Have a look and see how Waterloo Manor In Mind have celebrated Pride in 2021!

The Yorkshire and Humber Involvement Network are celebrating Pride 2021 through a series of Blog posts on our website – from you!

Please email us your posts if you would like to contribute – we look forward to hearing from you!

#Pride #celebrate #elmerpride #justlikeus #2021

Here is our next submission – have a look and see how Waterloo Manor In Mind Waterloo Manor (inmind.co.uk) celebrated Pride 2021!

Waterloo have celebrated pride for the last 5 years and have had these efforts recognised in the RCPSYCH Newsletter ‘celebrating diversity and difference’

Here you can read about our celebrations and attempts to amplify the voice of the LGBTQ+ community over the years, and some other really inspiring projects and articles celebrating us all too.

Our Pride story ‘The Rainbow Fish’ was a finalist at the 2020 National Service User Awards and our story and film was chosen on the day in the service user vote as a winner.

We didn’t want the pandemic to put too much of a dampener on our proud voice but knew we would not have been able to go as big and bold as previous years in terms of the party or project, but we felt the message was just as big as always and more important than ever before knowing that people are not able to seek support with limited community resources, come out due to fear of being stuck indoors with those who don’t understand them and other implications of the pandemic. This year we looked at ‘best Judy’s’ and how to become an ally to the community and the importance of standing up for the rights of others; whether you identify or not, gay rights are human rights after all.

Judy Garland and her character in the Wizard of Oz symbolise a greatness out of ordinariness and have attracted those who want to be different, ensuring Judy as a gay icon and the over the rainbow singer as a beacon of hope. In our Recovery College sessions, we created some colourful and glitterful wizard of oz art, we looked at this status given to Judy and how her character Dorothy accepted everyone she met along her path and wanted the best for them. We then looked at what it meant to be an ally or ‘best Judy’ and would like to share some tips with you here;

  1. Learn the history of the LGBT movement, the riots, the protests, pride
    1. https://www.history.com/news/stonewall-riots-timeline
  2. Learn the language
    1. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/faqs-and-glossary/glossary-terms
  3. Know where to sign post someone for support
    1. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/lgbtiqplus-mental-health/useful-contacts/
    2. Show your colours!
    3. Here are ours…

We have by no means all the answers and may not always get it right in championing LGBTQ+ rights, but we are open to learning, sharing and trying to be the best Judy’s we can be!

Waterloo Recovery College Group