Abbie O'Shea
Abbie O'Shea
Abbie is a content creator, who is passionate about disability and queer rights. She also enjoys reading, watching films, and art.
There are many methods and tips that promise to improve productivity, and one of the most fashionable of them is the bullet journal. Both stylish and practical, go onto Instagram and you are guaranteed to see endless photos of journal pages so beautiful that they could be considered as A5-sized works of art. But bullet journals are more than just an art project. They’re a tool that can help encourage mindfulness and make even the chronically scatterbrained at least a little more organised. What Are Bullet Journals? The bullet journal method revolves around bullet points – hence the name -…
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have begun working from home. What once seemed to be impractical has now become a fact of life for a lot of people. Many of us have found working from home much better than working in an office, for a lot of reasons. You don’t have to commute, saving time and money, no more idle chatter on your tea break, and you only have to dress smartly for Zoom calls – and even then you only have to look smart where it can be seen on-camera. As well as these positives,…
Many people are deciding to make a living by selling homemade items. Whether you make clothes, toys, jewellery, or anything else, you can sell them online and make a business out of your favourite crafts. When selling handmade items, one of the first questions is, “how much should I charge?” If this question is bothering you, you’re in the right place! I will share handy tips and advice on setting a fair price for your items. Calculating costs The most important part of setting a good price is making sure that it covers your costs. If it costs £15 to…
In recent years, many great strides have been made to improve the rights and lives of LGBT+ people all over the world. However, there is still much progress to be made, and many LGBT+ people still face stigma and persecution. Intersex Day of Remembrance (also known as Intersex Day of Solidarity) serves to remind us of the struggles that are faced by many intersex people. (Content warning: This article contains a brief mention of suicide.) What does Intersex Day of Remembrance commemorate? On Intersex Day of Remembrance, we think about the injustices that intersex people still deal with. It is…
“We’re here, We’re Queer, Get used to it!”Queer Nation Many words are used to describe sexual orientation and gender identity: gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, and so on. One of the most common words that you may hear is “queer”- and what a queer term that is! How did a word that originally meant “strange” or “odd” become such a crucial and universal term for the LGBT+ community? Why would anyone want to be called queer? Let’s take a look at the meaning and history of queer. What does queer mean? In a nutshell, queer means “anyone who is not heterosexual…
Throughout history, there have been many kinds of great people. Great thinkers, strategists, artists, all worthy of celebration, but my favourite kind of historical figure is the kind who was just plain cool. And you can’t get much cooler than La Maupin. Star of the Paris opera, duellist, lover, queer icon – this girl could do it all. La Maupin was born Julie d’Aubigny in 1673. Her father taught the royal pages (attendants to knights and noblemen), so Julie attended lessons with them. As a result, she had an excellent education, especially for a girl at the time, and…
During Pride Month, many businesses and organisations take measures to support LGBT+ people. Logos are changed to feature rainbows; sponsored floats are displayed at pride parades and messages of solidarity are posted on social media. But does this surface-level support actually help the LGBT+ community? Not really. This is a relatively new concept called rainbow capitalism. So, What Is Rainbow Capitalism? Rainbow capitalism is when companies include LGBT-positive messages in marketing to increase profit, without doing anything meaningful to support LGBT+ people. As queer people have become more commonly accepted, they have gone from being considered an ostracised niche to…
In the LGBT+ community, we love labels. There are many sexualities and gender identities, each with its own pretty pride flag. New identities are being introduced all the time – not invented out of thin air, but names being given to feelings that already existed. Identity is understandably important in the queer community. When many of us have had to hide our identities or feel confused and ashamed of them, why shouldn’t we want to explore our gender and sexuality in detail, and put names to these feelings? The myriad of ways to describe sexuality and gender provide comfort, security,…
On the 2nd of February 1988, the peers in the House of Lords voted in favour of a new bill. They were politely celebrating this bill when ropes fell from the balcony of the public viewing area. Suddenly, chaos and amazement ensued as several women abseiled down onto the floor of the House. The bill that the Lords voted into law, and that the activists protested against, was Section 28. This law stifled LGBT support and education for over a decade, and arguably still has an effect to this day. Section 28 – also known as Clause 28 – was…
YouTube has allowed creators of marginalised identities to tell their stories and find an audience. Blake West, who also goes by the username TransBlake, has started cultivating an audience on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram with her videos that document her experience as a trans woman. The first thing that you will notice about Blake in her videos is her look- she is always put together, with hair and makeup perfect, even in our Zoom interview. The setup in her videos may be simple, with her filming videos in her kitchen or bedroom, but Blake is always dressed for the occasion.…
