A Year In Review — 2019
Writing outside of Medium
As some of you may have noticed, my blog has been a little quiet this year. Compared to last year where I published one piece a month from April onwards, I’ve only managed to publish 3 longer pieces along with a collection of shorter pieces this year.
However, I have been doing a lot more writing than my blog would let on. Some of you here follow me on Twitter, which means you would likely have seen some of the pieces I have published externally. For those who don’t, here’s what you may have missed.
The Bi-Ble: New Testimonials
Last year, I submitted my coming out story to Monstrous Regiment, a independent micropress publisher based in Scotland (Leith, Edinburgh). Monstrous Regiment had previously published an anthology of bisexual stories in the puntastically named “The Bi-Ble” and they were looking to create a new volume with new stories.
Some of you may have read my coming out story that I published on this blog. After editing this version to pad out some more detail, as well as show the aftermath of coming out publicly on Facebook, I sent it over to Monstrous Regiment. Unexpectedly, they accepted my story!
After a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, the book was published this summer! Whilst my story is accessible here, I highly recommend this book, along with the first volume. Not only does it feature friends of mine, Joseph Guthrie (Vol 1, who I met when they were published and prior to me knowing about Monstrous Regiment at all) and Chay Collins (Vol 2, who told me about the submissions for Vol 2), but the stories are so affirming and validating and introduces you to some incredible people.
You can buy the book at the link below:
Buying the book also helps support an indie publisher who are creating some amazing works to fill the gaps created by mainstream.
Me. Him. Us
This summer, I had the immense privilege to be part of a revolutionary campaign called Me. Him. Us. This campaign is created by GMFA and is used to highlight the importance of testing for HIV amongst minority communities.
For this Me. Him. Us campaign, the spotlight was on South Asian gay and bisexual men. This campaign could not be more important, as the little information we do have on this group shows that they are often being diagnosed with late stage HIV.
I joined GMFA as part of their steering group for this campaign, to ensure that the shots, messaging and location for this imagery was done correctly. Not only that, but I starred in the campaign alongside the wonderful Ferhan Khan.
This kind of representation is unprecedented and incredible to see, let alone be part of it. The message that accompanies it is powerful and it is our hope that this will help affect change within the community.
For this campaign I wrote a piece for GMFA, that is also featured in issue 174 of FS Magazine, where I take the issue at hand (that is, South Asian gay and bisexual men not getting tested) and unpick it. I discuss the culture of shame within the South Asian culture and how that manifests into taboos that create issues such as people getting diagnosed with late stage HIV, issues that aren’t being tackled. You can read this article at the link below:
GMFA do a lot of important work within the community, which wouldn’t be possible without support. If you can, please donate and help support them to ensure their future.
Bisexual Mental Health
The issues faced by bisexual people is rarely addressed, even within the LGBTQ+ community. Whilst all of us within the community experience hardship, there are disparities even amongst the different groups under the rainbow umbrella.
I discussed this topic in OutLife, how bisexual people experience discrimination even within the LGBTQ+ community and how this leads to an increased rate of anxiety, self-harm and suicide. You can read this at the link below:
It is imperative that we ensure bisexual inclusion within the LGBTQ+ community in order to tackle this issue.
On Moving On
If you have read my previous blogs, you will know that I have had my fair share of hardships when it comes to friendships. Many of mine have fallen apart over the years and it has taken its toll on me. Moving on from these friendships has been a strenuous task and required me to shift my mindset. I wrote a short piece on this for The Ampersand Project. You can read it here:
The Ampersand Project is a non-profit enterprise that works to improve mental wellbeing of young adults. They have regular articles, produce podcasts and create digital magazines. You can help support their efforts by subscribing to their magazine. You can do so for as little as £1 per month via their “Pay What You Can” model. Please, support this initiative if you can.
2020 and beyond
I have a lot of exciting plans for my writing next year. There are a few topics that I hope to cover on my blog, as well as another exciting initiative for Bi Week. I hope I can get my writing to new places next year as well, with a few potential places I’m currently eyeing up. I also hope that I can get more into fiction writing next year. I wrote a couple of short stories this year and whilst they may have been rejected from the places I submitted them, I have faith that the work I produced is solid, it’s just a matter or finding the right place for them. And you never know, maybe I will create a longer piece of work! Watch this space!
