International Non-Binary People’s Day coincides beautifully with my start at a new job – working in the EDI Directorate at The University of Manchester. In the two weeks I have been here, I have had a lot of time to reflect on the profound value of working within an environment that allows you to be yourself fully, without compromise.
Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to take part in two development programmes at the University: the LGBTQ+ Leadership Programme, delivered with On the Level, and the EDIA Champions Training, led by Be What You See Consultancy. Both have genuinely transformed how I think about leadership, allyship, and inclusion in everyday practice.
This summer I am exhibiting a new body of work at HOME, created in response to the Queer Up North archive. The exhibition is called To See and Be Seen. It is about memory. About Manchester. About queer lives that refused to disappear. About what happens when fragments of photographs, flyers, stories and protests survive long enough to become history. Some of the works are joyful. Some are defiant. Some ask difficult questions. All of them begin with a simple thought: What does it mean to be seen? There is a preview : 6pm – 8pm on 7th July at HOME at the Granada Studios (the first and second floor of home)
Exhibition runs July–October. I would be delighted to see some of your faces there: https://www.homemcr.org/whats-on/to-see-and-be-seen-by-conor-collins-dnkx
In my previous blog I focussed on the grey-sexual part of my identity. This follow up’s topics refers to the grey-romantic aspect of my identity. I was sure from an early age that I was never going to marry, but, of course, everyone thinks you will change your mind, at least once you have met the “right” person. Every nut has its bolt, hasn’t it? Once grown up, matured, etc. every “normal” person will want to settle down with a spouse and start building their nuclear unit…
The LGBTQ+ community in the UK experiences disproportionately high levels of poor mental health compared with the wider population. Research consistently demonstrates elevated rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and psychological distress among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals. Importantly, these inequalities are not caused by LGBTQ+ identity itself, but by discrimination, stigma, social exclusion and unequal access to support services.
During Trans History Week we recognise, celebrate, and reflect on the long, rich, and often overlooked history of transgender and gender-diverse people. While relatively recent in its formal marking, the spirit behind it emerges from decades of activism, scholarship, and community storytelling.
April 26 marks Lesbian Visibility Day and is the culmination of Lesbian Visibility Week. This is an important moment, marked in the calendar to recognise, celebrate, and uplift lesbian identities, experiences, and contributions.
The LGBTQ+ Politics staff and students network recently visited the Re/Assemble exhibition at the People’s History Museum. As a group of undergraduate students, PhD students, and lecturers, we participated in a guided visit to a new exhibition that brings together historical banners from Manchester-based organisations, video and photographic archives, legal documents, and newly commissioned artworks.
A Celebration and a Protest: On Trans Day of Visibility, we would like to say, that trans and non-binary people are here. We will always be here. We will overcome this period of hostility and discrimination. Seeing our allies standing up and showing their support for us lends strength to the community.
The Importance of Allyship and Advocacy: Being an ally comes down to empathy and fairness. I believe people deserve the right to define themselves and live authentically without fear. For many, in the UK and across the world, this is not their reality.
The LGBTQ+ community is, by its very nature, a highly diverse community and it is important that we recognise diversity within diverse communities through intersectionality.
Research over the past decade has increasingly shown a statistically significant overlap and complex intersection between autism and LGBTQ+ identities.
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