FIVE FUN SHOWS TO BINGE DURING LOCKDOWN

Being on lockdown, there is plenty of time on all our hands to start new things from various hobbies, to television shows that we have said that we will start for ages. I’m here today with five shows that you should start whilst in lockdown, all of them very fun and available to stream via Netflix or Amazon Prime.

1. SEX EDUCATION (2019 -)

Set in the fiction English town, Moordale, Otis Milburn (played by Asa Butterfield) and his friend, Maeve Wiley (played by Emma Mackey) set up a sex therapy clinic in school after Otis manages to advise a school bully on what to do regarding his sexual performance anxiety.

It took me a while to watch this despite being recommended it, just from the title alone.  I didn’t know much else other than the fact the Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson and that ended up being the selling point for me. The show really throws you into the sexual environment straight away, yet it manages to be both informative and funny. A lot of the issues that the teens discuss in the show surrounding sex are things that you wouldn’t learn in school, but are quite common. Even I, at the ripe old age of twenty-three, learnt a lot from watching this show. Despite it mainly having a focus on sex, the show manages to bring focus to many other teen issues such as mental illness, sexual assault, homophobia and internalised biphobia. These are often themes that aren’t explored in depth, if at all, but Sex Education manages to tackles them in a sincere and truthful way. Even though these heavy topics are prevalent within the show, it manages to also be quite funny and very entertaining and is a real feel-good show.

Available to stream on Netflix

2. THE GOOD PLACE (2016 – 2020)

The Good Place is not your typical type of comedy. Created by Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), the show focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (played by Kristen Bell) who has died and is welcomed into the Good Place where only those that have lived the best life whilst they’ve been alive on Earth get sent to when they die. Eleanor quickly discovers that there has been a big mistake and that she isn’t supposed to be there. With the help of philosophy professor and ‘assigned soulmate’, Chidi Anagonye, she decides that she will learn how to become a better person in order to earn her spot in the Good Place.

Just like Sex Education, this is another show that was recommended to me multiple times before I actually decided to settle down and watch it. I absolutely love Michael Schur’s work, with Brooklyn Nine-Nine being one of my favourite shows and I was definitely not disappointed when I sat down to watch The Good Place. I might even go so far as saying that I enjoyed it more than Brooklyn Nine-Nine! Each of the characters are compelling with interesting back stories and, despite Eleanor being a selfish person, she is very relatable and you can see that she doesn’t belong in the Bad Place either. There are many tense moments throughout the show and it is one of those shows that you wish that you could experience again with fresh eyes. I have watched it so many times and have introduced it to a lot of people who have fallen in love with it straight away. The comedy in it is incredibly silly but hilarious and the show even manages to teach us, along with Eleanor, about philosophy and ethics. I found that after I had watched the show, I was very conscious of my every action and its positive or negative effect on the world around me.

Available to stream via Netflix

3. ONE DAY AT A TIME (2017 -)

One Day at a Time is a comedy series based off Norman Lear’s 1975 – 1984 sitcom of the same name. The show’s focus is a Cuban-American family that live in Los Angeles. Penelope Alvarez (played by Justina Machado) is a single mother to her two teenage children, who works as a nurse. We learn all about her and her small family and the issues that Latino families face living in the United States.

If anyone asked me what my favourite show is, I would definitely say One Day at a Time. It is one of the funniest shows that I have ever watched that makes me laugh out loud yet it also manages to make me cry. I have watched this show multiple times and it never gets old or boring. The jokes are current and are never at the expense of anyone else (unless you count jokes about the President) and it manages to tackle heavy subjects with dignity and sincerity. The show brings issues like white privilege, racism, post-traumatic stress disorder, gun laws, deportation, homophobia and a whole load of others to the forefront and allows us as the viewers to learn along with the characters. All of the characters are relatable and have hilarious running jokes. I would recommend One Day at a Time to everyone I know if you want something that is light-hearted but also teaches you something new.

Series 1 – 3 available to stream via Netflix

Series 4 currently streaming on Pop

4. A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (2017 – 2019)

Everyone knows the story of the Baudelaire children from either the Lemony Snicket books or the 2004 film of the same name starring Jim Carrey and Jude Law (if you don’t, you have been living under a rock). A fire that kills their parents leads the three young protagonists on an investigation into what happened whilst trying to avoid the villainous Count Olaf (played by Neil Patrick Harris) who is out to steal their fortune.

I was a huge fan of this series of books when I was in high school and re-read them multiple times. The film was always a huge disappointment to me because, despite the wonderful cast, it didn’t cover half of the things that happened; only focussing on the first three books with events not even happening in the right order. So you can tell how thrilled I was when Netflix announced that they would be remaking this with one book being covered by two episodes.  Much like Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events was one of the inspirations for me wanting to become a writer and the show manages to stay incredibly true to the books; which is a task that never seems to be reached by people that choose to adapt novels into films or television series. Even though the title and opening theme song (which suggests that the show will “wreck your evening, your whole life and your day”) imply that the show is not a light-hearted thing to be watching, I would suggest otherwise. The use of black-comedy is hysterical and, even though we feel sorry for the Baudelaire’s and want them to succeed, Count Olaf and his evil hench crew are very likable villains who we often feel sorry for when they fail at their job. Patrick Warburton is incredible as the omniscient Lemony Snicket, narrating the story with lines from the book. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting something fun to keep them entertained for a good few hours.

Available to stream via Netflix

5. GOOD OMENS (2019)

Based on the novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens is the story of a demon named Crowley (played by David Tennant) and an angel named Aziraphale (played by Michael Sheen), life-long friends who are working together to try and prevent Armageddon. The series focuses strongly on the relationship between the two celestial beings and the actions of them and others to prevent the end of days.

Everyone always says that the books are better than their adaptations and I would be inclined to agree, but not in the case of Good Omens. I read the book after watching the show and, whilst I did enjoy it, the show is a lot more fleshed out and delves deeper into the friendship between Crowley and Aziraphale. Neil Gaiman wrote the script so stayed very close to his original source material whilst also allowing the viewers to have a deeper insight into the story which we weren’t given in the book. Both Tennant and Sheen give incredible performances along with other familiar faces such as Jack Whitehall, Miranda Richardson and John Hamm. Gaiman manages to blur the lines between good and evil by making the angels and the demons just as bad as each other. The humour in the show is very similar to that of A Series of Unfortunate Events with God as the narrator much like Lemony Snicket. The angels and demons knowing about the world but not actually understanding it is also a running jokes through the series. If you’re looking for something short and sweet, then this is definitely the show for you.

Available to stream via Amazon Prime I hope you all enjoy these recommendations and find something to watch. Let me know your thoughts on the shows if you’ve watched them! Stay safe and well, until next time x

Why You Should Be Watching ‘Years and Years’

Years and Years (2019) starting airing on BBC One in May last year and is available to stream via BBC iPlayer. I started watching this as it aired with my family and we very quickly became addicted. I noticed that it wasn’t getting the response that it deserved, but an extra three weeks of lockdown is the perfect time to get binging on this incredibly important and poignant television series.

The show, written by former Doctor Who (2005 -)show runner, Russell T Davies, shows the near future through the eyes of one British family (though I don’t think he managed to predict a global pandemic!). The first episode catapults us five years into the future with a terrifying montage of all the things that have changed in that time. Whilst five years doesn’t sound like a lot, Davies manages to cleverly show that little things have changed but, generally, it is still the same country. Those familiar with Russell T Davies and his days on Doctor Who may be reminded of the episode Turn Left in series four which shows what would happen to the world if Donna had never met the Doctor and if he had died when she was meant to have been the one to save him. This episode takes and truly dystopian route, yet it is eerie knowing that it isn’t too out of this world to become real.

What is so terrifying about the show is that it is the little changes are likely to happen in the future with the political turmoil the country is currently in and Brexit having not long been a thing of the past. As well as politics being at the forefront of this show, we also see a change in technology which makes it quite similar (but better — in my opinion) to Black Mirror (2011 -).

One of the things that Russel T Davies manages to get spot on with is, not just the compelling writing and story line, but the actors that tell the story. The Lyons family, through which we few our future, is incredibly diverse with people of different races, ethnicities, sexualities and genders. Emma Thompson also plays the villainous MP, Vivian Rook who may resemble some people in parliament that we see today.

My favourite part of watching Years and Years was the relationship that we saw blossom between Daniel Lyons and Ukrainian refugee, Viktor Goraya. Not only is it a pure relationship between two people that care a lot about each other, it shows the reality for a lot of LGBT+ people in different countries as well as the desperation refugees feel to leave their country behind. Russell T Davies has managed to capture the harsh reality in such a moving and profound way whilst not overdramatising. Both he and Russell Tovey who plays Daniel Lyons for remain truthful to the struggle that refugees are currently facing every day. Even Amnesty UK thanked the show for bringing this topic to the forefront and educating viewers on what is happening in the world.

I can’t say with words just how impacting and important this show is for today’s society. I hope that, if you haven’t already watched it, that I have convinced you too. Let me know what you thought if you have seen it as I am really interested in other people’s comments.

As I have mentioned a lot about how real the refugee story was, please consider joining Amnesty International who help refugees and defend people’s human rights right around the world. You can join today from just £3.00 a month and make a difference to real lives. Just visit the website https://www.amnesty.org.uk/ to find out how to sign up.

TEN FEEL-GOOD FILMS TO WATCH IN QUARANTINE

Good evening everyone! It has been a long time since I last logged onto here due to life being very hectic during my final year of university and me getting a full time job. We’re all in quarantine now though so what better time to get some writing out of my system! As you may have guessed from the title, this post will cover ten feel-good films that you can watch whilst you’re stuck indoors. All of these films are available to streams on a variety of services, but this may differ for your location.

1. FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986)

Ferris Bueller is a charismatic teenage boy, beloved by all of his classmates and teachers. When he decides to take the day off school and explore the city of Chicago with his best friend and girlfriend, his headmaster doesn’t believe that he is ill and spends the day trying to catch him in the act.

This film is a classic especially when it comes to feel-good movies. My mum (who is quite the eighties movie buff) introduced me and my brothers to this a couple of years ago and it quickly became one of my most favourite films. John Hughes is a legend when it comes to eighties comedies with films like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles under his belt. He also manages to cover sensitive issues regarding the relationships between parents and their children as well as high school teachers and their students, and this is explored in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as well. Even though I envy Ferris and his ability to explore the outside which is a luxury that none of us have at the present, it is a fun filled film that can give you ideas of ways to spend the days that we will hopefully have back come the late summer.

Available to stream via Sky Movies and Netflix

2. HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004)

Sophie is a young milliner that gets cursed by a witch and turned into an old woman; she joins the wizard, Howl, in his moving house as a cleaning lady in an attempt to find a way to break the curse. She becomes caught up in Howl’s resistance fighting for the king whose kingdom is under attack.

I have been a huge fan of Studio Ghibli films since I was in high school with some of my favourites being Kiki’s Delivery Service and the well-known classic Spirited Away. All of these were directed by the incredible Hayao Miyazaki who created Howl’s Moving Castle to express his distaste towards the invasion and subsequent war in Iraq in 2003. There are many anti-war themes in this film and, whilst that mightn’t sound like the perfect feel-good film, it works by being subtle and having fantasy elements that bring some fun to a dark subject matter. The animation is stunning as in any Miyazaki film and the characters are relatable; you fall in love with them as easy as any Studio Ghibli characters. As much as I love all films by Studio Ghibli, Howl’s Moving Castle deserves more love and appreciation which is why I chose it for this list.

Available to stream via Netflix

3. ROCKETMAN (2019)

Directed by Dexter Fletcher, Rocketman is the musical biopic about famed singer Elton John. Taron Edgerton produces an incredible performance as the flamboyant artist and shows the audience a raw and unseen version of Elton’s life whilst being sensitive and fun at the same time.

Elton John didn’t have the best start in life and his troubles only continued into the beginning of his musical career. Whilst this mightn’t come off as a feel-good film, the troubles are balanced with fun musical and surrealist elements. Anyone even slightly familiar with Elton John’s songs will be able to enjoy singing along whilst being educated on his life. Despite the story covering various heaving subjects such as drugs, alcohol and domestic abuse, it manages to be uplifting and shows us how he overcame those struggles. These kinds of films are perfectly suited to our current climate because it shows that things that might hinder us will pass and we will come out stronger on the other side.

Available to stream via Sky Movies

4. TANGLED (2010)

A loose retelling of the classic German tale Rapunzel, Tangled is the story of a young girl that was locked in a tower eighteen years ago by an evil woman in order to protect her magic hair. She craves life outside of her tower and when a lovable rogue breaks in, she persuades him to take her outside and protect her long enough for her to see lanterns that she has only ever seen from her window every year on her birthday.

What feel-good film list would be complete without a Disney film? There are many Disney films that I could have chosen, but Tangled is probably my most loved. With fun songs, beautiful scenes and charming characters, it’s hard to find something to fault with this one! Rapunzel being locked in a tower and craving being outside is something that we can all relate to in the current climate!

Available to stream via Disney +

5. PADDINGTON 2 (2017)

Everybody’s favourite marmalade eating bear is back in a thrilling and entertaining sequel to the 2014 film Paddington. In an attempt to find his Aunt Lucy a birthday present, Paddington end up being framed for a crime that he didn’t commit.

Everyone know that sequels are never better than they original, right? Well clearly whoever said that was wrong! I watched Paddington 2 very recently, after constantly being recommended it, so it is still very fresh in my mind. I love films that just make you feel good; and that’s exactly what Paddington 2 does. For both adults and children alike, the film teaches us that “if we’re kind and polite, the world will be right”. In a time when we are all feeling lost and confused, Paddington manages to make us feel at home and as though we can make the world better. The chaos of the film is thoroughly entertaining with excellent performances from a whole host of well-known British actors, with Hugh Grant having the chance to show off as the villainous Phoenix Buchanan. If you need a film that is going to brighten your spirits, then be sure to watch Paddington 2 and I promise that you will have the best time.

Available to stream via BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime

6. MATILDA (1996)

Based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name, Matilda tells the story of a young girl who knows that she is very different from her family. Where her family like to watch television and spend money, Matilda Wormwood would rather read and go to school. When Matilda goes to school for the first time, she meets her lovely teacher, Miss Honey, who holds a secret involving her past and the villainous head teacher, Miss Trunchball.

If you haven’t watched Matilda, then I don’t know what you’ve been doing with your life. I remember getting this on video when I was about six years old and completely falling in love with it. Growing up, I loved to read and always felt different to my classmates who hated reading and going to school. I always dreamed of having a teacher just like Miss Honey and constantly tried to unlock my own powers just like Matilda does. This film always makes me feel good whenever I watch it and just feels magical every time.

Available to stream via Netflix and Sky Movies

7. UNICORN STORE (2019)

Directed by and starring Brie Larson, Kit is a failed artist that works as a temp at a PR agency. She receives a letter from a man called the Salesman who offers to help Kit fulfil her life’s dream of adopting a unicorn.

On first glance, Unicorn Store may seem like a childish and immature film, yet it manages to capture the imagination of the child inside all of us. It is whimsical and charming and manages to transport you back to childhood and shows how life can strip you of childishness which we should strive to hold onto. I thoroughly enjoyed Unicorn Store and loved the performances of Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson.

Available to stream via Netflix

8. BOOKSMART (2019)

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut introduces us to Molly and Amy; best friends and high school seniors that are graduating the next day. When Molly discovers that her classmates have also been accepted into prestigious universities despite spending all their time partying and not working as hard as her and Amy, the pair realise that they have wasted their final school years by working hard and never having any fun. Molly decides that the night before they graduate is the perfect time to show their classmates that they are both smart and fun by going to a party.

I saw this film in the cinema last year and when I say that it nearly killed me, I’m not even exaggerating! I inhaled quite a large piece of salted popcorn as I laughed at something in the film and it took a while to stop coughing. To say that was embarrassing would be an understatement but this film was thoroughly deserving of such a reaction. All the characters are extremely likable and I’m sure that you could find at least one to relate to. The film shows us that we can succeed whilst also having fun and we should strive to do both. The themes of feminism and LGBT+ issues are prevalent throughout as it manages to educate us whilst remaining fun.

Available to stream via Amazon Prime

9. LA LA LAND (2016)

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land is a romantic musical set in Los Angeles following Sebastian and Mia played by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Both have dreams which they wanted to pursue by living in the city of angels; Seb wanting to open his own jazz club and Mia aspiring to be an actress. The film managed to win six Academy Awards including Best Director for Chazelle and Best Actress for Stone.

La La Land is one of, if not my all-time favourite film. I am a huge fan of musicals, especially ones that get you inspired and that’s what I felt when I watched this film for the first time. I did wonder if I should include it on this list because I have never not cried when watching it, but the use of bright colours, stunning sets and beautiful musical pieces makes this film one to watch when you want to feel moved and have fun watching a film.

Available to stream via Netflix

10. THE TERMINAL (2004)

The Terminal is a Spielberg film about an Eastern European man who becomes trapped in John F Kennedy airport after he is denied entry to the United States but cannot return to his home country due to a military coup. He spends the entire film living in the terminal as he can’t go anywhere else and becomes a friend to the diverse crew working at the airport.

After Spielberg finished working on Catch Me If You Can, he said that he wanted to make another film “that could make us laugh and cry and feel good about the world”. That is what The Terminal manages to do so perfectly. With a faultless performance from the legendary Tom Hanks, we follow Viktor Navorski as he tries his best to keep entertained whilst trapped in the airport. A lot of us are feeling very trapped at the moment, unable to leave our homes, but this story is heart-warming and shows how it could be worse for all of us. I have watched this film on multiple occasions with my family and just enjoy it more and more with each re-watch. There’s nothing like a bit of Tom Hanks to keep your spirits up whilst stuck indoors!

Available to stream via Netflix and Sky Movies

I hope that you have found some films to add to your quarantine watchlist and that they brighten your spirits! Stay safe, stay indoors and wash your hands. We’ll get through this eventually but, in the meantime, keep your chins up. Until next time x

A BELATED LGBT+ CONFERENCE POST

So, it has been an awfully long time since I last posted something to my blog! I wrote this post ages ago but couldn’t post it as I was using it for my Creative Writing coursework (which I smashed by the way!) So, now that it has been marked, here is the long awaited post!

On the 8^th – 9^th March 2017, I had the absolute honour of attending a National Union of Students conference for LGBT+ students in Sheffield with my partner.

After a full day in university on the Tuesday of that week, we headed into Liverpool to get a substantial dinner of chippy chips from the Lobster Pot. We then made our way to Liverpool Lime Street to board the rail replacement coach that would take us to Stockport. We would have just gotten a train straight there had it not been for the station being closed due to a wall that had collapsed onto the train tracks. The coach was devastatingly dark leading me to abandon all attempts to read and plug my headphones into my phone; the sweet tunes from Troye Sivan’s Blue Neighbourhood making the hour journey fly by.

When we arrived at Stockport, we jumped off the coach and ran into the station where we got on the train to Sheffield seconds before it was to depart. Taking our seats, we sighed heavily, happy to be on the last leg of the trip. The supposedly scenic journey passed us by in complete darkness and we were there in just under an hour where we took a taxi for five minutes to the Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel where we would be staying during our time there.

We checked in and headed to our room on the seventh floor which, when you’ve spend two years living in student accommodation, was completely luxurious with a comfy double bed, television and a lovely bathroom. The journey had exhausted us both so we took a nice shower and headed straight to bed, ready for our early start at 7am.

When the alarm went off, we both got up straight away, excited and nervous for the events of the day. We got dressed (me wearing my ‘Girl Power’ t-shirt for International Women’s Day) and headed down to the restaurant for our filling buffet breakfast; mine consisting of mushrooms, hash browns and scrambled egg, before we headed back upstairs to get our bags.

The conference was being held in the Royal Victoria Holiday Inn which was just a couple of minutes’ walk away from our own hotel. We entered the foyer where we were greeted by smiling faces all eager to help us register our presence. We all got lanyards, delegate voting cards and stickers with our preferred pronouns on. The bar area where we were lead to was filled with hot drinks and pastries so we grabbed a quick cup of tea and headed to the ballroom where the conference was due to start. This was a large, grand room filled with circular tables with a stage at the front of the room.

As the room started to fill with hundreds of people, some delegates chose to sit with us so we got talking with people from all corners of the UK. The people running the conference were a lovely group and made everyone feel safe and welcome.

The aim of this conference was to put through motions and vote for different officers on the NUS team. This was extremely exciting but vaguely terrifying as I had never attended anything like it before. One of the best things about it was that we were not allowed to applaud as some people had hearing difficulties or are sensitive to sound. Therefore, if we agreed with something, we had to do ‘jazz hands’ in order to show our appreciation or approval. Even after we returned home, I still sometimes have the overwhelming urge to ‘jazz hand’ every time someone says something that I agree with.

The conference got quite intense sometimes as people were putting motions forward that were important and often personal to them. These motions were sometimes getting shouted down by people who had no idea what they were talking about: white men standing up to argue again QTIPOC (Queer, Trans, Intersex People of Colour) etc. Despite this, people were still brave enough to stand up for their groups and managed to achieve what they had set out to do. There was another moment which got quite overwhelming when the woman that was running for Women’s Officer stood up to shout at the people in the crowd for “bullying on twitter” after people had found screenshots of racist/islamophobia comments that she had made on social media. She soon stormed out after her speech and, unsurprisingly, re-open nominations won the vote.

Throughout the two days that we were there, they had various fringes and caucuses for people of different groups within the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual) community. My girlfriend and I attended a non-binary fringe on the first day where we got to speak out about issues regarding our community in university life such as a lack of gender neutral toilets and lack of education and knowledge from tutors which also including misgendering. It was interesting to see how common these issues were amongst people from all over the UK and we made a nice group of friends from attending.

Later that day, we also attended a queer caucus where similar issues were brought to light. We also spoke about the word “queer” and what it means to us. It was apparent that some people in the group were uncomfortable with using “queer” to refer to themselves as it used to be used as a slur and this got us onto the topic of reclaiming certain words. One of the men in the group was a person of colour and it was fascinating to hear what he had to say about reclaiming certain words. He also made us aware of certain phrases which people use in everyday language which actually originate from slave traders and were meant as racist terms such as “getting down to the nitty gritty” which was used to refer to slaves that died at the bottom of the ships.

After the queer caucus, my girlfriend and I returned to our hotel room where we got changed into “formal dress” and headed back to the other hotel where we met up with our new found friends. When it hit 7.30pm, we headed back into the ball room which had been done up ready for the gala dinner and the NUS LGBT+ Awards. We and our group of newfound friends chose a round table near the front of the room. It was laid with cutlery, plates, candles and fancy napkins.

The food was incredible too and, for a vegetarian who hadn’t eaten much of the incredibly spicy food on offer at lunch that is high praise…although I am still uncertain as to what it was that I ate in replacement of the turkey, which everyone around me seemed to enjoy.

After a sickeningly sweet chocolate cake (which I handed to Jake to finish after they had finished their own), the awards ceremony began. We were runner up for ‘Best Campaign’ due to the ‘Don’t Assume Campaign’ which we set up at the end of last academic year to educate people on genders and sexualities so that people don’t always assume straight away. We then won another award for ‘Best Society Development’ as we formed our LGBT+ Society up from nothing which shocked everyone on our table. We felt so much pride and were congratulated by so many people before the night ended and people began to leave. We however, stayed up until 11pm talking to two of our new friends before we became so tired that our eyes began to shut so headed back to the hotel where we showered and climbed into bed.

It was a lot harder to get out of bed on the second day after such an exhausting first one, but we manged to drag ourselves into our clothes and head downstairs for our final hotel breakfast. After we finished eating, we went back to our room to finished packing our bags and left it with a sad farewell, heading to the lobby to checkout. We then made the trek back to the Holiday Inn, the walk feeling a lot longer than it had the previous day, and went inside, grabbing a cup of tea before heading into the ballroom where we took our seats.

We met up once again with our friends from the day before and got quite emotional thinking about the fact that it was our last day together. We passed some more motions; the conference running more smoothly than it had the day before and then we braked for lunch and various caucuses throughout the day.

Lunch was again too spicy for my taste buds, although the rice was nice. We went back to the ballroom where we chose to spend our time until we had a caucus that was relevant to us and our identity. While we waited, we took a few group pictures and I started to read The Song of Achilles for the second time. I also bought a new t-shirt that said “In space, nobody can hear you insist that there are only two genders”. I thought this was hilarious and the money that I paid for it went to Action for Trans Health.

I later went to the asexual caucus with one of the people that I had met the previous day at the non-binary fringe. The group was very small but everyone was so lovely and made it easy to talk about issues surrounding the asexual+ community. After that, we went into met with the rest of our group to go to the transgender caucus where we voted for our new trans+ rep.

Shortly after, we all got out bags and sat in the foyer together until it was time for us all to say our goodbyes and head to the train station. Our train was sadly a lot later than we had hoped it would be so we got some sandwiches and waited for it to arrive. The journey home was a lot more awkward as we were sat on a table seat opposite some strangers that took up a lot of space with their bags and laptops. The night only got worse when we were in the taxi back to the flat and realised that I had left my bag on the train, which was gone by the time we got back. Despite this, I found the whole experience very rewarding and inspiring. It gave me multiple ideas to bring back to university in order to make it a better experience for the amazing community that I am a part of.

Thank you so much for reading x