Get in touch by emailing year marks 50 years of Pride, so it seems only fitting that .uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also share stories, take time to reflect and raises awareness for the community this Pride Month. There needs to be more variety, and tailored spaces for all ethnic minority people, something which is on the rise, but being done by the community, and not big brands or organisations.’ ‘I also think there is a heavy focus on alcohol, partying and clubbing in social spaces. ‘For example, there are South Asians who live at home with their parents late into their adult lives – if they were to become homeless after coming out, what provisions would they have for safety – as all the LGBTQ homeless charities focus on 16-25year-olds?
‘I don’t think there is enough support for LGBTQ+ ethnic minority people, and if there is, it stops at a certain point.
Again, something we have had to create ourselves.
‘Since then, I have created networks online, creating safe spaces for other South Asians where we arrange to meet up, chat regularly and support each other through situations only we know the full extent of. ‘Luckily, as I got older, I was in a more fortunate position where I was able to pay for therapy (something I started last year during lockdown) and was able to address some of the identity issues and how best to navigate myself out of bad episodes. This was a period of around three-four years through an abusive time with a family member who would constantly shame me for how I acted, or how I looked. ‘I also put on a lot of weight – causing further health issues. It’s dangerous for me, and would be a matter of life or death due to abuse (mental and physical) which I have already endured.Īt my lowest, I was self harming, went into a deep depression with suicidal thoughts and got myself into really bad debt ‘I’ve always been very aware of what I can or can’t say – and this is why, I have never “come out”. My bubbly personality, and the person I wanted to be, had to be locked away as I wasn’t sure which parts of me I was allowed to showcase. ‘My music taste, what I wanted to watch on TV, and my love for pop culture didn’t help this. All through childhood I felt like an outsider – too brown to be in a white space, too white to be in a brown space. ‘I look typically South Asian, as I wear religious clothing, but have always been told that I am “white acting”. ‘I have struggled with anxiety, and identity issues all my life. We need to make our own spaces for us to grow and flourish and realise that we have to walk a different path.’Ĭoco has created a platform – Talk To Coco – which aims to support the mental health of marginalised members of the LGBTQ+ community. For myself, as a Black queer non-binary person, my aim is to keep making change in ways I can. ‘For people of colour in the LGBTQ+ community, there is never enough being done to support us – if there were, we wouldn’t need to be having this conversation right now. Add being a person of colour, a Black woman, a non-binary Black lesbian – it can feel like a rocky journey to survive. Through the workshops I host and create, I see and hear so many people say how because of who they are, their mental health has suffered. ‘Being queer in this world, we are subjected to different life treatment, and that hurts. ‘I was labelled “crazy” or the “naughty child”‘ (Picture: Coco) I found a boyfriend, and after a while I came out of the closet.’ There are whole Facebook groups and ClubRoom talk groups for people who are struggling with their sexuality, especially designed for POC. There are online session you can book with a therapist, completely anonymously. ‘I think now there is more acceptance around being LGBTQ+ and POC. I attended a group where LGBTQ+ people would meet weekly for activities, it made me realise I wasn’t the only one who had struggled for so long with their sexuality.
I’ve started to eat more healthily and take care of my mental health. ‘But in the new big city, meeting new people, I was starting to accept myself. I also developed an eating disorder, I was eating my feelings away and this made me gain a lot of weight in my teenager years. This all really affected my mental health. On television I only saw white gay people and this made me very anxious of people finding out about me. ‘Growing up, I thought I was the only person of colour that was gay.