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On a quiet Wednesday night, we put on yet another showstopping panel discussion all in the name of our #HATESUCKS movement, this time focusing on the topic of coming out and the struggles, confusion and pressures that LGBTQ+ individuals may face - and boy was it insightful, inspiring and damn right fabulous. We hired out the amazing @her_upstairs bar in Camden and kicked off the discussion with our 4 amazing panelists (@josephlycettbarnes, @leopardprintelephant, @albertkennedytrust & @lottielamour) alongside our jaw-droppingly colourful host (@crayolathequeen) who all willingly shared their own experiences, thoughts and general feelings towards the subject of coming out! Oh, and we obvs provided the goods with none other than @_nakeddough cookie dough shots and @voodayrays pizza!
There were moments of laughter, sheer honesty and a few tears, but what we loved most about hosting our panel discussion, was how @lottielamour described the evening as a ‘safe space’ for everyone to share their own personal experiences together. That’s something that really resonates with us here at Skinnydip, we want to create more and more of these safe spaces for everyone to open conversation about topics that have stigma attached to them, so everyone can learn, understand and become more educated with topics that aren’t spoken about as often as they should be!
Topic of discussion ranged from coming out to yourself, sharing it with others around you and even opened deep debate on Pride celebrations in general. What makes these panel discussions so incredible is that everyone has their own voice and opinion. Remember that awkward moment at school when your teacher used to ask if anyone had any questions and nobody raised their hand? That couldn’t have been a further comparison to our panel discussion as everyone had something to ask, share or seek advice about and that’s one of our core missions within our #HATESUCKS campaign.
See below for more snaps and quotes from the evening, and don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for our next discussion coming soon, as we’re certainly not stopping here. There’s still so much more to talk about! xo “Reclaiming the word ‘queer’ is so important, it’s great to reclaim a term that used to be used as an insult, and using it in a powerful way” - @Leopardprintelephant
“I’ve always thought of it like being left-handed, I’ve always been queer. I never woke up and decided, I just am” – Zoe from The Albert Kennedy Trust.
“Find yourself before you put yourself in a box coming out. When you know yourself, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks” - @Josephlycettbarnes
“I wish I’d known that I didn’t need to come out, it was my own power to share with others if I wanted to not because I have to’ - @Lottielamour
‘Taking this form of feminine expression out for a walk was therapy for me, and finding the word non-binary was very freeing for me’ - @Crayolathequeen