A divisive political movement is designed to exhaust you, but it doesn’t need to defeat you. While it’s easy to feel like the only way to cope with the constant stream of negative news and new policies attacking LGBTQ+ people is to disengage, apathy is not the answer. Rest, unplug, logoff, whatever it takes \u2013 but don’t just accept this as the new normal. Make looking after yourself a political act, and engage with offline work which empowers you. That can be community building, reading, even visiting your local library. Your voice matters, so look after it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have At Least One Hobby That Isn\u2019t A job<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After-school clubs don\u2019t need to end at 18. You also don\u2019t need to spend every spare moment on a \u201chustle\u201d. Try and join at least one group activity that encourages you to put your phone down and do something simply for joy, like pottery, choir or dance class. The London LGBTQ+ Centre and London Friend run plenty of free groups. You don\u2019t even need to be good at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let Art Radicalise You, Not X<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to an exhibition or permanent gallery to remind yourself that political resistance through culture has always existed and always will. For example: The Fashion & Textile Museum\u2019s exhibition on Leigh Bowery\u2019s radical 80s nightclub Taboo, on until March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n