Gender & Identity
My publisher is based in Texas, and my first book ‘The Gentleman Ladybird’ gently covers the topics of gender, identity and falls softly into the LGBTQ+ children's book category. Neither me, nor my publisher ever thought this would be an issue. Turns out, unfortunately we were wrong.
Gender, identity and LGBTQ “issues” (I use that term with a heavy heart, because seriously, what is the issue) are all things, which apparently, even in 2023 are still open for debate. Imagine how eye opening and shocking it was for both my publisher and I to learn that there could be dangerous ramifications simply off the back of them promoting my book in a Republican state. My children’s storybook could spark death threats and genuinely put their business at risk. In 2023.
As someone living in the UK, I feel incredibly fortunate that the LGBTQ+ community don’t face the same levels of scrutiny and danger that other countries are still experiencing, and yet even in a progressive/ safe part of the world there is still work to be done and there are still lives being lost due to lack of support, hate crimes and mental health issues which often go untreated. A quarter of the global population believe that being LGBTQ is a crime…
My understanding is that often, people don’t even know where to begin with becoming an ally - and with cancel culture more rife than ever before, sometimes the fear of getting things wrong can prevent any attempt in getting it right. I found, that by simply doing my own personal research into the topics and subsequent debates surrounding the LGBTQ space, I was setting myself up with the knowledge and basic understanding to better support not only my friends who are part of this community, but also to be able to support the community in areas which don’t have the same open levels of support needed to live authentically (and to be safe in doing so!).
Thankfully, with more open LGBTQ advocates than ever, with influencers becoming louder, more accessible and with more of a platform to speak on, the message is reaching areas that have resisted the topic for far too long. You only need to do a quick google search of the most recent football world cup in Qatar to see how this global sporting event shed light on the archaic and outdated beliefs that put so many people in danger, in many parts of the world.
Stonewall is a fantastic charity and movement, with foundations built upon rebellion, uprising, activism and protests - you can read about the impact they’ve had over the past 50 years here, and there’s loads of ways you can get involved in supporting their ongoing mission. Mermaids charity is also another one I highly recommend reading up on, and like most charities they respond well to emails and direct messages if you’d like to further your support by volunteering. We HAVE to keep pushing forward, so everyone feels able to live authentically and as comfortably as straight people are able to. This should not be deemed a privilege, these are basic human rights and we all need to play our part in global change.
