Lived Experience Sharing

As the Managing Director of Proud 2 b Parents and an LGBT+ parent and carer myself, sharing my lived experiences and the community’s lived experience with others can be both empowering and exhausting. On one hand, it's important to raise awareness about the challenges and discrimination that many in our community face. It can of course help us to find allies, build support networks, and push for positive change and seek essential funding. 

On the other hand, constantly having to explain and justify our existence can be incredibly tiresome. Answering the same questions, or confronting the same lack of understanding, day after day, can take its toll on your mental health and emotional well-being.

One of the biggest challenges of sharing LGBT+ experiences is the emotional labour involved. LGBT+ individuals are often expected to educate others about our identities and experiences, even when that education can be emotionally taxing. This can create a sense of burnout, where we feel like we're constantly pouring emotional energy into explaining and defending ourselves, our decisions and our lives. 

I feel that it's important to recognise that this labour isn't the responsibility of LGBT+ individuals alone. Allies and advocates have a role to play in educating themselves and others, and in creating safe and inclusive spaces for the LGBT+ community, and of course LGBT+ parents/carers and our children.

Ultimately, sharing LGBT+ experiences can be both rewarding and challenging. While it's important to continue to raise awareness and push for positive change, it's also important to recognize the emotional exhaustion this can bring , and to take care of our own mental health and well-being in the process. 

Hence why a holiday with the family is essential to rebuild, rethink and reconnect before the next onslaught of discussions!

Happy holidays!!

Matt

Matt and his son on an inflatable unicorn, in a swimming pool!