FebruQueery

You come up with a better title.

Blug contents:

• It’s LGBTQ+ History Month

• Education is broken

• A plan to start making resources

• AOB

It’s LGBTQ+ History Month

Hooray! Right? Sort of, yeah. Hooray, we take time to learn about our queer history (queerstory, if you will), but why? Naturally, it’s because of a section of legislation that was repealed far too late (and honestly, it is something that didn’t even need to be put into action in the first place, but they do say hindsight is 20/20, right? That or I’m one of them there radical thinkers). Anyway, before I get too lost on the road of righteousnessness, it’s a month where we can reflect on specifically the history of us queerios. Times when I should have made a plan and made this platform front and centre - it’s almost like it’s named for this purpose >.<. Alas, my inability to think ahead in matters such as business has indeed hamstringed me in this regard. However, my plans line up relatively nicely for this month, as I will detail below! 

There are a number of reliable websites that will help you to discover more about this month and why it is important. Here are some that I trust:

• https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/

• https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/lgbt-history-month-2024

• https://www.theproudtrust.org/schools-and-training/secondary-resources/lgbt-history-month/

Education is Broken

This is a big topic, I know. I want to address this over a longer period and maybe write some long-form thought pieces about it. “What qualifies you, Kirstifer, to talk about this?” Well, I’m a fully qualified teacher, I’ve worked with autism charities, have qualifications in understanding young people's mental health and also working with young people with autism, whilst simultaneously being neurodiverse myself and also a big ol queer. I’d say that qualifies me quite nicely. 

What has spurred this from me today is that a friend shared a video of ministers - those with places of power within the government - basically invalidating young people's experiences with conditions, mental health issues and generally their entire right to reasonable adjustments for them. I understand that I am a disgusting left socialist, but christ alive. Who hurt these people? Not the kids they’re lobbying to take funding away from; I can tell you that one for free. I genuinely struggle to understand how people lack such a basic level of empathy for those who have had a different experience to themselves. Is it actually that hard to spin yourself out of your self-righteous head and put yourself in someone else's shoes? As someone who is going through the process for a number of different diagnoses - at the grand old age of 31 - I can only imagine what it is like for a young person and their family to fight for recognition, validation and just some goddamn help with their circumstances. What upsets me further is that there will be teachers out there who empathise with the ministers over the children. The first thing that was all but shouted at us on our first day of teacher training is, “If you don’t have a growth mindset, gtfo” (this may not be verbatim what was said, but it’s damn close to it). Our tutors and mentors told us to leave right then and there if we had a fixed mindset. That mindset doesn’t think you can learn to grow - you’re born with “X” amount of intelligence, and there’s no point in trying to push past that. It’s when people give up trying to deepen their understanding of topics, situations and people. 

Personally, this makes zero sense to me. Then again, I’ve been trying to do my best since I was a dot. Examples of this are: my eyes literally didn’t have any strength to focus, and yet I was still in the top 5 in all my classes; I have a range of mental health issues stemming from abuse at middle school, but I still made it all the way to and through university - which is when I was diagnosed with dyslexia, at the age of 21, in my final year of study- a condition I’d been told I was “too smart to have” (which is a line of absolute bullshit), I’ve since found out that I likely have both ADHD and autism and yet, I have fucking marched on, trying to be better, trying to develop my empathy, develop my understanding and trying to hold onto what is left of my hope for humanity because in my eyes - it’s falling apart. 

Now. I understand, if you’re over… possibly 25 or so, you might not have had neurodiverse folk out and about and shouting about their experience at school, so of course you might think, “Well, we didn’t have (insert condition) here at my school!” Pal. Let me tell you - you did. We just didn’t know it at the time, and now existence is hell for us. Let’s help younguns get the support while it can make a difference to them. Build up their resilience and healthy coping mechanisms. Saints know I never got that shit, and I could’ve gone down a number of different paths. But here we are; I’m trying my damnedest to make things better. Why don’t you give it a go too?

A Plan to Start Making Resources

Aight, less of the doom and gloom and on to the much more fun stuff - Resources! Now I know this is fun to nearly no one, and if anything, I’m just making more work for myself with no guarantee of an income - yay! When I was a teacher, I was appalled at the state of the available resources. They’re dull in both colour and content, and lawd knows that if we as adults are bored - the kids are 10x as bored. So, I intend to make some delightful resources using my skills in various graphic design suites and vector illustration programmes (I won’t say what unless they want to pay me, hahahahhahaa as if). My main focus is going to be making easily locatable resources for young queers who need guidance on their journey to full-blown queerdom. These will, of course, be available here on QueerStory, and I will try to implement the “pay what you can” function I’ve seen floating around on various websites. I want this to be accessible to everyone who is interested - and I don’t want money to be a barrier. I would still like some people to give me some pennies, but I get it if they cannot. I want to then expand these out to other topics such as PSHCE and cover topics that schools might want to cover in that, and if these take off, I’d love to work with Stonewall, Mooncup and anyone else who makes excellent, inclusive resources. Admittedly, this is a lot of blue-sky thinking right now, but why the hell not? If I limit my thoughts and ideas, it’s only going to hold me back. So, hopefully, leading by example, I’ll start putting in the work and hope it pays off in any which way it can!

AOB

I know I didn’t post last week, but I also doubt I have regular visitors here yet, so I don’t need to worry too much. If anything, I need to build up my IG game for this if I want it to go anywhere. Anywhoooo other business - yes! I got a letter from my local(ish) GIC! I’m on a waiting list for gender-affirming care! That’s huge!!!! I’ve not shared this with anyone in my life, really, yet. They’ve all been busy/ill/having a bit of a time right now. Also, I got the news on Monday when I had a truly shit day, and I cemented in my brain how trash my brother is and how my family appears to view me, especially when overwhelmed, stammering and stimming my little heart out. So. Fuck that noise. I’ve been kinda shitty with them since then, and none of them have apologised for how they treated me, so why the hell should I be the person to make it easy for them. Nah, I’ll explain if they want, but they need to see how their behaviour affects other people and how it can be negative. Bleh. Alright, I’ve done enough writing about this shit for now. Onto more positive things! I’m doing OK in my business, and I’m thinking up ways to continually develop the footprint of said business and grow it, which is exciting because I was having trouble with this thought. But go, brain, go! It’s up and running, which for someone who has trouble staying on track, is really something!

Alright, I’ll call it there. Gold star if you made it through all of this <3

Love you lots,