UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I am a actavist as I think I have mentioned before on a fair few things, one of which is as someone who self defines as Bi&Queer I am heavily into LGBTQ/'alphabet soup of sexuality and gender representation) equality campaigning and rights.

Mental Ill Health is on the increase due to numerous factors. A few years ago the charity MIND stated 1 in 4 will experience Mental Ill Health at some point in their life. Those of us within the LGBTQ community know all too well how Mental Ill Health can be for us.

Stigma and discrimination affect many experiencing Mental Ill Health, as Mental Ill Health will not discriminate against you, stigmatise you or attempt to push you into a box with little explanation. Tick boxes for monitoring exist purely for statistics, but what if you don't feel able to give a true tick in which box? What if you don't fit in any of the given boxes? One size does not fit all.

TOGETHER WE CAN STAND STRONG, LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD AND ENSURE OTHERS DON'T HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THE NEGATIVITY (and Ill Health) MANY OF US LIVE WITH DAILY.

*Coming out was hard enough but then be rejected by all my 'friends' and 'family' was the trigger for me to be admitted to a secure psychiatric unit for 18 months where I slowly wished I had finished what I attempted as healthcare people are said to 'care' but clearly don't if you are like me*

(the words of a person who is now a angel in heaven but will never be forgotten JF February 2nd 1972 October 22nd 2001)

~Goal and aim for this group, to come together with a shared voice which in turn tells our story to get our voices heard on a wider scale and produce a book of our experiences~


The group is on Facebook and link is http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2 ... 672&ref=ts if you are not on Facebook and still want to be involved my email is leahowardlgbt @ googlemail . com (just without the spaces)

Please please pass this on to ANYONE you think maybe able to give some support, I have managed to get the support of Matt Heath the footballer who did play for my beloved Leeds United and is now on loan at Brighton. He messaged me with 'if I can give support then I as a Ally would be proud to, you are one of the most respected voices when it comes to Leeds United, your passion is inspiring for all you do, I watch your activities on facebook and with your latest project as you probably know Homophobia, Biphobia is something that is still a HUGE issue in the world of sport, it is tragic when it is hard to think of many of my friends and acquaintances who dare not find a voice as petrified the media and world will attack them as they did to Justin Fashanu'



Lea
xox

Best of wishes with your project, Lea.
Hopeit goes well for you and all those who can benefit.
I've long taken the line "Do not adjust your head - it's the world that's wrong!"
Maybe that should be "DO not let anyone else attempt to adjust hour head - it's the world that's wrong!"
As an activist example......
SUppose one finds oneself trying to lead a community group campaign against a quango with a budget (over)running into billions and zero regard for the law of the land.
Suppose this is exhausting and stressful.
Is this becasue there is something wrong in the world - soemthing that utterly stinks, if such organisations behave like that!
Far more likely than that the activists in question have "mental health issues" making them too wea and feeble and stupid to cope with "everyday life".
Ha.
For that matter, how many women of my mother's generation were put onto valium by sexist shit male doctors when what they really needed was a decent union officer, an industrial tribunal - and for that matter, a Sex Discrimination Act and Equal Pay Act with real teeth?
Strength to your elbows!
Rosemary

No budget apart from a internet conection is needed which is the best bit

Anyone can self publish on a website called Lulu and then people if they want a copy of whatever you have produced simply buy's from them and you get the funds (altho with this all funds will be put into a charities pocket, but which awaits to be decided. At moment trying to get enough people involved to get anyone willing to share anything to do so.

Far too many inadequacies with laws and acts, far too many divides within a lot of society.

'walk a mile in the shoes of someone else then give them back when your feet have blisters as the paths you take aren't as level for you as they were for them, and one shoes rubs against you more than it did on them'

I need to get myself off my pc and try sleep (oh fun my favourite hobby - not! 48 hours nearly and a max of 2 hours sleep)

Lea
xox

Know the feeling about sleep ..... got some sort of crick in my neck, which has been fine when I'm up an dabout, but when I lay down in bed, has been catching and rubbing, and giving me that horrible sort of nerve-jangly pain, feels like toothache that moves from tooth to tooth as I roll over in bed.
Haven't been able to get comfortable, can't sleep, keep getting up and trying to do head and head exercises to ease it, get another mug of hot choc, etc.
Just been to chiropractor's today for second time in a week. Hope it's fixed now, and just taking a while to simmer down.
COuld realy do with a good night's sleep.
Then yesterday, I was workign all day in a polling station - and i mean all day. Had to get up and out of house to go and get night bus aout 5.30 am.
Arrghhhhhh!!!!!!
And you know how it is, you have to get up really really early, and you keep not sleeping and waking up in case you've overslept and missed it - but no, it's only 3.10......
Oh well, got there OK in the end, and managed not to fall asleep all day, and the pay cheque will come in very useful!
Rosemary

I hate trying to be up early and waking up regularily paranoid my alarm didn't go off. Night buses drive me crazy (I got stuck in Kingston London a few years ago and was planning to stay with a ex friend who didn't show up so had to try get back to near London Bridge Station to where some good friends live) 3 hours of loosing the will to live on night buses later I got to my mates. I hate buses and was a anxious wreck crying for England when I eventually got to my friends.

I wish people would get active in the project launch group as it is bugging me, altho a friend pointed out 'most of us in this group are politically minded as well as Alphabet Soup, so are peoples who have probably been on FaceBook enough just to keep up with election returns via their friends status, and once seats are declared the group should get active' (thanks Tara, love you dearly but not point I wanted the group to get active and stay active there and then :p )

x