Qonnect’s Post

June 26: How to practice self-affirmation as an LGBTQ+ person. 🌈✨ Self-affirmation is a powerful tool for building confidence, resilience, and a positive sense of self. As an LGBTQ+ individual, practicing self-affirmation can help you embrace your identity and thrive authentically. Here are some ways to practice self-affirmation: Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of your strengths and worth. Celebrate Your Identity: Take pride in who you are. Celebrate your milestones and the aspects of your identity that make you unique. Set Boundaries: Protect your mental and emotional health by setting boundaries with people and situations that are not affirming. Surround Yourself with Support: Build a network of friends, family, and allies who uplift and affirm you. Engage in Self-Care: Prioritize activities that nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Self-care is an essential part of self-affirmation. Reflect on Your Journey: Take time to reflect on your experiences and growth. Acknowledge how far you’ve come and the resilience you’ve shown. Create Affirmation Rituals: Develop daily or weekly rituals that reinforce your self-worth, such as journaling, meditation, or creative expression. At FlowArt Therapy, we are dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community. Embrace your true self and practice self-affirmation to build a strong, positive foundation for your life. Share your favorite self-affirmation practices in the comments. Let’s inspire each other to live authentically and with pride. #SelfAffirmation #LGBTQWellbeing #PrideMonth2024 #LoveYourself #PositiveVibes #SelfAffirmation #LGBTQWellbeing #PrideMonth #LoveIsLove #QueerPride #FlowArt #FlowArtTherapy #FlowArtLearning #DrMistyGibson #Neurosparkly #KeepItSparkly #DrMistyandMichell

June 26: How to practice self-affirmation as an LGBTQ+ person. 🌈✨ Self-affirmation is a powerful tool for building confidence, resilience, and a positive sense of self. As an LGBTQ+ individual, practicing self-affirmation can help you embrace your identity and thrive authentically. Here are some ways to practice self-affirmation: Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of your strengths and worth. Celebrate Your Identity: Take pride in who you are. Celebrate your milestones and the aspects of your identity that make you unique. Set Boundaries: Protect your mental and emotional health by setting boundaries with people and situations that are not affirming. Surround Yourself with Support: Build a network of friends, family, and allies who uplift and affirm you. Engage in Self-Care: Prioritize activities that nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Self-care is an essential part of self-affirmation. Reflect on Your Journey: Take time to reflect on your experiences and growth. Acknowledge how far you’ve come and the resilience you’ve shown. Create Affirmation Rituals: Develop daily or weekly rituals that reinforce your self-worth, such as journaling, meditation, or creative expression. At FlowArt Therapy, we are dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community. Embrace your true self and practice self-affirmation to build a strong, positive foundation for your life. Share your favorite self-affirmation practices in the comments. Let’s inspire each other to live authentically and with pride. #SelfAffirmation #LGBTQWellbeing #PrideMonth2024 #LoveYourself #PositiveVibes #SelfAffirmation #LGBTQWellbeing #PrideMonth #LoveIsLove #QueerPride #FlowArt #FlowArtTherapy #FlowArtLearning #DrMistyGibson #Neurosparkly #KeepItSparkly #DrMistyandMichell

Today is National Coming Out Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the belonging of LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities. “Coming out” is the process of recognizing and sharing one's sexual orientation, gender identity or romantic orientation with others. Coming out to others doesn’t determine someone’s queerness. People can understand their identity without sharing it, or they might choose to come out to some people or in certain situations while staying private in others. For many people, coming out can lead to being rejected by family or friends, or losing access to things like housing or jobs, which can make them more likely to face food insecurity. At Oregon Food Bank, we envision a world where not only hunger ceases to exist but also a world where queer people can be so openly themselves that there will no longer be a need for them to come out in the first place. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gUwwxSAr

Nice piece about the challenges LGBTQI+ people face in the workplace, and what you can do to change it. There are a couple that jump out at me which may not be so obvious to many of us, I've given an alternative option for each: 💥 Assumptions about sexuality when talking about personal lives... 🏳️🌈 When chatting about personal stuff and partners, unless you know for certain, don't assume the gender of the person's partner (he/she/husband/wife etc.) 💥Using pronouns without checking 🏳️🌈 Get into the habit of asking people what their preferred pronoun is. When you do this, it demonstrates kindness and understanding to everyone, even if 90% of them use a pronoun you might have already guessed at. It also helps to get everyone talking about pronouns as part of normal discourse. The full article is in the comments. #inclusive #diversity #strength #lgbtqi+ #ally

"Allyship isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress." This #TransgenderAwarenessWeek, let’s commit to being allies to our transgender and nonbinary colleagues: ✨ Use the correct pronouns and ask if you are unsure. ✨ Advocate for inclusive policies like gender-neutral restrooms. ✨ Educate yourself on the challenges trans individuals face—and don’t rely on them to teach you. 💪 Together, we can create spaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. How are you practicing allyship today? 🌈

Trans people are magic. And I highly recommend dating them. As a non-binary person who has been in many relationships of varying types and intensities with folks of different genders, I can say there's a unique understanding, affirmation, and a particular type of joy from being intimately and sexually connected with other transgender/non-binary partners. Similarly, many queer and trans BIPOC folks I know prefer to date other queer and trans BIPOC folks because there is a unique understanding and affirmation about what it means to be a person of color in our world today. That isn't to say that there's no joy, affirmation, and understanding available from cisgender partners (or white partners). There is! However, there is a shared experience between transgender folks that can't be replicated, in the same way there is a shared experience between people of color. #T4T  What are your thoughts?

You're not superman (and you never will be.) As an LGBTQ+ professional at work, you may feel pressure to be perfect. This pressure can make you work longer hours and take on more stress than your peers, leaving little time for self care and doing things that you find joy in. You can be just at productive while taking care of yourself. Energy management is how you do it. Energy management encompasses your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It starts with identifying how you currently manage your time and energy. Take a week and write down all of your activities and whether they drain or energize you. Pay attention to the time of day and frequency of each of your activities. Where can you cut out activities that drain you? Where can you add in activities that energize you? How can you balance these throughout your day and week? Practice using everything your learned to recreate your days so that you follow your necessary energy draining activities with ones that energize you. This will take some time to get right. And it will change in different seasons of your life. You don't have to be superman, but you can manage your energy efficiently so that you feel calmer and get more done. P.S. I have a free newsletter for LGBTQ+ folks who are looking to grow in their life and careers. It's called Thriving as a Queer Professional, check it out: https://lnkd.in/dANXM7R4

On This Transgender Day of Visibility, let's take a moment to reflect on the profound impact of acceptance and belonging for all young people. It's a stark reality that children who don't feel like they fit in are at significantly higher risk of mental health issues, addiction, and suicide. And sadly, these risks are even more pronounced for transgender individuals. As advocates for inclusivity and equality, we have a moral obligation to ensure that every child, every young person, knows fundamentally that they belong—no exceptions. It's about creating a world where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported, regardless of their gender identity or background. Transgender Day of Visibility serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of recognizing and celebrating the diversity of human experience. By shining a light on transgender individuals and their stories, we're taking a crucial step towards building a more inclusive society where no young person goes unseen or unheard. This work isn't just about one group—it's about every human being. We're here to save lives, plain and simple. So let's stand together, raise our voices, and advocate for a world where acceptance, belonging, and love prevail. 💖✊ #TransDayOfVisibility #BelongingSavesLives #InclusivityMatters

Our editor-in-chief Roxy Bourdillon spoke to the Financial Times for #LVW24 about her personal journey, discussing pressing issues within the community, and providing insights into her experiences as a leading voice in LGBTQIA media. Here are some of the key takeaways: How do you navigate your sexuality in the workplace? Roxy talks about her journey from being a closeted DIVA reader to the magazine’s out and proud editor-in-chief. She opens up about the power of embracing the very thing she felt so ashamed about and discovering that this actually accelerated her career, providing exciting new opportunities for creativity. She also offers heartfelt advice for people who want to come out at work for the first time. In what ways can mainstream media uplift queer stories? With a mix of insights and practical advice, Roxy highlights the importance of talking to the community you want to represent, having a nuanced approach, being intentionally trans-inclusive, and explains why it’s essential to not only cover the challenges but also the joys and triumphs of queer culture. We’ve seen a boom in LGBTQIA representation, but does that mean our struggle is over? Roxy and Tamara discuss everything from the surge in sapphic stories to the new wave of queer nightlife. But they also explore how more visibility can be linked to increasing vulnerability and look at the pressing challenges still facing the LGBTQIA community today. You can watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gbXUv3qF

This holiday season, your spending can make a meaningful impact. Here are five reasons to support queer-owned businesses — during the holidays and throughout the year. 1️⃣ You want your spending to reflect your values. 2️⃣ You care about keeping queer people in business. 3️⃣ You're looking for inclusive and affirming products and services. 4️⃣ You believe in building a more equitable future. 5️⃣ You believe marginalized communities deserve more representation. Every purchase helps uplift queer businesses and strengthens our community. 🌈 💬 Who are your favorite queer-owned businesses? Tag them below so we can support them together! #LGBTQBusinessOwner #LGBTBusinessOwners #QueerOwned #QueerOwnedBusiness #LGBTQOwned #QueerOwnedBusinesses #LGBTQBusiness #LGBTQBusinesses #ShopQueer