CARBON: The Equal Edit by carbononcampus

The

Equal Edit INSIDE: TO BEING YOU.. THE TRUTH UNFOLDED.... SEXUAL FANTASIES.

RUPAUL ICONIC MOMENTS... DRAG

UNI SOCIETIES

...BREAKING BOUNDARIES.

MUSIC & BEAUTY EDIT OUT NOW!

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EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

NOTE

In this issue we are celebrating pride. Pride amongst all of us, and how far it has come. In these times, it is important to show off to one another your true selves, as people shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid of who they are. There is so much to live for, in such a short time, where you should make the most out of every second you get to live on this beautiful planet. The world is filled with many beautiful people who are all unique, with no two people ever being the same. And this is why we should be proud of who we are, with this going to radiate off of ourselves on to others. The only person who you need acceptance from is yourself, and we hope to highlight this throughout this issue. It has been an absolute pleasure collaborating with so many people on this special edition of Carbon on Campus, where we have spoken to numerous members of the LGBTQ+ community to see what they would exactly want in a magazine issue targeted towards themselves. This is so important within the media industry. This special edition of Carbon on Campus features so many spectacular articles, designs, illustrations and photoshoots, all from a small team of ten people. We have been given this amazing platform to show off our many talents in storytelling, and I am so proud of what we have achieved in such a short team. So much effort has gone in to creating this magazine, and we really hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we did creating it.

-Matthew

contributors Editor – Matthew Nicoll Deputy & Digital Editor – Kayli Haydon Art Director – Cyra Watts Art Team – Rosie Stewart, Kerys Collins Sub Editor – Tanzeela Rahman Picture Editor Harmony Garland John Social Media Team Sienna Jordan, Hannah Isham Marketing Director – Anna-Maria Kancheva

contents page To Being You Hannah Phillips Minimal Makeup The Truth Unfolded Sexual Fantasies? Jack - MY trans story

Iconic Moments From RuPaulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drag race Netflix, A Place of Pride? Equality Drag Uni Societies Crusty the queen our favourite Transgender Influencers Breaking Boundaries The Beginners Guide 2 Pride The History of Drag Pride Shoes

Words and design by: Harmony Garland John

to being you

“Every day, I get to experience the joy of living an open, honest life and engaging in relationships as a whole and authentic person”

hile gender is presented to us as either male or female; the truth is that gender is a rich, broad spectrum that comes in as many forms as there are people. For many, expressing gender is unconscious. It causes no angst or uncertainty. But for those whose gender identity or innate sense of their own gender doesn’t match with that assigned to them at birth, working out and expressing it can be difficult. Many of these individuals come to identify as “transgender,” an umbrella term that describes a wide range of people who experience or express their gender in different, sometimes non-traditional ways. Those of us who identify as transgender must make deep and personal decisions about whether to open up about who we are — even when it might not be easy. We express that openness by being our full and complete selves among our friends, our family, our co-workers and, sometimes, even strangers. Each of us make decisions about meeting this challenge in our own way and time. Throughout the process of self-discovery and disclosure, you should always be in the driver ’s seat about how, where, when and with whom you choose to be open with! From birth, most of us are raised to think of ourselves as fitting into a certain mold. Our culture and often our families teach us that we are “supposed to” look, act and carry ourselves in specific ways. Few of us were told that we might have a gender identity that differs from the body into which we were born. We can spend a lifetime attempting to hide it, hoping against it, that it ’s not true or that it might someday simply go away. There is no one moment when it ’s “right ” to be open with yourself. Some transgender people have long struggled to live the lives they think they ’re supposed to live instead of the lives they know they were meant to live. And some come to question or recognise their gender identities and expressions suddenly. Transgender people come out during all stages and walks of life — when they ’re children or teens, seniors, married, when they ’re single or when they have children of their own. This can range from women who express themselves in traditionally masculine ways to men who do things that are generally considered feminine. For them, there is often no question of disclosure. They live openly and authentically by simply embracing their differences. Some people may have a sense of gender that does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Whether by asking friends, family and co-workers to call them by another name, or by undergoing medical transition, disclosure to others can be both critical and stressful. Some transgender people may feel little need to disclose themselves to others, whether or not they plan to transition or already have. Given the diversity among transgender people, there’s no single rule to be applied as to whether a person will or even should disclose this aspect of themselves to others. But one thing we all have in common is that we take our first step by being open and truthful with ourselves. Throughout the disclosure process, it ’s common to feel scared, unsafe, confused, empowered, exhilarated, proud, uncertain, affirmed and relieved. For many of us who identify ourselves as transgender, it is important to find others who share similar experiences and the same emotions. Finding peers can help us feel less alone on our new paths, this can help answer questions we might have about next steps. If you live near a major city, you may find support or social groups nearby. For those living in suburban or rural areas, finding a formal group might be more tricky. But transgender people live in every single corner of the world, and you are not alone. One place to start is the internet. A huge range of transgender communities exist online. Whether by subscribing to an email group, reading or participating in blogs or joining an online community, you can find numerous resources on the web. Some people disclosing this truth about themselves to others have just reached a breaking point in their lives where it ’s too difficult to hide who they are any longer. It ’s important to share who you are in order to build stronger and more authentic relationships with those closest to you.

After disclosure, many people feel as if a great weight has been lifted from their shoulders. In the process of sharing who they are, they may also break down stereotypes and other barriers by living more open lives. It ’s important to remember that “transgender ” is a broad term describing a diverse range of people who all express gender in many different ways, each as authentically as the next. The process of transitioning, and the period of time when a person changes from living in one gender to living in another, is when we feel most exposed and the decision to disclose becomes most critical to our life. Transitioning does not always mean medical treatment. Dressing in preferred-gender fashion, changing your body through exercise, adjusting speech patterns mannerisms or requesting that friends and family address you with preferred names and pronouns, theres non-medical options to live their gender identities or expressions. Some people may or may not ever choose to disclose their gender history. This is sometimes referred to as “living stealth,” but this can be a contested term. Other transgender people find that being more open about their lives and stories can be safe and affirming, as many lesbian, gay and bisexual people do. Some people will even choose to speak out publicly about being transgender, becoming advocates for other transgender people by sharing their stories in media interviews or by speaking to students at local colleges and universities or to business and community groups. The pages that follow can help you decide which path is right for you, no matter where you are on your journey. Choosing who you want to tell can be a critical decision. You may want to select people who you suspect will be most supportive, as their support can help you share with others. If you’re coming out at work, who is the point person, or who can be your champion? Your human resources representative? A manager or co-worker? Someone at another transgender, LGBT or social justice organization? Do your homework before choosing. Also, know that this kind of news can travel quickly. If you’d prefer that the people you tell keep your news confidential, make sure you tell them so, and plan for the chance that someone you tell may not stay silent. Don’t be surprised if someone, intentionally or not, shares your news with others before you have a chance to do it yourself. Choosing the right time is up to you and mood, priorities, stresses and problems like to come out. If they ’re dealing with they may not be able to respond to

timing is key. Be aware of the of those to whom you would their own major life concerns, your disclosure constructively.

One of the biggest reasons transgender people don’t disclose being transgender is fear of how a partner will react. They wonder if their spouse will ask for a divorce or split, or their partner will suddenly stop loving them. Always remember that love is hard to stop suddenly. Even a relationship built on the strongest love may confront insurmountable challenges when a partner discloses being transgender. In these cases, separation may be inevitable. Someone might find it difficult to trust or have a romantic relationship with a partner who is transitioning. But there are many others who discover that they can. More and more couples are staying together through transition, proving that being transgender doesn’t have to lead to separation. Before disclosing to a partner it ’s important to remember that they ’ll need time and patience — just as you’d expect time and patience while working through your own feelings. Counselling can even be helpful to many couples, as can talking with other couples who have been through similar situations. _

Almost every day, you will face decisions about where, when and how to disclose that you are transgender — or when and why not to. Always remember, this is your journey. You get to decide how to take it.

Hannah

Hannah Phillips

CARBON wanted to interview Hannah Phillips, a small but powerful activist within the LGBTQ+ community! Hannah has her own Youtube channel with 7.2k subscribers, where she documented her Transition as well as giving advice for others going through theirs! Hannah’s helped CARBON out a lot for this issue and raised our spirits with getting this beautiful Edit complete – listing us the multiple connections she has within the LGBTQ+ community, as well as joining us to share how interesting she is. A stigma within the Transgender community is often being described as just that by us straight people: transgender. Although not a bad thing, this interview is to educate us on how there’s so much more to the Transgender and LGBTQ+ community as much as to anyone else: Hannah is to be described as an amazing activist who does so much for her community as well as others, growing from her struggles and embracing them. Did you know she’s the first transgender person to make a Youtube video every day for a year?! Here’s what we talked about...

1. What do you do as your career? “I don’t do anything in particular, but more of everything that I’m able to do. I became an activist from the time I was coming out as nobody was really being one in our current society. I’m also a professional actor, I’ve covered the whole range to dance shows to plays and musicals, films, as well as being with National Welsh Opera for a couple years.” out something and find the balance with social life, sleep, education etc.” 2. How did you get into this career especially since dropping out in Year 10? “Prior to dropping out, I had done many different things. Like being a professional gamer, competitive playing – going into editing videos on Youtube. I stopped and focussed on school, once I left – I thought, “where now?” Then I decided, I’m going to make a video every day for a year! It was lonely, and to find other people who wanted to be in and not camera shy was really hard. Everyone I once knew wasn’t in my life, in an isolated place like Brockenhurst everyone else was in the city. I’m a child of the forest.”

Interview by: Sienna Jordan, Images from: Hannah Phillips, Edited by: Cyra Watts

3. How have you built confidence in yourself through your career?

“My confidence I gained naturally, and I always had. It started off when I was doing professional performance art with overcoming stage fright, but into real life it helped to become a natural level of confidence with everything I did.”

4. How could someone follow in your footsteps? “My core route was within creativity, I’ve never done a mainstream job like being a waitress. It ’s a lot more creative, and anyone can do this. Most people prioritise things over passion, with making my videos I was noticing I could find time – like it can be a five minute conversation and you can make it look better. Even with acting, you can download a monologue and record yourself, seeing how much better you get. Finding something more out there that you click with helps. I was in college everyday making videos, I understand the grind, however you always have to cut

5. With your experience, do you feel the LGBTQ+ community has been represented well throughout Universities/Colleges/Jobs/Media in any way at all? “I think it ’s just more so an interest, you know what ’s going on the community if you’re within it. If your life is this community and the struggles, you’re naturally aware. Education is the key for any form of change, any age it ’s a change. LGBTQ+ would support this starting at a younger age (say six years-old) change is change no matter how old you are. It ’s impossible to not learn about the LGBTQ+ community in 2020. Now it ’s for sure a good thing in relating to education.”

6. Do you feel there’s more ways to improve the community being represented (e.g. more sex-safety for same-sex couples/sexual partners)? “An element where sex for anyone in any relationship is explored in your own way, both ways do the research. Schools don’t show fully, same sex goes the same way of getting tested and wearing condoms – doing the basic understandings can help.

“I’m not ‘just Transgen

Phillips

@HannahPhillipsReal

An ideal world would give you the information on it, but they don’t want to push the boundaries. They should push those boundaries a bit as there’s still the ten per cent of the class that could experience a different kind of relationship to the other ninety per cent. The two main sites to use on this information are the Stonewall websites and Mermaids; they ’re very reliable.”

7. How do you contribute to the LGBTQ+ community and feel many others could too? “When I was twelve/thirteen I got two Princess Diana awards for “improving the life of others”. I’ve seen more and loved more from just living my life, seeing so many scenarios. I resonate with so many people and have found myself despite losing everyone else I knew and had to shut down every book and start a new one. This whole concept of improving the life of others: how can I? Maybe making videos? Helping at Pride events? Everyone could be accepted and not marginalised. Many others could take my advice in finding yourself first before helping others to possibly do the same.”

“An ideal world would give you the information on same-sex partners, but they don’t want to push the boundaries. They should.” 8. How did people around you react when you came out? Is there anything you’d recommend for others to take notice of (e.g. using correct pronouns/not making too much of a fuss etc)?

hormones? 5 years from now, what surgeries do I get? Some might not even change some of these things as it ’s just how they are, like no alterations to their body until after hormones. After transitioning it gets a bit complicated, but in this moment in time I’m confident with who I am and what my purpose is.”

10. How did you feel documenting your transition? Did it help with the process? Would you recommend others to do this too? “I don’t say that it helps, as in the sense of having a following, with gender dysphoria people struggle with things they hate and want to change but you’re documenting for people to search whenever and see on a daily basis. Documentation and sharing your transition are different, you can document and keep it personal and reflect. For trans guys for example, showing their transition of their voices is confidence-boosting, however if you “haven’t changed quick enough” you can feel discouraged by comparing. And then the element of sharing, there’s potential mental health side effects, gender panic and dysphoria already being problems you face, you don’t want to stop being honest with sharing this, however, don’t want to discourage others. Everyone has anxiety and pressure about how they look with specific angles etc, it ’s the closest thing you can match to someone going through gender dysphoria.”

11. Finally, is there anything in particular you want to say to all our young creatives? “There are so many answers to this. You can say education is pivotal to change, you should know what Trans activists to follow, for example. Even if you’re trying to work this out, there’s always people you gravitate towards more, such as me – a middle person who isn’t that opinionated but more in the middle-ground giving facts. But you could be drawn to someone who’s more controversial. Don’t take the news sources as true facts but look towards the personalities going through these – look at as many people as you can find.”

“It starts off with family or friends first, I told my parents as nobody in school was that close to me. I was well-known but not popular. Brockenhurst being so remote and empty, and the Conservative party thrived for years, it was scary that I knew the average age was old and religion was strong – however I wasn’t scared. Everyone knew everyone, and I saw most of these people every day as I grew up and everyone was quite chill with me as a person, they didn’t have a reason to hate me from my identity, and being this close everyone loved one another. The fuss was more within school. I came out and the next day I didn’t go in, to then the days adding up with the anxiety – coming to Year 10 I dropped out. A difficult area, however, with my awards it came to my college interviews with no GCSE’s I mentioned about being passionate in theatre with my awards, I didn’t necessarily have a skillset on paper but they could see I did in person.”

9. How did you feel before and after transitioning? “Pre-realising, I had this strong sense of something isn’t quite right and disconnected, it ’s almost like an internal depression with it not being in your mind. After your transition there isn’t really an end, everyone’s changing the same as interests – gender identity will stay the same however everything about me constantly changes. After you come out, you’re relieved or sad depending on the acceptance. First 3 months are like: what do I do? How do I start? Hey I want to start buying make-up, how do I do this? How do I block

nder’, I am a person.”

Design, Photography & Creative Direction: Kayli Haydon Model: Alex Ware

makeup

Light use of a brightening concealer and face powder to even the skin tone and correct blemishes. Jeffree Star Cosmetics Concealer & MUA Matte Powder used on model.

Brown shadow to replace eye-liner. - Smoking it out with brown can allow a natural cat eye effect. MORPHE 35F shadow palette used on the modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes.

Faux freckles can add dimension to the face. Use a small eye liner brush and brown shadow to achieve this look.

Eyeliner stamps are a cute way of covering blemishes or adding accents to the face. There is a huge range of these stamps with different shapes. The Body Shop Eyeliner & Star Stamp used.

The

TruthUnfolded

- with Lillie Faust Lillie Faust is a regular 18 year old law student who has recently come out as bisxual and is now living her life more comfortably now she feels like the weight has been lifted off her shoulders. To help anyone who is currently struggling with their sexuality we’ve had the chance to interview Lillie and find out her story.

WHEN DID YOU REALISE THERE WAS A CHANGE IN YOUR SEXUALITY? “When I was in college I had just come out of a relationship with a boy and wasn’t looking for another relationship at the time. Then I met Rachel through a mutual friend and at first we just got along as friends but then it just clicked and I realised I had actually grown feelings for her. I had always been straight right up to college, but as soon as I met her I knew my sexuality had changed.”

What do you admire most about your community? “The thing that I admire the most is that nobody ever discriminated me for being me. I was never judged or looked down upon. Nobody looked at me differently just because I am bisexual. I think everyone in this day and age accepts people for who they are rather than for their sexualoity which is how it should be anyway.”

Who did you approach first when you realised? “I first spoke to my best friend about it and told her that I liked a girl and wasn’t sure what to do. She was so happy for me as I knew she would be. I knew she would be supportive and help me come out to the rest of my friends and family.”

Is there anything you would have done differently? “I wish I wasn’t scared and just let it out rather than refraining myself because I think that ’s what made it harder for me. I was constantly thinking about what other people were going to say rather than thinking about what is making me happy.”

How did your friends and family react ? “My family were so supportive and didn’t question anything. They were just happy that I was happy. Nothing changed, not that anything should but I was expecting them to ask a lot of questions but they didn’t. I think everyone was surprised since my previous relationships have all been with boys and being with a girl was never really considered but nobody made me feel uncomfortable.”

Did you deal with any difficulties coming out and how did you deal with it?

Words by Tanzeela Rahman, Design by Rosie Stewart Edited by Cyra Watts

“Because obviously up to this point I had only been with boys and I had a had a hard time explaing to people I was bisexual. I never officially came out, I just started posting pictures on social media of me and Rachel and I think people started to realise. I think the hardest part was explaining myself as I didn’t come out then find a girlfriend as other people do, I only realised after I caught feelings for Rachel.”

What advice would you give to someone who is struggling to come out? “Speak to someone you trust. Open up to them. Whether they ’re a friend or a parent, find someone who you feel will listen. Because once you have told that one person it makes it easier to tell another person, then more people. There is nothing for you to be ashamed of or be afraid of. The best way to see it is the people who are supportive and are happy for you are people you want to keep in your life and the people who degrade you and make you feel ashamed are the people you don’t need. Don’t feel like you need to explain yourself to anyone, you don’t need to officially ‘come out ’ as long as the people you love know. Nothing else matters as your sexuality is your own and nobody else’s. It makes you an individual so wear it with pride.

‘ G I RLS LOVE G I RLS AND B OYS’ 13

Sexual Sexual fantasies?

Words by: Kayli Haydon

Carbon Magazine had the opportunity to speak with two of Bournemouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardest working Sexual Health advisers. We were able to ask the two some questions on current topics within healthy sexual relations, awareness in the community and sex education.

Kevin Turner Turner Kevin

We spoke with Kevn Turner, a member of the LGBT Community and a sEXUAL adviser at The SHores in bournemouth. Kevin spoke with us about the PREP Medication, Sexual confidence and lessons he has leanrt. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THIS ISSUE? With a lot of LGBT representations particularly when it ’s in the media, it can reinforce this historical idea of gay men being very camp or lesbian women being very butch-heavy; so I think something that would represent that diverse community but then still that sense of, as gay men we are still men, and we are men that find other men attractive because they ’re masculine. So really focusing on those representations of gay men being masculine is important. There are also a lot of lesbians that I particularly work with who often feel in order to fit in as being a lesbian they have to start shaving their hair off and getting tattoos or piercings, etc. You want to represent a community and show that there is space but then you don’t want to treat it as something that closes you off or treat it as something that means others are separate. The concentration on wider identities within our surroundings of being masculine and feminine is really key, alongside voice. Voice is really important as well, use your platform.

WHAT IS YOUR FIELD OF WORK? As my job, I am a phycologist, but I work predominately as a sexual health adviser. I generally give sexual health screenings; I give advice and support for people around STI’s. A big part of my job is helping people with sexual well-being; working with their self-esteem, confidence decision making about the sex they want to be having and staying safe – and helping them be the best version of themselves in doing that.

Spread this idea of cohesion, being united but not in a way that we are asking to be treated any differently; just saying you don’t have to change to be a gay guy or woman, you’re still a masculine man or feminine woman – it ’s just about having your voice.

“The biggest issue with people and their sexual health is confidence.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCES YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE CARBON AUDIENCES THAT COULD POSSIBLY HELP PEOPLE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY?

THROUGH YOUR WORK, WHAT ARE SOME LESSONS YOU’VE LEARNT THAT COULD HELP THE COMMUNITY? That biggest piece of sexual health advice is just be confident and be you; negotiate and talk about what you want and what you’re happy with. For example, when you think about fashion and clothing, everyone has their own style and preference so don’t be scared to be creative with yours and kind of stick with it, is always my biggest piece of advice.

I think with me coming out, one of the things that I got really anxious about was how to act or how to access gay space / what would be expected of me. It can be particularly hard if you’re a straight guy and curious about having sex with another male or gay sex. I think potentially, one of the most important things I had was just that value of community and peer support. I remember at college I met another gay guy and there was this massive lift, as there was this other person who was going through what I was going through; so, I think seeking out that support but also other spaces being accepting is really important. I remember being really anxious hanging around with straight guys because they ’d always want to talk about girlfriends, and I wasn’t really interested. When you actually look at space, how is it sexualised – particularly working in medicine, everything is bound around the female and male attraction and when you look in the media all love stories are based around that, which is difficult.

WHAT ROLE DOES PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION PLAY IN THE LIVES OF LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE? It can be really debilitating, there’s an organisation called Stonewall that had a look at the effects of stigma and discrimination on LGBT people and the reports are available on the website. Generally, we see a lot of social isolation can happen for a lot of LGBT and lots of body image dysmorphia, eating disorders, people not being confident overall and not integrate with other people. I think that when that happens, sometimes people engage in riskier behaviours, and there are lots of cases of anxiety and depression. A lot of it I think comes down to the feeling of not feeling accepted; you can achieve acceptance through different climates of acceptability like language, media and in general relationships between people. There is a lot of ignorance when people just don’t understand things properly or not properly educated on that so if there’s anything anyone can do to help with that, then I think that ’s a good thing.

“Talk about the sex that you want with your partners and what you want to have because if you don’t tell them, they’re not going to know.” DO YOU WORK WITH ANY ORGANISATIONS THAT HELP WITHIN THE COMMUNITY? I work a couple of days a week with an organisation called ‘Over the Rainbow.’ It is an LGBT House initiative that ’s been set up with the NHS and it helps people who are coming out with their sexual orientation, but also helps with gender identities. The organisation tries to reduce the barriers down for people attending for screening where they might be judged for having same sex partners, so we do sexual health screenings for them. ‘Trans Seeking Trust ’ is again, nationally really good with sexual health and is for helping everybody. Also, ‘Mermaids’ is an organisation which helps with young children who are transitioning genders, just as an initial type of starting point for them but also their parents and families; they are great to get involved in.

WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON CURRENT AWARENESS OF SEXUAL HEALTH? I think there really is a big emphasis on the PREP tablets, which is a medication that gay men can take which reduces their risk pf acquiring HIV. The medicine is causing a lot of people to maybe go out and have more sex than they normally would, because they ’ve got that increased protection but also, similar to heterosexual females that go on the contraception methods, people have stopped using condoms or negotiating and speaking about having sex safely. Despite the decrease in HIV, we are seeing Gonorrhoea and Syphilis rates are increasing because people aren’t using condoms anymore. Additionally, with our social media platforms, the way that people approach sex is different now; it ’s like fast food! Say you’re in town on a Saturday and a burger sounds really good at that moment but afterwards it always leaves you feeling a bit horrendous, and I think that ’s the same with sexual relationships and social media. Tinder or Grindr can help satisfy that temporary need but can leave with you with more effect afterwards. I do worry around that, because I don’t think it allows people to be their authentic selves – it ’s like they ’re marketing themselves as some sort of product to meet others expectations and in that environment people don’t have those organic opportunities to really relate to one another or feel scared to show their true self. WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE ON HOW THERE CAN BE MORE WITHIN SEX EDUCATION? Traditionally, my sex education was around Chlamydia, unwanted pregnancies and topics along those lines. One of the biggest mistakes people do is try to separate sex education with heterosexual and same sex relationships, but actually if we just focused on the reasons people are having sex and thinking about sexual practises more universally that would be progressive. A lot of gay men and women are going through the same phycological issues that heterosexual people are when negotiating and approaching sex, so I think rather separating that information, it all needs to be included as one. A lot of the time when we have older men come into the clinic who have come out later on in-life and have missed out on that sex education; sex education is not wear a condom to stop pregnancy. As this is their lessons in sex, when a female is absent, they don’t use protection. This overall approach would help to normalise sexual behaviours but also sexual identities. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE WHO HAS / IS BEING ABUSED SEXUALLY? My biggest piece of advice is to know your worth, in the sense of, if it doesn’t feel right, there’s a good chance it isn’t. There is so many professional organisations that are able to help you at a time you don’t feel anybody can. Take that initial step, but it is the hardest thing you’ll have to do but after that there is help. If you are in that situation, definitely reach out: you won’t be ignored or turned away.

Billy Clarke BILLY cLARKE IS A member of the LGBT Community and ALSO A SEXUAL adviser at The SHores in bournemouth. We spoke with Billy about education systems, organisations and his teaching work. DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCES YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE CARBON AUDIENCES THAT COULD POSSIBLE HELP PEOPLE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY? Speak with people that you trust. Make sure they know you’re telling them anything about yourself because you trust them; it isn’t for them to tell others. There are resources you can go too, on international help, which will help with coming out, etc. WHAT IS YOUR FIELD OF WORK? I work as a forensic nurse, but my work is I am a sexual health advisor. I teach in schools about sexualities, transphobia and homophobia and their effects, LGBT History, and teach within the Trans spectrum also; the definitions of Binary and Non-Binary. I also teach on subjects like mental health, language, the impact of pornography and internet safety. The safety on dating applications is so important to talk about, ensure people don’t meet people after dark and if they do, they should tell someone. I run a sexual health clinic at The Shores on Wednesdays and Fridays, but I am not a recruitment officer. WITHIN ANY CONVERSATION POINT, WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU SPREAD TO THE COMMUNITY? To do more! Obviously, this year they are starting up the new teaching criteria for primary schools which starts in September. We should be talking to primary school kids, not waiting until they ’re in years nine, ten or eleven. There are kids out there who have same sex parents or have siblings and friends a part of the LGBT Community. To separate gender and sexuality in lessons is key also. We must encourage schools to celebrate LGBT History month, International Day Against Homophobia / Adhaho Day (May seventeenth!) WHAT ROLE DOES PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION PLAY IN THE LIVES OF LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE? A huge role is played within this. Everyday there are children reporting things at school, homophobia and discrimination is national. The NHS are giving Rainbow badges and lanyards for people to wear to show solidarity.

DO YOU WORK WITH ANY ORGANISATIONS THAT HELP WITHIN THE COMMUNITY? I am a member of the PRIDE Community. I help out with the Youth Group and Trans Group.

“I’m a massive believer in celebrating PRIDE.” WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON CURRENT AWARENESS OF SEXUAL HEALTH? The LGBT Community are probably better than the Heterosexual Community for attending and screenings! We now have the PReP, which is the medication taken to prevent HIV; this should be available on the NHS for free, but it isn’t currently. We should definitely be doing more campaigns around PReP. Regular screenings are also something that should be much more common for the community. WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE ON HOW THERE CAN BE MORE WITHIN SEX EDUCATION? A huge way to get the message out there with sexual wellbeing is advertise through these dating apps. On Facebook you can see pop-ups, adverts and posts and dating apps should have something similar to this! This is where people find and meet partners and create relationships, so this is a key platform for spreading this type of awareness. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE WHO HAS / IS BEING ABUSED SEXUALLY? Please go and get help, disclose it with someone. You can anonymously record with the police, and there is help out there, without a doubt! Don’t suffer in silence, trust your instincts and talk to people.

Jack

“A

lot of people have it in their head that we wake up and decide to be trans. I want people to know that it’s not a choice. Nothing has happened in my life to make me trans. I was born trans. I told my mum when I was about 13 in 1987. She was shocked and didn’t really understand. It was always a struggle at first as I thought this was something I would have to keep to myself; however six months later she had the initial conversation with my dad and it was a lot harder for him to digest - I wasn’t his little girl anymore. This was obviously difficult; I mean I love my dad but he was a very traditional person. There was a lot of tension growing up during those first few years. I couldn’t wear men’s clothing or deodorant as it would cause an argument. These times were the hardest but i had support from my mother and friends. My parents sadly divorced before I was 16. It had started to genuinely get better, He started to understand that this way I was truly happy. So it was very hard to see my father leave. However this has now allowed my relationships with each of them to sky-rocket and I have never felt better about it in all my life. The fact that I am fully able to live as me; without having a concern of what anyone has to think or say. This is true happiness. I read a book about transgender young people, called ‘them they their by Eris young’ exploring what it’s like to live outside of the gender binary and how it can impact on one’s relationships, sense of identity, language and more. Drawing on the author’s own experiences as a nonbinary person, as well as interviews and research, it shares common experiences and challenges faced by those who are non-binary, and what friends, family and other cisgender people can do to support them. I gave it to my mum. She read it and this was where I saw a change in her. She understood deeper and really saw from my perspective. Our relationship continues to grow. she has supported me throughout; and my parents both said that their main concern was that they were worried about things like, how it will affect me in life – will I be able to find a job, will I be able to find a partner. Well, 10 years down the line and all those things have happened: I’ve found a partner, I have no trouble finding jobs. My mum is fantastic, she’s really proud of me. She comes to transgender Pride with me, She’s never been happier seeing me happy.

” Interview and design by: Harmony Garland John, Image from: Unsplash

iconi mome c from nts : Ru Paul’s Drag Race has come such a long way since the first time it aired on TV 11 years ago. Season 12 is in the making, there have been more than 140 contestants on stage and a different celebrity judge for almost every episode, but Drag Race never disappoints. It has not only gave a chance to drag queens to show their talent and perform, but it also gave more voice to a lot of issues that concern LGBTQ+ community and people in general. It always leave us laughing out loud, shocked or full of anxiety and there isn’t even 1% boredom in it. That ’s why we would like to show you some of the most iconic moments, that made us cry, laugh and feel proud all at once.

Monica Beverly Hills was the first contestant ever in Drag Race, who shared her trans status during the show. After her, there were a few more queens, that confessed they want to transition, which is why Ru Paul said he won’t allow contestants, who already started this process. Monica was quick to defend herself and all transgender community, saying “Our bodies do not equate our identity.”. She also discussed transphobia on Drag Race before, which definitely changed the way people view the show.

Latrice Royal is one of the funniest queen to ever compete in Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Her natural sense of humor literally made her one of the most famous memes from the show with the phrase “Get those nuts away from my face”. She was playing a prison guard, who doesn’t like nuts, which is how this iconic phrase was created. However, Latrice always managed to rise above the drama and stay true to herself, which is far enough to make her deserve to be on our list.

We doubt that there is someone who can say that Violet Chachki did not deserve to win season 7. She made a statement with her next level fashion looks and how confident she was wearing them, but the look that left us all breathless, was the “Death becomes her ”. She pinched her waist in so much, that all of the judges were gasping in awe. The oxygen mask she was wearing made the look even scarier, but iconic at the same time.

Katya is without a doubt one stunning, funny and kind-hearted queen, that every fan of the show definitely loves. She was a contestant on season 7, before returning for All Stars 2. Her sobriety story touched everyone watching and showed us that everything is possible, when you set your mind to it. She has normalized these types of discussions, helping a lot of young people struggling with this too. Her story helped us realise that we all have moments of weakness and we all deserve time to reflect and take care of ourselves.

Valentina’s elimination on season 9 was probably the most shameful one in the history of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. As we all know, a lip sync determines if a queen should go home or continue in the competition. Valentina was the first contestant ever that started “singing” with a mask on her face. She was quickly stopped by Ru Paul asking her to take it off, to which she replied with “I would like to keep it on, please”. She took it off eventually and it became clear to everyone that she didn’t know the lyrics, which is without a doubt something unapologetic for a drag queen.

When Vanessa Vanjie Mateo became the first eliminated queen on season 10, she left the stage calling her name “Miss Vanjie” and walking backwards, like she was repeating her entrance in reverse. The moment instantly filled up the internet, making her an icon, that deserved a second chance. She returned on season 11 better than ever, showing everyone you have to believe in your power and carry your head high. Words by: Anna-Maria Kancheva, illustrations and design by: Cyra Watts

F O E C A L P a FLIX,

Words and design by: Hannah Isham

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Illustrated by: Kerys Collins

CRUSTY

The

Queen

Crusty, 21, started performing in drag in 2018. She’d spend nights before this in her room practicing looks and creating THE face. By day: Crusty is a Theatre student studying singing, acting and dancing. By night: Crusty is singing, acting and dancing (but if you’re lucky you’ll get to see a tassle or two.)

What does Crusty do to get ready? “For getting ready in my drag, I have to set the mood, so I’ll put on some music; sometimes it’s twenties music or which I fancy. Of course, alongside that I grab myself a glass of wine to feel fancy. I then start with my base makeup and contour. I start putting it all together and it’ll look really sh*t, but once I’ve got the wig and the lashes on, she’s that beautiful and glamourous Crusty, ready to go.”

Design, Photography & Creative Direction: Kayli Haydon Model: Crusty The Queen

What’s one of your craziest Drag stories? “So, I did a show where I had to be a clown and I was like ‘I’m going to glue a pom pom to my nose, that’ll be cute!’ So, I used nail glue, I always use nail glue to stick things to myself and all my friends were saying no about using it this time, and of course I say it’s fine and go ahead. Well, I put it on and my eyes start to sting and watering and I had literally burned the skin off the end of my nose; I have a permanent clown nose and I’m literal clown as I have a scar on my nose from taking it off.”

Drag Uni Societies

Words by: Hannah Isham, Images from: Unsplash

Do they exist, How many are there, how far have we come?

Yes!

Thankfully Drag Societies do exist in todays Universities, which of course, is a great achievement for the Drag community. The emergence of these societies shows us that progress is being made in both the acceptance and growth of the drag community, as not so long ago no such societies would have existed and would have been completely unheard of within university culture. Additionally, the recent inclusion of a small number of these societies provides a safe place for people to express themselves, without fear of judgment and may also give others the confidence to be true to themselves; whereas before they may have felt isolated and alone, without the comfort of a safe place where they can fit in. The first University that I found to have their own Drag Society is Roehampton. This university society has even gone as far as to give themselves the name ‘RoePaul’s Drag Society ’, which of course, has been inspired by the hit TV series ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’. This society claims to “celebrate all things drag” and is “open to performers and appreciators alike,” with the fundamental rule that “absolutely no one is excluded!”. This statement gives a really positive message and promotes a welcoming and non-judgmental attitude to potential members, which is exactly what is needed to encourage people to come along and take part. The next University I came across which has a Drag Society is The University of Sussex. This is not at all surprising to me, as Brighton & Hove is a city that is well known throughout the country and in fact worldwide, for their pride festival celebrations and is generally considered a very accepting and diverse community. From reading about this society online, I found out that it only began as recently as 2016 and was actually awarded the best new society at Sussex University in this same year. This shows us that the introduction of Drag Societies as part of student life is still very much in its early days, although progress appears to be moving at a pace, particularly in those cities where pride events take place. Clearly the success of the Drag Society at Sussex is going from strength to strength, as in 2017 they were awarded the TAB’s LGBT+ Society of the year and so, it looks like Sussex is the place to be if you’re enthusiastic about the art of drag performance! The University of Birmingham is another university that has recently introduced an official society for all those with an appreciation for drag and members can participate in a whole range of activities from make-up tutorials, drag competitions, local nights out and even a drag ball at the end of the year! The creation of this new society is perhaps linked to the success of the pride festival in Birmingham, as this event gets bigger and more popular with each coming year! This in turn, is great for both the uni society and for the drag community as a whole, as the ongoing success of pride brings an appreciation of drag to a wider audience. The fact that drag societies are beginning to feature in uni culture, shows us that positive changes are beginning to be made. However, the small list of universities that I have found offering such societies means that although we are heading in the right direction, there is still a long way to go to ensure inclusivity across all universities.

Universities with a Drag Society - Roehampton University - University of Sussex - University of Birmingham - Greenwhich University - Bath Spa University - Hull University - Glasgow University

JakE Graf Jake is a transgender actor, writer, and director for short films focused on transgender issues as a way to normalise queer and trans experiences to a wider audience. He is a patron for @mermaidsgender, a charity in the UK who support transgender and gender variant children and their families.

Jaimie Wilson Jaimie is a transgender musician who documents his journey on Instagram through transitioning from female to male. He brings light on his vocal changes through singing and is involved in many different cities Pride events.

Emma Ellingsen Emma is a model and instagram influencer from Norway, she shared her story titled ‘I am transgender ’ on YouTube. Emma realised she was transgender at the age of 8 and said her life was ‘on hold’ until she was able to get gander reassignment surgery. She documents her life through Youtube and Instagram.

our favourite

transgender

Laverne Cox

Words by: Kerys Collins, design by: Cyra Watts

Laverne is titled a Queen as she became a household name after Orange is the New Black playing a transgender inmate and was the first openly trans person nominated for an Emmy award for acting. She is a well known activist in the LGBTQ+ community.

Carmen Carrera Carmen starred on RuPauls Drag Race and is a model and trans activist. She famously called out RuPaul for using incorrect terms for the transgender community like ‘tranny ’ and ‘she-male’, these were promptly cut from the show and replaced. She has campaigned for years on how the drag scene sees trans people and refused to return until it changes.

Charlie Craggs Charlie is taking over the world after coming up with #NailTransphobia which lets people sit down with a trans person for a chat and get a manicure to educate people who are cisgender. She wrote a book called ‘To my Trans Sisters’ and is an ambassador for London Trans Clinic as well as being a strong activist for LGBTQ+ communities.

Asifa Lahore Asifa was seen as one of the first symbols of hope for the Asian transgender family. She speaks out about the struggles of not just being trans, but being of Asian descent where the LQBTQ+ community isn’t as widely accepted as it is in other countries.

Benjamin Melzer Munroe Bergdorf Munroe is a DJ and transgender activist using Instagram to show her transition and experience being a black woman, she finds support from the wider community. In 2016 she was voted the 3rd most influential LGBTQ+ person in the UK.

Benjamin is a transgender model and athlete, he uses his platform on Instagram to post personal and professional photos of himself and uses hashtags to draw attention to his individual story on how being transgender affects his model and athletic career.

influencers

& why you should 100% follow them. Gigi Getty Gigi is a Youtube star and proud, openly trans woman covered in pink and glitter, she posts makeup videos and lifestyle videos on life as a trans person and is an icon in the LGBTQ+ community.

Janet Mock Janet is titled a boss and released her own book named: Redefining Realness - A Trans Girls Memoir, about her experience. She is a strong advocate for trans rights and wants the world to know that loving yourself and your body is the key to happiness.

Charlie Allan Charlie is popular on Youtube with over 50,000 subscribers and says him and his girlfriend are here to “Educate and inform whilst having a laugh at the same time”. Charlie was first seen on MTV’s True Love or True Lies and was said to be the first Scottish trans man to appear on television. Charlie and girlfriend Lauren now use their platform to educate people with videos like “The Mental Struggles of Being Transgender ”.

Words by: Matthew Nicoll, Edited by: Cyra Watts, Images by Unsplash.

BREAKING A look at the CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE INSPIRED US TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN GENDERS Over the past couple of years, we have seen more and more celebrities showing their appreciation towards breaking stereotypical gender normalities; promoting how important it is to show off your individuality. People should embrace the little parts of themselves in ways in which they shouldn’t fear of being judged by others, as at the end of the day life is too short to worry about if certain items of clothing should be worn by “just men” or certain accessories should be worn by “just women”. The list is endless, but here we are celebrating how far we have come in breaking the gender boundaries, yet there is still a long way to come. Harry Styles is currently at the forefront of the whole “breaking the gender norm”, especially with the release of his latest album, Fine Line, and all of the publicity surrounding it. Harry Styles, formerly a member of boyband One Direction, has portrayed himself as a new man in the past couple of years since deciding to go solo from the band, where he has made it clear that he dislikes the use of labels on his style, sexuality or sound. Art is about being able to express yourself, and it is clear that Harry Styles has mixed fashion, art and music together in order to raise awareness of breaking the gap between stereotypical “male” and “female” styles. Harry Styles said in his 2018 interview with Timothée Chalamet that he is “very comfortable” with allowing himself “to be feminine”, and this is the mindset in which a lot of celebrities, and general members of the public, are starting to take out in to the modern society. Harry Styles defies fashion stereotypes in a way in which a lot of music artists are afraid too, especially as he has been defined as “wild” by many publications over the past couple of years. Gucci has been a brand that is publicly very supportive of breaking these gender norms, collaborating with Harry in many of his looks for the catwalk or formal events, with one

of his first ground-breaking outfits being THAT Met Gala look in 2019. Sporting a stereotypically “female” black blouse and an individual pearl earring, Harry Styles really stepped up to the occasion and highlighted how people can wear whatever they want, and still look phenomenal. Going back to his new album, on the cover he is wearing a magenta unbuttoned shirt with massively wide-legged white trousers, with the theme of pink-like colours being prominent in this album artwork. Harry Styles isn’t one to shy away from the public light when it comes to being himself, and he has surely inspired many in breaking that gender boundary when it comes to art and fashion. Miley Cyrus, known for portraying the innocent, girl-next-door Hannah Montana, took the world by storm when she gave herself a brand new looking, sporting a very short haircut with the release of her music video ‘We Can’t Stop’ in 2013. It was a very different side to the popular female musician/actor, and she got a lot of backlash for it, seemingly being “too inappropriate” for a lot of her younger fans as she explored a new side to herself. On the other hand, Miley was absolutely right for doing this. She gave the audience something to think about; that people are too afraid to show their real selves as they ’d just get judged straight away, but she didn’t care, and this encouraged others to shed light on the matter. On many occasions, Miley has said that she counts herself “among the people” who don’t fit in “traditional boxes”, and so she decided to show the world truly who she is as a person, trying to break that gap between the genders. In an interview with Time magazine, Miley said that “you can just be whatever you want to be”, and this is something that is so important in today ’s society.

In August 2016, rapper Young Thug broke the internet with the release of his album ‘No, My Name is Jeffery ’, due to the fact that he is posing in the artwork with a massive light-blue dress. This was a shock to a lot of people as Young Thug, a massive voice in the hip-hop community, born in Atlanta, Georgia, was seen as a “manly ” man who kept up the typical “gangster ” aesthetic, and so this came out of no-where when it was released. But this was something that needed to be done, as it kickstarted a massive conversation in not only just the hip-hop community, but the entire music and fashion industry in general, that anyone can wear anything and that people are over labels nowadays. Especially as it is coming from a straight, black male, people were thrown off completely, but really it is something the community should support and show their love towards, encouraging others to do the same! Young Thug said that he liked to buy clothes that were originally made for females as he thought men’s clothing weren’t tight-fitting enough for his liking, but this did result in a lot of backlash from the community in his Instagram comments due to the stereotypes held within the hip-hop community. Young Thug doesn’t care about appealing to a larger audience, he just wants to be himself, and that ’s a lesson in which we all need to learn from.

wear a hat

2. colour!

Pride always falls in the midst of summer so to ensure you can fully enjoy the day, you must protect your head! Sombrero, flat cap, bucket hat; as long as you’re shaded from the strong sun, you’ll be good.

3. rainbow

pride is a celebration of LGBTQ+ and expressing yourself. this means we want to see colour! go as bright and wild as you can! Also avoid black as it will make you so much hotter under the sun.

Words and design by: Cyra Watts

to complete any pride outfit, wear rainbow! anything from a badge to full bodypaint, it will camoflauge you if you are introverted but is super colourful if you aren’t.

experiment

pride is your chance to experiment and wear something you usually would’nt. if theres something you don’t usually have courage to wear, try it as everyone else will be dressed just as crazy!

be comfortable

lgbtq+ is about being being comfortable in your skin and accepting yourself for who you are. if you arent feeling those leopard print trousers, don’t wear them!

g n i h t e l t t i l pretty

On the weeks leading up to Pride, PrettyLittleThing releases a cool range of t shirts and unisex clothing with words such as ‘equality’ and ‘love wins’. With last years collection, 100% of profit went to different pride charities.

3.gay pride shop

d river islan

River Island also had a groovy collection last year with their Pride collaboration. £3 from every sale went to Ditch The Label, an anti-bullying charity. They have more casual unisex clothing including hoodies and t shirts.

amazon

Amazon have so many options you can browse. From rainbow jumpsuits to badges to flags they pretty much have it all. Also amazon is a good option if you want to find something a bit cheaper that not many people will be wearing!

This is a true Pride shop that sells rainbow clothes as well as your parade essentials. The website is great as they let you choose a category by how you identify, whether its genderfluid or pansexual. 30% of profit gets shared between 3 chosen charities.

t n e v e e d i r at the P

At a majority of the pride events around the uk you will be able to purchase merchandise. you can find stalls or people selling bits and bobs all around the event.

love is love

THE HISTORY OF

DRAG

Iconic tv and Pose world of lot more

shows may drag to the

such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, AJ and The Queen have shed light into the beautiful and unique through mainstream media. However there is a history of drag than lip- synching for your life!

Drag began out of necessity, When Shakespearean theatre was arising in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the stage wasn’t just a place of entertainment. It had strong links to the church and with that came rules that only men could tread the boards. If that play you were in featured a few female roles, then it was up to a couple of the men in the cast to dress as members of the opposite sex so the story didn’t suffer. The word ‘drag’ is believed to have theatrical origins too. The dresses men wore to play female characters would drag along the floor.

Words and design by: Rosie Stewart

It soon became a way for men (often gay men, although plenty of heterosexual men wear drag as well) to express a different side of themselves, overexaggerating feminine looks, style and body language to create a persona. As RuPaul himself says, there is more to drag than impersonating a woman: “I don’t dress like a woman; I dress like a drag queen!” Drag kings, where female performers adopt an exaggerated male persona, are also popular. Christian Adore is an act that challenges gender norms and stereotypes through comedy, and appears regularly on the London circuit.

Anyone who obsessed over the US series Pose in a night of binge watching will be aware of the drag balls which originated in parts of New York in the 1970s. These events involved owning the runway in the finest drag around in order to wow the judges and go home with a clutch of trophies. This was where the concept of the drag mother took hold. Seasoned queens would take up-and-coming drag artists under their wing, to show them how to work a stage as well as their look. They often provided a home to youngsters who may be going through a difficult time in their lives, and not just those intending to enter the drag world.

This led to drag mothers becoming known making them responsible for an entire mother ’s surname, their drag protégés or even have their stage name chosen

as the head of their House, drag family. Whatever the were allowed to adopt it, for them by their mother.

The Stonewall Riot of 1969 saw drag queens, most notably Marsha P Johnson, protest against police raids on gay bars in New York City and led to the creation of the Gay Liberation Front. The fight for acceptance and equality grew in profile over the 1970s and 1980s, with Harvey Milk becoming the first openly gay man to be voted in to public office in San Francisco in 1977. In 2009, the first series of Drag Race aired. Its mix of challenges, costume creation, skits and impersonations has made it appointment television for a surprisingly diverse audience and has even influenced the slang and language itself. Drag is a fascinating, complex world packed with social history and extravaganza. In 2017, Time magazine named RuPaul as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. If that ’s not serving up sickening realness, we really don’t know what is.

PRIDE SHOES are even cooler! A look at the 2019 pride-inspired trainers that took the world by storm!

Due to the recent 50th anniversary of pride, 2019 brought out the best in shoe brands, as several different companies decided to incorporate pride in to their works; highlighting how important it is to show off individuality and being yourself. Ranging from trainers to boots to slippers, Spring/Summer 2019 had it all, and fingers crossed in the upcoming season it will be the same, if not even better. Here we are taking a look at some of the pride-inspired trainer releases last year that you can still wear in the upcoming Spring/Summer season!

Converse has been one of America’s iconic sneaker brands since 1908 when it was founded, and has always been at the forefront of skating and lifestyle footwear. Since it had been bought by Nike in 2003, the brand has expanded itself in to experimenting with different styles and collaborations like never before, and so they decided to bring out a “pride pack” to celebrate equality within the world. Putting a rainbow spin on many of their classic styles such as the All Star Hi and the All Star Ox (low), these designs featured several multi-coloured patterns detailed across the shoes, especially across the Ox style. Across the Hi style it featured a massive lightning bolt across the upper, where customers are clearly going to be seen from a mile away as they rock the shoes with style! With these shoes also featuring rainbow-themed soles, they are the type of shoe which anyone is able to look good in. Their slogan with the release of these shoes were “all the Words and Design by Matthew Nicoll. Image by Unsplash.

stories are true”, as the brand had six different people to be the face of the collaboration; all with important stories which they want the entire world to hear. With these shoes being released to several retailers across the globe, the shoes sold out on Converse’s official website due to being instantly popular, but they are said to be releasing their next collection in the future.

Adidas is another brand that has always been at the top of the trainer industry, especially in today’s market through several of their highlyrated designs and “hyped” collaborations, such as teaming up with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams over the past few years. But their pride pack? Even better. The Adidas Continental 80 is debatably their biggest trainer release since 2018, and so the brand put a pride spin on the 1980’s-inspired shoe, with the line down side of the trainer replaced with a rainbow stripe. The Adidas logo on the tongue of the shoe is in a rainbow colour-way, replacing the old typical black and white colour, with this shoe also completely sold out on the Adidas website due to the high demand, but they are planning on bringing out another “great release” in the future. With the brand also releasing the perfect pair of sliders for you to wear on holiday, with the original Adilette summer slide now having a rainbow upper instead of the simple black or white, you can be proud wherever you are around the world.

Last but now least we have Vans, a brand which has had a massive amount of success over the past decade through the release of their Old Skool shoe, amongst many other designs. Another one of their most popular designs was the slip-on, ranging from the checkboard pattern to an all over single coloured print, and they decided to release their own pride-inspired style of the slip-on shoe. With a checkerboard rainbow pattern across the slip-on, it’s a more exciting pattern compared to the original cream and black style. Also releasing the checkboard rainbow pattern but on the Old Skool style, there is a shoe for everyone in this pride pack which released last year! Not only just releasing the trainers themselves, Vans also released rainbow laces which anyone can use in any trainer they wish to spice up their style a little bit themselves!

Seeing how far the sneaker industry has come in recent years, it’s amazing to see that brands want to incorporate something as important as pride in to their designs, attracting a wider audience! We hope to see this carry on in to the future!