Hi guys, So I don't even know what to type right now because I feel like nothing I've been saying makes any sense.  I'm just exhausted and mentally drained in general, and I'm so tired of being so alone. Like, it's been a problem of mine all my life and it's not like I don't try. I volunteer and try to go to events and classes I'm interested in but every time I feel like an outsider looking in, or like there's this big sign on my head that says 'DO NOT APPROACH'. So often I'm standing in a circle where the others are talking around me, not to me. Everyone else seems to connect so fluently but I'm lucky if just one person asks me how I am. Apart from family there's just one person I speak to regularly (who I'm lucky to see once a month because schedules, etc). I have so many ideas and thoughts I want to share with others, and I just generally want to live amongst others but I can't because I don't fit in anywhere. Another thing is I'm still struggling a lot with my past break-up and I can't help but wonder retrospectively how much it has damaged me. It was my first relationship, long-distance (she lived in the US). I went over to the States to visit her in January and she broke up with me about two weeks after I returned home for reasons I'm still not so sure of. Despite promising we still could be friends she blocked me on all of social media. It just hurts so much because it takes a lot for me to let people in and trust them, and it's a rare thing for people to want to be close to me. I spoke about it to my new psychologist last week and it felt really good, but I just can't help worrying that this is it for me-- this was my one chance for connection and love and I blew it. That I'm unlovable because of my anxiety and depression (I have reason to suspect my anxiety problems played a big role in the relationship downfall). I've since attempted to at least make friends online but I get too anxious and more often than not the other person's rude to me for taking awhile to respond. I'm just exhausted lately and all I want to do is sleep. It seems no matter how hard I try to make things better nothing works for me. I'm scared because I'm going back to uni in two months after about a year break but I don't even know if I'll be ready yet. I don't want to fall into the exact same problems again but I'm just tired.  Thanks for reading. ... View more

Hey everyone!  May 13th (this Friday!) is IDAHOBIT Day (that is, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism + Transphobia!) The date commemorates the anniversary of the World Health Organisation (WHO) removing homosexuality as a psychological diagnosis from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) on May 17, 1990. Today, IDAHOBIT Day is recognised in 132 countries across the world as a means to raise awareness of discrimination faced by LGBTIQ+ people, open up a dialogue about inclusion and celebrating all the LGBTIQ+ people in our lives! For more information, visit the website here! For this day, I thought it would be an excellent idea to gather a list of some inspiring LGBTIQ+ role models to look up to!  Laverne Cox Rising to prominence from her role as Sophia Burset in Orange is the New Black, she is the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy award, appear on the cover of Time and Cosmopolitan magazine, and have her own wax figure at Madame Tussauds! She is a trailblazer for the trans community! Lady Gaga I highly doubt that anyone hasn't heard of her before in 2019 . Gaga is ridiculously talented! She identifies as bisexual and does awesome things for the LGBTQI+ community, such as starting the 'Born This Way Foundation' which focuses on youth empowerment! Born This Way is a JAM!  Ian Thorpe The Aussie five-time Olympic gold medallist came out as gay in 2014! He strongly campaigned the yes vote for the 2017 marriage postal survey, showing that he could update his electoral details faster than his partner could swim 100m! Here are some questions to think about: 1. Who are your LGBTIQ+ role models and why? 2. Why is it so important to celebrate gender/ sexuality diversity? 3. What can we do to build a more inclusive society for LGBTIQ+ people? ... View more