How dance and movement empower LGBTQ+ people and help with their mental health and sense of belonging
On Wednesday 22nd September, the UK joins forces to celebrate everything great about fitness and physical activity. National Fitness Day is a chance to raise awareness of the importance of being physically active and highlight the benefits of movement to health outcomes, wellbeing, and mental health. To celebrate National Fitness Day, we’ve invited Jūlija Ruseviča (she/her) – Founder and Facilitator Iridescence Dance, inclusive community contemporary dance classes for the LGBTQ+ community, to write a guest post for us! Jūlija Ruseviča (she/her) is a professional dancer, dance teacher, choreographer and drag queen. She was born in Riga, Latvia. She moved to
Real Chemistry – new support for men moving on from problems with chemsex
Real Chemistry – connection, wellbeing and chemsex recovery Real Chemistry is a new resource supporting gay and bisexual men moving on from problems with chemsex. Real Chemistry provides men with the support they need to sustain their recovery goals and enjoy better connections, relationships and sex. Real Chemistry is about connection and wellbeing, rebuilding friendships and engaging in social and leisure activities that may have been impacted whilst using drugs. It’s about rebuilding confidence and self-esteem where these have been knocked. Our website offers 14 new themes related to chemsex recovery, with self-guided exercises to work through at your own
Statement on the High Court ruling on puberty blockers
London Friend responds to today’s court ruling. The High Court has today handed down its judgement on a case centring on the competence of people aged under 18 to consent to puberty blocking treatment. The ruling concludes that young trans people can be prescribed the treatment but only “where he or she is competent to understand the nature of the treatment”. Judges made additional comments regarding the ability to consent, concluding it would be “unlikely” those under 13 and “doubtful” those aged 14 and 15 could “understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers”.
PrEP for all – a community statement
Today we join with over 50 other organisations. We want access for all who need PrEP – Equitable access to PrEP now. A community statement. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) prevents people getting HIV and is almost 100% effective when taken as prescribed. It provides protection to the many people who continue to be vulnerable to HIV, both in the UK and around the world. The drug has been proven to be cost effective when measured against the cost of lifelong HIV treatment and care. PrEP has already had an impact on HIV rates in the UK, with Public Health England clear
Lockdown Diaries 3 – Jenn
While the nation is trying to slowly move out of lockdown, a lot of people will most likely still be working from home for a while. Time to look back (and forward) to see how our staff and volunteers are coping with lockdown and evaluate the ups and downs when working from home. We asked our volunteer counsellor Jenn a few questions: Who are you “locking down” with? I am ‘locking down’ with my partner and our lovely dog Syria How are you working differently during lock-down? I am working very differently, I am seeing all clients online and having
Lockdown Diaries 2 – Joanne
While the nation is trying to slowly move out of lockdown, a lot of people will most likely still be working from home for a while. Time to look back (and forward) to see how our staff and volunteers are coping with lockdown and evaluate the ups and downs when working from home. We asked our marketing volunteer Joanne a few questions: Who are you “locking down” with? I moved in with my twin sister, her husband and my two-year old niece just before lockdown began – so there hasn’t been a lot of time to be bored with a
