LBGTIQA+ Social Space

Love it @Adge 🙂

Hello my rainbow friends 🌈

I hope you're keeping safe with the floods.

I have a question about how you feel and deal with exclusion. I'm in general upset about the whole male/female labeling, like in public toilets, on forms, shops etc. But with the March4Justice it has taken another dimension. I'm deeply distressed by what's happening anyway, because my trauma is from childhood but also assault, harassment and discrimation during my education and at work, but I'm also deeply affected by the fact that everyone only talks about women and men. I don't identify with my assigned sex at birth. I feel excluded and alone. Sometimes it makes me feel that we are intentionally excluded from a society that cannot even deal with women's (and men's) rights, black lives and white lives, basically all the injustices that exist without having the capacity to even acknowledge us. I just feel very alone in all of this. I don't identify with a gender, sexuality, I'm from a background of two distinct cultures and grew up in a third... I've always struggled to belong.

Hey @petrichor  - I'm so sorry you're having such a rough time with feeling excluded. I'm non-binary and asexual, and know all too well how we are...at best forgotten, at worst outright dehumanised - even through many of these conversations that supposedly revolve around equality and justice. We're part of the LGBTQAI+ community but even then we still face internal stigma, discrimination, and exlusion. It's not fair. But you definitely aren't alone. 

Not sure if you're familiar with Switchboard and Q-Life? It's a telephone counselling support service for the LGBTQAI+ community, you can buzz them on 1800 184 527 and they have a webchat option too. 

I have also found online communities to be helpful too - whether it's through Facebook communities or places like Reddit's Nonbinary community. They too are sick to death of talking about bathrooms 

Greetings, brothers, sisters and non-binary siblings. I hope the week is fairing y'all well so far. I am glad there is a social space for the glitterati, Hazar! Being bi/pansexual myself and full of my own religious hangups that contribute negatively to my mental health, I know all too well how we struggle in our own ways. But I am just glad there is a place where we can be safe and support one another. 

Just dropping by to say hi @Former-Member @petrichor @Adge @outlander @Jynx  and all others on this thread.  I've been quiet here as very busy and challenged by off-line life atm, but still glad to know this thread is here.  If anyone needs support please tag me @eth  so I get a notification of your post.

Take care, stay kind, and shine on all of you.

Hi @Former-Member 

Welcome ✨💛🏳️‍🌈

How are you? 

Hi @Former-Member 

I hope the drama settled for the weekend. Did you do anything nice? I had a quiet weekend, but I always do. Do you work? I lost my job a few years back and haven't been able to work since. 
You were writing about 'religious hang ups'? How do you deal with that? My family is religious and I don't think they would deal with it well if I'd come out. I'm already 'marked' as I'm not a boy in the way the cis world thinks, I married a foreigner and never had kids. I was planning to tell an old friend of mine but that just turned very sour, so I won't.

I'd love to be with people who'd take me as I am and where I can freely share how I feel about myself, but I don't really see a way out.

---

@petrichor wrote:

Hi @Former-Member 

I hope the drama settled for the weekend. Did you do anything nice? I had a quiet weekend, but I always do. Do you work? I lost my job a few years back and haven't been able to work since. 
You were writing about 'religious hang ups'? How do you deal with that? My family is religious and I don't think they would deal with it well if I'd come out. I'm already 'marked' as I'm not a boy in the way the cis world thinks, I married a foreigner and never had kids. I was planning to tell an old friend of mine but that just turned very sour, so I won't.

I'd love to be with people who'd take me as I am and where I can freely share how I feel about myself, but I don't really see a way out.

---

I had a quiet weekend, worked on some music. Many moons ago I studied to be a youth worker with the goal of helping LGBTQA+ youth. I was good at it, but then I got unwell and so a cap was put on that, I haven't worked since, but I try to be creative from time to time. I like working on music. As fo0r the religious hang-ups, I don't deal with that too well at all. I go in cycles where I get all zealous and deny my identity and say I am going to serve god and talk myself up to joining a monastary. But that usually ends in me collapsing in a big melodrama with my ex-bf and I then become very anti-religious for awhile. 

Hello to everyone who might be passing through the LGBTIQA+ Social Space today 😊

IDAHOBIT Day is coming up next month, and @Former-Member and I have been talking about how we can do something within the forums to celebrate. We would love to hear your thoughts about how we can let members know IDAHOBIT day is coming up on the 17th of May and encourage members to get involved. 

Do you have some ideas about how you would like to celebrate IDAHOBIT Day on the forums?

@Former-Member @outlander @petrichor @eth @Adge @Schitzo @Former-Member @Shaz51 @NatureLover @Fluttershy1 @Powderfinger 

Please feel free to tag all forum members who might like to celebrate IDAHOBIT day with the SANE Forums and be involved in the planning 🙂