be stated that whilst some people would affirm that the Non-binary identity is a Transgender identity, and indeed some Non-binary individuals do in fact identify as Transgender, most Transgender people are not Non-binary and affirm an identity either end of the gender binary/spectrum, Male or Female.

Also, as explained by one young Non-binary person online: ‘There is a whole variety of experience’, which they further explained can be a confusing and isolating experience and there is no one way of being Non-binary. In fact you could ask another person who identifies as Non-binary and they will give you a completely different story. Furthermore, there are various types of Non-binary identity with obviously some being more discussed than others. First of all, in no particular order, there is Agender. This is a ‘gender identity’ undefined or neutral, in other words there is no specific gender identity. This can also be described as ‘genderless’ or ‘neutrois’. There is also the term Bigender for people identifying with two distinct genders which alternate or can be simultaneous. The term Genderfluid is used to describe individuals who alternate or ‘move’ between the binary of two or sometimes more gender identities. Last of all in this list Genderqueer has become an all-inclusive term for people who identify as Non-binary. However, some individuals use this term as their specific identity. Finally here I thought it would help to quote an expert opinion; according to Non-binary Sex Educator and Therapist Aida Manduley M.S.W: ‘However this person identifies their gender, it does not follow the binary of man and woman.’ Generally speaking Non-binary means different things to different people.

In reference to what was said above about Non-binary identities being recognized by cultures-societies, some of which are very old and traditional cultures, I would like to say something about the term ‘Two Spirit’. When attempting to describe a variety of gender non-conforming identities within the native indigenous American culture-populace, a ‘Pan-Tribal’ term was created ‘by and for’ this community. This term is ‘Two Spirit’ which is not only used to describe gender identities outside of the binary, but is also inclusive of ‘Specific Social and or/Ceremonial roles’. Within the culture of the indigenous Americans, or more specifically the-Pan-cultural/Tribal collective, the term ‘Two Spirit’ has become an umbrella term and one that can be adopted as a specific identity.

I think that it is also important to say something about the pronouns used by Non-binary individuals. The people who identify in this way use gender neutral pronouns, that thus have no specific gender labels, such as ‘They’ and ‘Them’. These specific words have in fact been used as singular pronouns since the 14^th century. In our modern Era the Non-binary identity has led to the usage of some interesting and somewhat humorous terms such as ‘Theydies’ and ‘Gentlethems’, or even the term ‘Datemates’ instead of the obviously gender specific words boyfriend or girlfriend. Also in general terms the words ‘Every-one’ or ‘Folks’ have been adopted in reference to the Non-binary community. Last of all here people who identify as Non-binary can also be referred to with the shortened terms ‘nb’ or ‘enby’. However, both terms have proved unsatisfactory and the cause of controversy.

However, to make matters even more complex, within a social context, some Non-binary individuals can identify as ‘Woman or Man ‘aligned’’. This ‘alignment’ is related to occupying a social space-role generally associated with the gender they were assigned at birth. Unfortunately, the partial identification with Male or Female can be problematical-and can lead to the experience of ‘trans-misogyny’. This hybrid term is descriptive of a blend of transphobia and misogyny that can be experienced by Transgender Women.

Furthermore according to one writer there is no such thing as looking Non-binary. For example, a Non-binary person assigned Female at birth, can obviously look Female and most people they encounter will assume that they are Female and consequently use Female pronouns. However, it can be more complex than that because the use of this specific pronoun can be partially right as certain individuals identify as both Female and Non-binary.

In relation to this it is interesting to note that many people conditioned by the heteronormative gender binary, if they are aware of the existence of people who identify as Non-binary, will make the mistaken assumption that such individuals would or should adopt an androgynous style of dress. This is ironically partially understandable as fashion can and does have strong ‘gender signifiers’. This is interestingly something that has been explored by some Modern Transgender Artists as I wrote about in my previous article on Transgender Art. It is something that has also been used and parodied by Drag performers, and gender signifiers/Drag has also been explored by Artists as a means of questioning the gender binary. Basically, we all know that some Cisgender Women have long hair and wear dresses, but some ‘Cis’ Women have short hair and wear trousers. Similarly some Non-binary individuals assigned Female at birth will wear dresses and have long hair however the point is that this doesn’t make them any less Non-binary.

Finally I wanted to state that whenever I’ve started research into these articles I’ve always looked up various sources online. However, this time around I was presented with a unique opportunity to actually briefly interview a friend of mine who happens to be Non-binary, and who shared information and their own unique perspective on this identity. They told me the basic facts that Non-binary is when a person can’t identify as either gender. They also told me that they don’t feel like ‘a girl or a guy either’, partly due to negative Female experiences being raised in a patriarchy. They told me how being Non-binary impacted on their orientation, and that it took a long time to come to terms with their sexuality. Also, that it feels uncomfortable not to be able to use ‘Non-binary’ with words such as lesbian and gay.

Hi everyone. It’s the See Me Proud team here and we’re back with another community collective zine. This time it’s a photo zine.

Welcome to issue five of our ‘see me…’ zine

We invited our community to send in a photo of something they do for self-care, in the knowledge that it’s a very unique thing for each person. What are those little things that you do for yourself that have a positive impact on your mental and physical health, or keep you feeling connected? We hope these photos might inspire someone to try something new, or realise that something they are already doing is self-care, and that there is power in that.

Here’s a preview of the zine 

Download the full zine as a PDF here

By producing this collaborative, submissions based zine we hope to provide a creative outlet bringing together our experiences. A place to explore our Queer identities and mental health in our own words and images. We love that sharing part of our stories in a zine can be cathartic and healing for the creator, but also the reader where they can feel understood or less alone.

Zines can smash self-stigma through people writing, drawing, and creating things about themselves, and also through having access to representation of other real people like them. They can smash stigma in general by allowing readers into the world of others, building empathy and understanding.

Zines are for everyone and we’d love you to get involved in future issues. Upcoming themes are announced on our social media pages. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SeeMeProud.

Much love, the See Me Proud team xxxxxx

by Sigrid Nielsen and Bob Orr

Yay! You’re Gay! Now what?

That’s the title of a book by Riyadh Khalaf, published a few years ago. The cover is bright pink, with clouds and rainbows, and the letters can be read right across the floor of an average bookshop.

Riyadh offers advice about coming out for gays, bi men and those who feel they are ‘just different’. It’s a book about dealing with relationships, sexual feelings, families, homophobia.

Times have changed. For many who came out in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, there was little advice around, and you wouldn’t find it in ordinary bookshops.

What does all this tell us? Though coming out is easier now, it still has its problems. And, then and now, queer people have found support in books.

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Books have always meant a lot to LGBT people. Many have changed our lives. This is what Kim Halliday, a customer of Lavender Menace Bookshop as a teenager, said about finding a lesbian novel, Patience and Sarah: ‘I was 14 years old and there were a lot of things I didn’t understand about my life and feelings. And there they were in this book about two women who were crazy about each other and went off to live their lives together. I’d never   pictured it before – it really could happen like that.’

Bob Orr and I had had this same experience when we were teenagers in the 1960s. Browsing a station bookstall, he found a novel, No End to the Way, by an Australian writer, Gerald Glaskin. Glaskin had to use a pseudonym, Neville Jackson, because his career would have been threatened by publishing a novel about a serious gay relationship, which the characters treated as marriage.
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Lesbian novels were harder to find when I was growing up. There were a few about gay men, like Mary Renault’s The Charioteer. When I found Ursula LeGuin’s sci-fi novel about a world of androgynes, The Left Hand of Darkness, I had the feeling Kim describes – it COULD happen like that. Even though the story took place on another planet.

A few years earlier, we wouldn’t have found these books. Censorship laws would have stopped most of them being published. In the 1950s and early 1960s, court cases brought by the book industry – City Lights Bookshop in the US, Penguin Books in the UK – finally opened the way for positive, truthful queer books. And by the late 1970s, LGBT and feminist presses were turning out dozens of titles – and there were magazines, newspapers, cartoons, badges and t-shirts. A new era for LGBT readers had begun.

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Queer bookshops opened from San Francisco to Sydney. Bob’s bookstall at Edinburgh’s Gay Centre, later known as Open Gaze, was Scotland’s first. In 1982 we opened as a basement bookshop in Edinburgh’s Forth Street, Lavender Menace.

The shop, and its successor, West & Wilde in Dundas Street (run by Bob and his now husband, Raymond Rose) lasted for fifteen years. People flooded in, bought piles of books, and came to our events. West & Wilde finally closed due to the pressures of the internet and the coming of huge bookshop chains. Most of the other shops and small queer publishers around the world closed for the same reason.

But recently independent bookshops have started opening up again, and Scotland now has two queer-focussed shops, Lighthouse in Edinburgh and Category IS in Glasgow. In 2016 James Ley wrote a play, Love Song to Lavender Menace, which was staged at the Royal Lyceum, in Belfast and in New York.

We’re now going back and asking our customers from those days, which queer books meant the most to you? We want to start an archive of the books we sold, many of which broke new ground but are now forgotten. We want to apply what we learned as booksellers to show how books changed LGBT people’s lives for the better – so that the stories told then, and the new stories coming now from such publishers as Knight Errant Press and Monstrous Regiment, can be seen as one story.

We’ve formed a company, Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive CIC, and will apply for funding to establish our archive and book database.

Our website, lavendermenace.org.uk, has a blog about some of the books, and we post about them often on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We’ve been donated books by LGBT Health and Wellbeing and many individuals. If you have queer books you no longer need, we’d like to hear from you – we’ll give them a home, write about them, and make them as famous as possible.

Take care, stay safe, and we hope to see you at our events for LGBT History Month Scotland, Pride and during the Book Festival season – online or in person – with clouds and rainbows and very visible book covers.

Facebook: Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive and Blog
Twitter: @menacesof2019
Instagram: lavender_menace_returns

Just as it could be credibly argued that there has been a gender revolution within the current cultural ideology, people are also beginning to change how they think about orientation. There are of course a myriad of ways that people can identify, be that Homosexual, Bisexual or even Demisexual. Within this context perhaps the most interesting orientation identity to emerge is Pansexual. Pansexuality is said to come under the Bisexual ‘umbrella’ together with such terms as Polysexual, Homo-flexible and Les-Bi-flexible. The last two specifically describe individuals who are usually attracted to genders similar to their own- but can or might occasionally be attracted to different genders to their own.

However, before we look into how Pansexuality is actually defined it would serve us well to look at the history of the term. The prefix of the word, in this case ‘Pan’, comes from the Greek and means simply ‘All’ and is related to such words as panorama, pan-cultural and the most depressing word at the moment pandemic.

The term Pansexuality has in fact been around since the early 1900’s first appearing either in 1914 or 1917 in the ‘Journal of Abnormal Psychology’- in the form of ‘Pan-sexualism’, thus, it is not just a current trend as many have mistakenly assumed. It was in fact a psychoanalytic term, Pansexual and Pan-sexualism both being hybrid words, which both express the idea: “That the sex instinct plays the primary part in all human activity, mental and physical”. In other words Sigmund Freud, who is credited with the above quote had theorized that as sex was the motivating factor in everything-we thus arrive at ‘Pan-sexuality’. As such, in its earliest usage the term was characterised as a form of ‘sexual deviancy’ however, it eventually evolved into the more simple term ‘Pansexual’ that characterised a form of sexual orientation identity, which many are now proud to proclaim. For the record I don’t agree with Freud that the unconscious sexual instinct is the motivating factor in absolutely everything we do and prefer the theories of the eminent Doctor of Psychology Carl Gustav Jung.

Pansexuality was unfortunately misunderstood and individuals who ‘loved across’ or outside ‘labels and boundaries’, who were scrutinized in Harlem and Chicago’s South Side were simply seen as people suffering from a mental disorder. Furthermore, Pope Pius in 1952 in a speech stated that the “‘Pansexual’ method of psychoanalytic therapy went against Christian values.” However, the innovative pioneer Sex Researcher Alfred Kinsey explained that sexuality operated on a continuum. However, despite this, in order to describe sexual orientation labels were introduced. Lastly, it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the word Pansexual began to approximate today’s usage.

The New York Times in 1975 used the word Pansexual to describe ‘androgynous’ British Glam Rock artist Brian Eno who was a member of the group Roxy Music-the paper described him as “Bizarre synthesizer wizard with the Pansexual image.”

Having looked at the historical usage of the term we can now discuss what it actually means. First of all Pansexuality can be confused with Bisexuality and in fact it isn’t the only word to describe this form of orientation as some people prefer to identify as ‘Omnisexual’ rather than Pansexual. However, Pansexual can be briefly described as ‘Anyone attracted to people of all genders and sexes or regardless of sex and gender and who identifies as ‘Pan’ or ‘Omni’.’ This form of orientation can also be confused with the identity ‘Polysexual’-who can be attracted to many genders/sexes, but not necessarily all. Also, Polyamorous and Gender-fluid are not the same as Pansexual.

Pansexuality is intrinsically a form of sexual orientation which is considered a branch of Bisexuality. Pansexuality also rejects the heteronormative notion/concept of the gender binary, and thus it is more inclusive than the term Bisexual. Pansexuals are open to relationships with people who do not strictly identify as men or women, thus; Transgender, Genderqueer, Non-binary and Genderfluid.

Lana Peswani, volunteer at Stonewall and who identifies as Pansexual, explained Pansexuality in Cosmopolitan. She said that realising that you are Pansexual can come as a revelation especially after the word has been explained to you. This is precisely the experience that Lana had when she was just 17. Peswani explained: “I’d always known I was attracted to a person’s presence.” Also adding:“I feel I experience sexual attraction differently to the average person.”

In fact it has been said that Pansexuals ‘don’t see gender’ as individuals who identify in this way describe themselves as ‘gender blind’. In other words gender and sex are not the determining factors in attraction, whether that is sexual or romantic.

Furthermore, there have been a growing number of Celebrities who have come out as Pansexual. In other words there is slowly beginning to be more Pansexual visibility, due to Pansexual Celebrities such as, for example, Janelle Monae and Bella Thorne, both of whom speak openly about their sexuality. It has been argued that Miley Cyrus brought ‘unprecedented mainstream attention to the identity’ after they had proclaimed themselves to be Pansexual; coming out in Elle UK. Cyrus, also describing themselves as Genderqueer said: “I don’t relate to what people would say defines a girl or a boy.”

The beautiful young Transwoman Jazz Jennings, Trans-advocate and star of the American reality show ‘I am Jazz’, who also identifies as Pansexual said: “Being Pansexual basically means to me that you are attracted to anyone, no matter their sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, everything.”

A few more examples of what celebrities have said about Pansexuality should I think suffice here, thus; Agender Rapper Angel Haze said in an interview with Fusion TV: “To identify as Pansexual, to me, means to just want love. To have a connection with anyone.” Lastly here, Caroline Rose Giuliani, daughter of the former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in an Essay for Vanity Fair, said that identifying as Pansexual felt more precise than Bisexual.

Corey Flanders Phd, an associate Professor of Psychology and Education stated that the common misconception that Pansexuality doesn’t exist is ‘absolutely false’. Another common misconception about Pansexuals is that they are attracted to everyone they encounter which simply isn’t true. Pansexuals can be attracted to people of all genders, not just Cisgender and Transgender, but also Non-binary-gender nonconforming individuals who identify outside of the heteronormative gender binary.

However, I think it is important to say something more about Bisexuality and Pansexuality, for although the identity Pansexual comes under the Bisexual ‘umbrella’ it is not the same thing. Despite this, there are close similarities. Bisexuality ‘isn’t inherently binary’ and the terms Bisexual and Pansexual can be used interchangeably. The truth is that some Bisexual individuals also identify as Pansexual. As such, the very word Pansexual challenges how we think about gender, sexuality and desire.

I wanted to finish here by stating that the term Pansexual can be used to describe individuals attracted emotionally, romantically or sexually to people of any gender, according to Human Rights Campaign. It should also be stated that being Pansexual isn’t necessarily the thing that ultimately defines you. A Pansexual individual can be from any ethnic background, can be Transgender, old, young or even disabled- or a combination of any of the above-each individual being unique.

By Siobhan Donegan

As the heteronormative gender binary has begun to be questioned within the current cultural ideology and as Trans-feminists/Transgender individuals question gender anyway; we can ask the question, has the existence of Transgender celebrities made Transgenderism more acceptable? The answer is that in all probability it has, albeit slowly. According to Michael Lovelock, of the University of East Anglia, Trans-representation/Trans-visibility has achieved ‘recognisability’ through Celebrity culture. In fact the psychological subjectivity of the self-revelatory narratives of Transgender celebrities  not only means that these individuals have achieved ‘intensified visibility’, but also that Transgenderism/ Trans-Identity have become ‘legible’ and Trans-ness has become ‘emblematised’ through Trans celebrities and popular culture. Furthermore, Transgender individuals have always been at the frontline of the Gay Rights movement, and Trans-Celebrities have acted and used their social status as ‘guiding lights’ to young people with gender variant identities or different orientations. When we look at some biographical sketches we realise that Transgender Celebrities can be Actors, Musicians, Models, Artists and ‘Influencers’.

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Perhaps the first recognisably ‘Transgender Celebrity’ was Christine Jorgensen who underwent gender reassignment surgery in the 1950’s in Denmark, and was apparently ‘the first known person’ to undergo this surgical procedure as she obviously identified as a woman during the years after her service in World War 2. She returned to America after her operation and her Trans-celebrity status is no doubt partly due to her uniqueness at the time. As well as working as an Actress and performer, and because of her historic transition, became an inspirational advocate and spokesperson for Transgender people. Jorgensen has in fact remained an influential figure ‘even decades after her death’.
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Billy Tipton has gone down in Jazz history as a highly talented-accomplished musician of this genre. However, even more interesting than this is the fact that it wasn’t until after his death that it was discovered that he had in fact been born Female, thus he is the second person in this discussion that we can class as a Transgender celebrity. In the early 1930’s he had changed his ‘Gender presentation’ so that he would blend in with ‘the Jazz Band image’. He was a Bandleader, a pianist, had several successful albums and toured his country.
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The next brief biographical sketch here is of Wendy Carlos, who is one of the lesser well known Transgender Celebrities or ‘minor celebrity’. She is known in the Music Industry as an innovative Synthesizer pioneer, as she helped to develop the Moog instrument in the late 1960’s. Her debut album is considered a ‘landmark album’ this was ‘Switched on Bach’. This ‘out of nowhere’ musical style insured that it became a best seller and ‘multiple Grammy winning hit’. She is also and perhaps best known for her musical collaborations with Stanley Kubrick on ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘The Shining’. She subsequently became a Trans-Pioneer in the music world.

Caroline Cossey, Transgender Model mentioned in my previous article, despite the fact that she was ‘severely upset’ after being outed by the British Tabloids, achieved Trans-Celebrity status. Also, she continued as an activist for Trans-Rights in the UK with her activism ‘reaching all the way to the European Court of Human Rights’.

Laverne Cox is one of the most famous Transgender Celebrities in the USA at the moment, as she achieved stardom in her role in the Netflix Prison drama series ‘Orange is the New Black’. She told The Guardian that as a child in Alabama she was subjected to cruel homophobic bullying and in fact attempted suicide at just the age of 11. However, it was her passion for the Performance Arts-Acting and dancing that gave her the focus and strength to strive for accomplishment. Laverne said: “We are in a place now where more and more Trans people want to come forward and say ‘This is who I am’ “

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In all probability the most famous Transgender Celebrity, at the moment is Caitlyn Jenner. Caitlyn born Bruce Jenner and whose gender transition is probably the subject of the widest mass media discussion, like most Trans-people hasn’t had an easy journey. Jenner, in fact had felt conflicted from an early age, as she had struggled with gender dysphoria, this is a recognised medical condition caused by the conflict between the gender a person identifies with and the person’s assigned gender. Jenner, turned to sports in order to become stronger and is in fact an Olympic Gold medal winning Athlete. Caitlyn of course was famously featured on the cover of Vanity Fair and the story behind this is interesting in itself. When Buzz Bissenger, journalist for Vanity Fair was assigned to interview Caitlyn Jenner-Jenner had already undergone surgery to have her Adam’s apple removed.

Bissinger had in fact been assigned to chronicle the extraordinary story of Jenner’s transition. Part of this transition had been 12 hours of plastic surgery, which I presume was facial feminisation surgery, as Bissenger afterwards in describing the transformation said: “It was wild”. Caitlyn was subsequently photographed by Celebrity Portrait Photographer Annie Leibovitz, the result being the now iconic shot on the July issue of Vanity Fair, Caitlyn was ‘corseted’, glamorous-sophisticated and sexy. Her transition was also documented at the time on a Reality Show. It could be argued that considering just how famous this transition was, this would seem to have been the critical moment or point of mainstream collective acceptance of the gender variant existence Transgenderism.

Transgender Celebrities haven’t only crossed the boundary of the gender binary, but have also broken barriers across various mediums, and whilst doing my research for this article I came across a number of ‘firsts’; the following are a number of interesting examples. Isis King was in fact the first Transgender Woman to appear/compete on ‘America’s Next Top Model’. She told ‘Page Six’ that: “I feel like our voices are just now starting to be heard”. The stunning Valentina Sampaio became the first ever Transgender Model to be featured in ‘Sports Illustrated’ swimsuit issue. Also, in 2019 she made history becoming ‘Victoria’s Secret’ first openly Transgender Model. This is all the more remarkable considering the fact that as Sampaio pointed out her native country Brazil: “Hosts the highest number of violent crimes and murders against the Trans-community in the World-three times that of the U.S”.

Miriam Rivera tragically died at the age of only 38 in 2019-and will be remembered as the first openly Trans-woman to appear on a Reality TV Show. She has become famous as a cast member of the dating Show ‘There’s Something About Miriam’-2004. She had been a member of the ‘Ballroom’ scene in New York, and was part of the House of Xtravaganza. Candis Cayne was the first Trans-woman to play a Transgender character on TV in the 2007 ABC Drama ‘Dirty Sexy Money’. Finally, Janet Mock was the first Trans-woman of colour to work as a writer for a TV series, this being Ryan Murphy’s hit series ‘Pose’. It should also be mentioned that the list doesn’t end there as there are many other examples that I could cite.

I would like to finish this article by saying that with the emergence of Transgender Celebrities into the public domain amongst multi-media platforms, and more importantly the acceptability of this within the heteronormative collective Cisgender community, we of course have a victory for Trans-visibility.

By Siobhan Donegan

One chapter within the history of Transgender Cinema which has been particularly damaging to the collective heteronormative perception of Transgender individuals, which I will here refer to as a ‘Sub-Genre’ is what has been described as the ‘Psycho Slasher Transgender Murderer’ films. My own specific favourite film within this ‘genre’ is the classic Hammer Film ‘Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde’. Although this film of course was part of Hammer’s cinematic Gothic Renaissance, it does also fall within this sub-genre. This film is famous for having put an alternative spin on the classic Gothic Horror Psychological Tale that within its narrative deals with ‘split personalities’. Dr Jekyll passionately pursues the creation of a concoction of an ‘Elixir of Life’ by extracting female hormones from murdered female corpses. However, this has the unforeseen result of transforming Dr Jekyll into the evil Sister Hyde. The Doctor is then driven to murder girls himself in order to maintain his transformation.

In all probability the first Trans-Psycho-Killer film was Hitchcock’s classic ‘Psycho’ 1960. In this the main protagonist Norman Bates is the ‘victim’ of his own fractured psyche, which clinically can probably be described as ‘personality complex’, and in which he ‘cross dresses’ as his mother and brutally murders women. This ‘chapter’ in the history of Transgender Cinema has to be seen within the cultural ideology of the time in which there was a lack of understanding of Trans individuals. As such members of the Trans community were sometimes depicted as comedic, ‘freaks’ or at worst villainous monsters and in fact there is a whole list of films involving Transgender Murderers. According to writer Michelle Smith, in attempting to perceive the ‘logic’ of such prejudice, ‘Gender non-conformity is frightening and unnatural’. Furthermore, the fact that these films depict murderers that are Transgender adds to ‘otherness’ of the murders, and engenders fear.

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The ‘Transvestism’ of  the Norman Bates character from ‘Psycho’ continued to influence Hollywood and led to the continual reinvention of this pathological archetypal trans-killer, which emerged in such films as ‘Freebie and the Bean’, ‘Dressed to Kill’, ‘Cherry Falls’ and perhaps the most recent depiction in the serial killer ‘Buffalo Bill’ in ‘Silence of the Lambs’.

Another form of misrepresentation within Trans-cinema involves the ‘festishisation’ and/or ‘sexualisation’ of the characters portrayed. Trans-women are as such sexualised as the focus of the narrative of such dramatized portrayals, and within this context is here considered discriminatory. This can be perceived in the fact that there is usually too much concentration on the Trans-female characters body-clothes and commonplace everyday details; the application of makeup and getting dressed. This typical collective discriminatory form of prejudice is based on the a priori premise that the ‘trans-women’ in question; that their behaviour is ‘unusual’ as they are not really women. As one online writer succinctly put it this ‘Objectifies and dehumanizes’ the cinematic depiction of Trans-women. Furthermore this level of prejudicial stereotyping is usually based on the premise, and can extend to, the common misconceptions of mental illness characterising trans-women in general and such individuals being mentally unstable. This discriminatory characterisation at its worst, as already discussed, led to the sub-genre of Trans-Psycho Killers.

In fact the misrepresentation of transgender individuals, including other media contexts/outlets, has been described as a veritable ‘litany’ of depictions that are not just problematic, but often transphobic. The Documentary ‘Disclosure’ which specifically deals with trans-representation, produced by Laverne Cox, highlighted some of the usual narratives involving Trans individuals; One of these is the ‘Transgender victim of violence’ often portrayed in American Cop and Medical Shows. There are also Talk Shows that can have an obsessive focus on Trans-issues and News Programs which can tend to concentrate and focus on body parts during surgery, which from an objective perspective can seem invasive. Onscreen representation of Trans individuals has of course also been a catalyst to ongoing controversies within the LGBT community and Transgender Cinema and TV has not only been influential in the perception of Transgender individuals in the cisgender public, but also within the Trans community itself.

There is also the issue that I’ve already briefly mentioned above of Transgender characters, whether factual or fictional being played by Cisgender Actors, this of course is part of the issue of what is referred to as ‘Trans-visibility’. Examples of Cisgender Actors playing Trans-Roles are Chris Sarandon in ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, Eddie Redmayne’s Oscar nominated performance in ‘The Danish Girl’ and Felicity Huffman in ‘Trans-America’. The common mistake of casting male Actors to play Trans-Women can of course endorse the typical heteronormative collective prejudice of reinforcing the gender binary and the stereotype of ‘men in dresses’. Although I wasn’t specifically looking for an answer to this issue when I began my research for this article, I stumbled upon a satisfactory one in the 1999 Film ‘All About My Mother’ directed by Pedro Almodovar, which has been described as a ‘beautifully written masterpiece’. This Film not only deals with Trans-Lives and issues in a sensitive way, but also has a ‘progressive attitude’ to casting, as not only were Cisgender women cast in Trans-women roles, but Transgender women were cast as Cisgender women.

In all probability the greatest victory for Trans-representation and Trans-visibility in recent years has been the brilliant TV series ‘Pose’, which focuses on the ‘Drag Ball’ culture in New York in the 1980’s. This ‘phenomenon’ was not only produced by Transgender activist Janet Mock but also Trans-musician Our Lady J, and also had a Star cast of no less than five Transgender Actors.

By Siobhan Donegan

Just as we can perceive that there is a revolution happening within the Beauty Industry, it would seem that the rainbow hued catwalk used to showcase a line of fashions by Louis Vuitton is indicative of Trans-inclusivity within the Modelling Industry. Thanks to there now being a better understanding of Transgenderism and the current collective ideology of ‘questioning’ the gender binary, it would seem that this has begun to change the Fashion Modelling Industry. However, although the catwalk, like the ‘Gender Revolution’ has begun to acknowledge a more diverse gender variant spectrum, previous transgender models made headlines for all the wrong reasons; initially of course because of being ‘outed’.

Before focusing in on some biographical illustrations of this point, I thought it would be best to briefly sketch the history of modelling itself. The concept or the ‘notion’ of Modelling started with Portrait painting. With the invention of Photography in the 1800’s the concept, its scope broadened. Marie Augustine Vernet, the wife of Charles Fredrick Worth, is credited with having been the first ever Fashion Model. It is in fact the Middle French word ‘Modelle’ from which the term ‘Modelling’ originates, but at first this term wasn’t used, as the first models were simply referred to as ‘live mannequins’, as their initial purpose was purely functional; as in the main mannequins were used to display fashionable clothes.

The ‘Modelling’ Industry blossomed by the mid 1900’s with the creation of one of the first ever Modelling Agencies in 1946. This was ‘Ford Models’ created by Eileen and Gerard Ford. After this, Modelling Agencies began to appear all over the World. By the 1960’s there was a cultural emphasis on youth and the Fashion Industry played a part in this with such iconic Models as Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton and Peggy Moffitt. With the 1970’s more diversity was introduced into the industry. Models also began to get better pay with Modelling becoming a full time career-even finding work for them in Europe and abroad. The 1990’s inaugurated the Era of the ‘Supermodel’-in which Models achieved true celebrity status-such as Naomi Campbell and Elle McPherson. However, in the 2000’s the Fashion Modelling Industry came under criticism due to eating disorders and drugs being issues within this world. But, Modelling Associations are now prioritising the wellbeing of Models. Modelling has now obviously become a Global phenomenon thanks to the internet, and Models such as Cara Delevingne can use multi-media platforms.

(Left: April Ashley. Right: Tracy ‘Africa’ Norman)

The history of Transgender Models within the Fashion Modelling industry is unfortunately more complicated. The beautiful and iconic April Ashley is not only one of the first Brits to have gender reassignment surgery but is also ‘credited’ as being the first successful Transgender Model. During the early stages of her career she did ‘runway and editorial work’-in high fashion magazines. However, unfortunately April was ‘outed’ by the tabloids, and her career was inevitably cut short.

As for ‘Mainstream’ Transgender Models, the first was apparently Tracy ‘Africa’ Norman who in 1971 was chosen by Irving Penn at a casting call for Italian Vogue. Despite the fact that Norman was eventually outed as Transgender and despite never being as successful as the first ever African American to appear on the front cover of Vogue; Beverly Johnson in 1974, her career had in fact been successful up to that point. She had been a runway House Model for Balenciaga in Paris and had contracts with Beauty brands Clairol and Avon. Tracy Norman had started out in the Drag Ball culture in New York mentoring up and coming young Drag Queens for the ‘House’ of Africa. Norman became the face of Clairol’s ‘Born Beautiful Hair Colour’-Dark Auburn in the mid 1970’s.

Another famous Transgender model is Caroline Cossey, also known in the Fashion Industry by her Modelling name Tula. She worked successfully from 1975 to 1981 as a Model and appeared in magazines such as Australian Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, but was outed  after appearing alongside other ‘Bond Girls’ in the 1981 James Bond film ‘For Your Eyes Only’-from the Roger Moore Bond era. After this her career as a model was on the rocks. However, Tula fought back by attempting to raise Trans-awareness by doing countless interviews and even wrote a book. Unfortunately, she ended up fleeing the limelight, apparently for the second time, as the only work that she was offered was based around her being Transgender which made her feel like a ‘Circus Act’. Famous Transgender Brazilian Model Roberta Close appeared for various Fashion Houses strutting up and down the catwalk, including Thierry Muggler, Guy Laroche and John Paul Gaultier. She was in fact voted ‘Most Beautiful Woman in Brazil’, and is currently acknowledged as having paved the way for the newly emerging Brazilian Trans Models.
(Photo: Caroline Cossey aka Tula)

As can be seen from these brief biographical sketches early Transgender Models lived in the constant fear of being outed. However, despite the heteronormative transphobia within the Fashion Modelling Industry, this world has ironically ‘maintained close ties’ with the LGBT Community; for example, Stephen Sprous worked with Teri Toye in the 1980’s, in the 1990’s Thierry Muggler worked with Connie Fleming and John Paul Gaultier with Roberta Close, mentioned above, again in the 90’s. Thus proving that some of the Fashion Industry leaders were influenced by and worked with ‘Transgender Muses’.

As I previously stated in my article on the Beauty Industry and the Trans/LGBT Community, beauty and femininity used to be the exclusive reserve of the heteronormative collective culture, and that of course being Cisgender Women. However, the Beauty Industry and the Modelling Industry are being transformed as they are beginning to embrace diversity including Trans-inclusivity and thus Trans-visibility. As such I think that as we hopefully see more Trans-female Models (there are also Trans-male models appearing on the scene) the heteronormative culture may begin to realise that beauty has no gender. A good example of changing attitudes is the fact that Trans rights campaigner and writer Paris Lees was announced as the Brand Ambassador for Beauty Hair Brand Pantene at ‘Fortunes Most Powerful Women Conference’; Lees was the first Transgender woman to be appointed by Pantene.

(Photo: Hunter Schafer)

Being Transgender in some circles is no longer being seen as a hindrance and is in fact seen as aspirational. According to Hunter Schafer, who is just one example of the new young crop of Transgender models:

“It’s really wild to be at this level of visibility.”

Schafer was only 18 when she was signed to Elite Model Management and her career success includes walking down the catwalk for Dior, Helmut Lang, Miu Miu.

Valentina Sampaio made history as the first ever openly Transgender Model to appear on the front cover of Vogue Paris. She has also appeared on the covers of Brazilian Vogue and German Vogue.

(Left: Valentina Sampaio. Middle: Andreja Pejic. Right: Teddy Quinlivan)

I would like to mention two more examples of Trans-female models to end on a positive note. The first is the famous Bosnian Australian Trans-Model Andreja Pejic, who had previously been famous for her androgynous look, but who eventually announced that she identified as a woman, stating, ‘differences should not equal divisions.’ Another stunning Transgender Model is Teddy Quinlivan, who was discovered  by Nicolas Ghesquiere, Creative Director of Louis Vuitton. Quinlivan’s career has ‘boomed’.