6th March - Q&A With Chiyo Gomes
Trans man, drag artist and Mr Gay England finalist
On Saturday 6th March we'll be hosting Chiyo Gomes, the acclaimed drag artist and 'Prinx of Provocation' who last year made headlines as the first trans man to compete in the finals of Mr Gay England, happening in April 2021.
From 7PM - 7:30PM, Chiyo will be giving a talk about his life as a mixed-race trans man, his trailblazing career and what it's been like to challenge the rigid cis-masculinity of mainstream gay culture.
Then from 7:30PM - 8PM, he'll be taking part in a Q&A where you'll get the chance to put your own questions to him. We'll be taking questions on the day as well, but if you'd like to submit questions in advance, you can here. Your questions will be anonymous if you want, and you can submit more than one.
8PM - 9PM will be a general social/peer support period where you can chat as you like!
How to join
We're hosting via Google Meet as usual. If you haven't already, make sure that you subscribe to our newsletter before Saturday 6th March, as this is where and when we'll be sending out the meeting links you can use to join the meeting. Watch out for our newsletter titled 'Happening TODAY - Q&A With Chiyo Gomes!' on 6th March before the meeting!
If you've missed the newsletter but still want to join us, drop us an email at f2mlondon@hotmail.com and we'll be happy to send you the meeting links!
20th February - Poetry Workshop with Andreena Leeanne!
Creative session on self-care
On Saturday 20th February from 7PM – 8:30PM, acclaimed poet Andreena Leeanne will be running a poetry workshop for FTM London on the theme of self-care. It'll be a chance to reflect and share your thoughts on what self-care means to you, write a short piece on the theme in a supportive environment, and hear from Andreena's debut poetry collection, CHARRED.
Andreena Leeanne is an out and proud Black working-class Lesbian Inspirational Speaker & Poet. She writes and performs poetry to come to terms with and speak out about her personal experiences with homelessness, mental health, childhood sexual abuse & the many other challenges she has faced in her life. By speaking her truth, she hopes to inspire and empower others.
If you’d like to take part, you can find the link and phone numbers for the meeting in our monthly newsletter, or alternatively email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com to request them. We hope to see you there!
18th January - Family & friends of Transmasculine People
Our SOFFAs group is relaunching!
Since the pandemic struck, we’ve been working out a solution to continue providing support to trans men and transmasculine folks’ loved ones remotely. Now we’re pleased to announce that our SOFFAs group is relaunching under the name Family & Friends of Transmasculine People, or FFTM for short - and we’re opening the group up to include partners, family and friends of anyone who identifies as a trans man or transmasculine, no matter their age or location. They no longer need to be an FTM London member or attendee!
FFTM will be a group space where partners, family and friends of trans men and transmasculine people can talk to others in a similar situation, and have their questions answered. Whether it’s worrying about mental health or medical treatment, fears of abuse and bullying from others, reconciling the past and moving forwards, finding allies, or just having a chat about life – the FFTM group will give a valuable listening ear and provide a support space that is specifically focused on their needs.
How can my family & friends join?
Starting on Monday 18th January at 7PM, FFTM will meet on the third Monday of the month. At the moment this will be an exclusively online space hosted via Google Meet, and we’ll announce more details on when any physical meetings will take place when we’re able to resume them.
We’re asking that any partners, family or friends interested in coming to FFTM register their details with us using this registration form. If you’re a trans man/transmasculine person and think your partner, family or friends might be interested, then please do forward this form on to them. After we receive your details, we'll email the meeting link to you on the day of the meeting.
The group is free to attend and open to anyone with a trans male/transmasculine partner, friend or family member of any age. Under-18 family and friends are welcome to attend but they must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Before attending the meeting, please read through the FFTM Code of Conduct and abide by the rules while at the meeting.
About Martha and Sue
The facilitators of our SOFFAs group, Martha and Sue, have been working together with FTM London for a number of years to provide help and support to the partners, family and friends of our trans male/transmasculine members and attendees.
As a trans woman herself, counsellor and psychotherapist Martha brings ten years’ worth of experience in one-to-one work on gender, sexual health and wellbeing, relationships and cultural diversity areas. She has knowledge and expertise of helping people through running peer support and therapy groups both independently and as part of the care provided by cliniQ CIC.
Sue Louise is the mum of a transgender son, so she can speak in detail and answer all sorts of questions about having a trans child, providing anecdotes of wisdom and comfort to those going through the same experiences and feelings.
23rd January - Mission and Values Brainstorming
What you want out of the group
On Saturday 23rd January from 7PM, we're running an optional session focused on member and attendee feedback. As you may know, we're planning to relaunch the group under the name TransM London later on this year; we'll be brainstorming the group's focus, mission and values for the future, and we want to know what you'd like us to focus on in the coming year.
This could be new projects, meetings and events, informational publications, and what topics you want to see included. It will also guide what we apply for funding for, and we'd appreciate your input so that we can continue benefiting the trans men and transmasculine people we serve.
How do I join?
As usual, we'll be hosting the meeting online vis Google Meet; look out for our newsletter in your email inbox for the links to the meeting!
And if you aren't subscribed to our newsletter (which you can do here for reference), then drop us an email at f2mlondon@hotmail.com and we'll be happy to send the links over to you.
Image by freepik
9th January 2021 - Vision boards session!
Create your 2021!
For our first event of the year, we'll be hosting a vision boarding event from 7pm-9pm on Saturday 9 January!
We know 2020 has been an unprecedented year, and a lot of people may be feeling like they haven’t achieved what they set out at the beginning of the year due to unexpected circumstances. At this session we’ll be talking about how a vision board can help you set goals in a powerful way, and take the action required to make them happen in 2021.
A vision board is a collection of images and/or words that helps you visualize your goals. We’ll be focusing on traditional physical vision boards, but they can also take the form of a digital vision board, or even a playlist if you’re more of an audio person.
If you want to start gathering images before the session, that’d be great, but all you’ll really need is a pen, some paper and an open mind! (Or access to Pic Monkey or Canva – they provide free vision/mood board templates, but you need to sign up with an email address first.)
Jai, who’s leading the session, will be talking about how to create a vision board from 7pm-8pm, then from 8pm-9pm we’ll be having a general discussion session, where you can bring any questions about being trans, or just work on your vision board with some company.
As always, we'll be meeting on Google Meet - we'll send out the link in our newsletter. If you're not subscribed, you can sign up here or email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com for the link 🙂
Hope to see you there!
Image - Carmen Phillips, Autostraddle
December meetings & events
The pandemic may have stopped us from having our usual Winter Social this year, but we’ve lined up two festive treats for you to help celebrate the holiday season!
5th December - Quiz Night & Social
We’ll be having a fun quiz night on 5th December from 7PM - 9PM, and there will be prizes to be won – 1st place wins a £20 gift card for a shop of their own choice, and runner-up will receive a £10 gift card for a shop of their choice. Get your housemates, friends or family involved, too - the more the merrier!
The quiz will be followed at 8PM by the announcement of the winners of our Spouti Giveaway – as a reminder, this closes at the end of 3rd December, so if you haven’t entered to win one of two Spouti STP devices yet, hurry on over and sign up! The details on this can be found here as a refresher.
The rest of the meeting will be a chill social session – feel free to chat about your plans for the holidays, or anything else that’s on your mind.
As always, we'll be meeting via Google Meet, and our latest newsletter, titled “FTM London – December Meetings & Giveaway Reminder!”, will have all the details on how to join us. And if you’re not subscribed to our mailing list, you can email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com for the meeting links.
20th November 2020 - Day of Remembrance Vigil + Quiet Space
The pandemic and the ongoing national lockdown means that traditional Trans Day of Remembrance vigils cannot be held this year. However, this doesn't mean we can't still come together to mark the date.
This year, Stonewall along with Trans Day of Remembrance London, London LGBTIQ+ COVID-19 Mutual Aid and The Outside Project will be hosting an online vigil, where they will read out the list of names of the victims of transphobic violence this year.
The event will be lead by trans people of colour, hosted by Mzz Kimberley and guest speaker Aquila Hope, and will centre the experiences and voices of those most harmed by transphobia, including women, fems, people of colour and sex workers. After the name reading, there will be a moment of silence, followed by music, prayers and blessings from multiple religions.
The vigil is planned to be held on the 20th November, at The Outside Project's Virtual Community Centre on Zoom from 6PM to 8:30PM. To join, visit this link.
From 6PM onwards, FTM London will also be hosting our own quiet break-out room where people can drop in whenever they wish to support each other through this time, especially those who are finding the main vigil difficult to participate in or who may be feeling sad, anxious or fearful about rising levels of transphobia worldwide. We welcome anyone to share advice, anecdotes, stories, poems or other media they have created if they would like to.
We will be sending out the details to members of our mailing list, however if you are not subscribed but would still like to join us then please email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com and we'll be happy to provide the details to you.
You can also read our Trans Day of Remembrance statement at the link above.
7th November 2020 - Spouti™ demonstration + Giveaway
For the next month, we’re collaborating with the makers of the Spouti™ on a prize draw exclusively for FTM London!
At our next meeting on Saturday November 7th starting at 7PM, we’ll be hosting Kellen Berry, the founder of Spouti™, who will be giving a presentation on the Spouti™ STP device, how it works, and the story behind its invention.
As usual, we’ll be hosting the meeting online via Google Meet. Be on the lookout for our newsletter titled ‘FTM London – November Meeting + Exclusive Giveaway!’, which will contain all the details of how you can join the meeting. And if you aren’t subscribed to our newsletter then email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com to get the meeting links.
But wait – keep reading to find out how you can win a Spouti™ for FREE!
How do I get a free Spouti™?
We’ve got two Spouti™ STP devices to give away free* to two lucky people!
To be in with a chance to win, you simply need to click this link and fill the form at the bottom of the page. You'll then receive a confirmation email entering you into the draw.
Sharing the unique link in this email with at least 5 people will also give you another entry into the draw – so the more people you share it with, the more chances you’ll have to win!
Entries close on 3rd December, and we’ll be announcing the winners at our December meeting, which will be taking place on 5th December (details will come closer to this date).
And as a little bonus, everyone who entered the giveaway draw will receive a discount code afterwards!
Who are Spouti™?
Spouti™ are a US-based, community-led company. After 4 years spent researching the old, inefficient funnel-shaped STP design and how they could improve it, they finally came up with a product, and a successful Kickstarter campaign made it happen.
For more information, visit Spouti™’s website!
*FTM London will cover the cost of shipping + customs to giveaway winners in the UK and US. If you live outside these countries, you may be liable for extra shipping and customs charges or restrictions. See Spouti’s Shipping Policy for your country for more information.
3rd October 2020 - Peer Support
It’s already time for our October meeting, which will be on Saturday 3rd October starting at 7PM, and as usual we’ll be holding it via Google Meet.
This month is a general peer support meeting; it’s a chance to chat to your trans male and transmasculine peers, ask any burning questions about transition or accessing healthcare, and just talk about your experiences or anything else on your mind. We particularly welcome those who haven’t been to a meeting before. If you are struggling with mental health and wellbeing, our Co-Chair Ramses will be talking about support opportunities from Spectra London as well.
How do I join?
You can find the details of how to access the meeting as well as the Google Meet links in our latest newsletter titled ‘FTM London – October Meeting’. Our newsletter typically goes out a week before the meeting.
If you’re not subscribed to our mailing list but would still like to join, then email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com and we’ll be happy to send you the links to the meeting.
You can join from a web browser, the Google Meet mobile app, or from phone dial-in - and you don't need a Google account. If you prefer not to have your camera or microphone on, feel free to just use the text chat.
As always, our online meetings are free to attend. We hope to see you there!
12th September 2020 - AGM!
Election time!
This Saturday we’re having our Annual General Meeting!
It may sound a bit boring, but this is your yearly chance to elect new committee members and shape the future of FTM London, so please come!
It’ll take place from 7 to 9pm on Saturday 12 September, on Google Meet. If you’re on our mailing list, you should have received an email with the link and details – if not, please email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com
Voting
After the AGM, we will send out a survey by email for members to vote on who they wish to elect, so keep an eye on your inbox. Please only vote once!
And if you have any other questions, please email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com !
29th August 2020 - Socially Distanced Picnic
There's been less time than normal for many of us to enjoy the nice weather outside, so we've decided to send summer off this year by hosting a picnic in Hyde Park on Saturday 29th August for a small group of our members.
Of course, since the pandemic is still going on, we're implementing a number of measures to help keep everyone safe while we picnic, but there will still be plenty of fun to be had while we're all social distancing. We'll provide food, games and music, all for free - so if you're interested, read on!
How do I join?
In the interests of preventing masses of people turning up, we're keeping the specific details of this event strictly to those on our mailing list. Those of you who are, please see our newsletter email entitled "FTM London Socially Distanced Picnic - August 29" for the full details.
We have a limit of 20 people due to national guidelines on group gatherings, so we are asking everyone interested to sign up via the RSVP form found in this newsletter. This is on a first come, first served basis, so be quick!
If you're not on our mailing list but are still interested, email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com.
(And for future meetings, join our mailing list here to be sent the details automatically!)
Guidelines
We've implemented measures to make the event as safe as possible, but we need you to play your part in this, so please read the below guidelines before reserving a place:
- This event is open only to those over the age of 18.
- If you have symptoms of coronavirus within 14 days of the event, please do not attend. Prominent symptoms include a new and continuous cough, high temperature and a loss or change of smell and/or taste. For more information, visit the NHS website.
- If you can, please wear a face covering to the event;
- If you can, please bring your own picnic rugs with you;
- Upon arriving and leaving the event, please sanitise your hands with the sanitiser we'll provide for you;
- Please maintain a safe distance from people not in your household - 2 metres ideally, 1 metre minimum;
- Please do not share food - we will provide individual lunches, or you can bring your own;
- Please do not bring alcoholic drinks to the event;
- Dispose of any rubbish afterwards and take everything you brought home with you.
Please also adhere to the Royal Parks policies, which can be found here.
1ST AUGUST 2020 - PEER SUPPORT MEETING
Transmasculine Peer Support
Our next online meeting will take place this Saturday 1 August from 7pm to 9pm! This month we’ll be having a general peer support group session, where you can ask any trans-related questions or just chat about whatever's on your mind. It’ll be a unique chance to get advice and insight from other trans men and transmasculine people, and to see how people are doing during the Covid pandemic.
Join us any time from 7pm onwards!
How do I join?
We’ll be hosting the session on Google Meet. If you're not on our mailing list, email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com for the link to attend 🙂
(And for future meetings, join our mailing list here to be sent the details automatically!)
You can join on a web browser or by phone dial-in - you don’t need to have a Google account. And if you're camera-shy or just don't fancy having your webcam or microphone on, you're still welcome to participate using the text chat 🙂
Don’t worry about membership fees - all our online meetings are free to attend during lockdown.
Hope to see you there!
5th July 2020 - Funny Kinda Guy Screening & Q&A
About the event
Lockdown has inspired many different online mass watchalongs of people's favourite films and TV series, and now FTM London is proud to be hosting a similar event of our own!
On Sunday 5th July (please note: not a Saturday as usual), join FTM London for an online screening of Funny Kinda Guy, a documentary featuring trans male singer/songwriter Simon de Voil - who will also be joining us himself for a special Q&A session after the screening.
The screening will begin at 7:00PM, with the Q&A taking place at 8:30PM.
How do I join in?
The event is being held on Crowdcast. Those joining us will be able to chat amongst themselves using Crowdcast's Chat, and later on during the Q&A submit questions to Simon via the 'Ask a Question' feature. You can also ask to join the 4-person video call if you want.
To protect the privacy of our attendees and prevent unwanted visitors, the stream is invite-only and we are not publicly making the link to the stream available on our website or social media.
If you are subscribed to our FTM London newsletter, please see our latest newsletter email for details on how to join the stream (titled 'July Meeting - Funny Kinda Guy Screening, Q&A').
FTM London members, attendees and other interested transmasculine folks are also welcome to email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com and we will provide you with the link.
Who is Simon de Voil?
Simon de Voil is an internationally-acclaimed singer/songwriter, interfaith minister, wooden boat builder, youth worker and public speaker. He is Scottish, but currently lives in rural Vermont and has played and spoken internationally in the US, Australia and Scotland.
Simon's music explores themes of the inner landscape of the soul, the enchantment of the natural world and a personal journey to follow an unexpected calling. He has played his music for rites of passage, healing, worship services, and community-building events; lately some of his favorite gigs have been played at youth centres, sickbeds, industrial workshops, homeless drop-in centres and ancient chapels.
He has been performing since 1999, but in 2002 he began taking testosterone; with his voice changing, he found himself unable to sing for 3 years. Funny Kinda Guy documents Simon's journey as he finds a new voice during his gender transition.
6th june 2020 - gardening workshop
Fighting the blues with green
Lockdown is pretty tough on mental health, so for our next meeting we're going to be running an online gardening workshop 🌱 Gardening has been proven to have a positive impact on mental wellbeing, and is something you can easily do at home, without many tools or resources, making it the perfect lockdown activity.
For instance, did you know that avocado, chilli, pepper, and garlic plants can all be grown from the ones you buy at the supermarket? Cameron, our Communications Officer, will be guiding you step-by-step through how to sow these seeds and sprout avocadoes, as well as answering any gardening-related questions.
Meeting details
The meeting will take place on Saturday 6 June. From 7pm to 8pm we'll be having the gardening workshop, and then from 8pm to 9pm we'll be discussing trans-related topics as usual. If you're not interested in gardening, feel free just to join at 8pm 😊
Email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com for the meeting link and phone number 😊
2ND MAY 2020 - JUKEBOX REMIX
Music and support
Like last month, our May meeting will be online, from 7-9pm on Saturday 2 May. As usual, from 7pm to 8pm we’ll be answering questions on transitioning, gender, being trans, or anything else you want support or advice on. To submit a question anonymously in advance, please use this form.
Then from 8-9pm, we’ll be having a ~ Jukebox Remix ~. What is a Jukebox Remix, I hear you ask? It’s a way of sharing music and hearing songs you wouldn’t otherwise listen to - essentially, every person present picks a song they have a connection to, plays it, and then talks about what it means to them. It should be a nice way to discover some good new tunes for these strange times 🙂
To join the meeting, email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com for the Zoom link 🙂
4TH APRIL 2020 - ONLINE
Moving online
In light of the latest coronavirus advice, we've decided to hold our April meeting online via Skype. It'll be happening at the usual time, 7-9pm on Saturday 4 April, with the first hour dedicated to answering questions on gender and transitioning, and the second hour free for more general chat.
If you want to join, email us at f2mlondon@hotmail.com for the Skype link and the form to submit questions in advance 🙂
Hope to see you there!
7TH MARCH 2020 - SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
Looking to the future
In March we’re having a Special General Meeting to discuss the future of FTM London! This is your chance to tell us what you want to see from the group - what we’re doing well, what we could be doing differently, how we can grow in the future. Current ideas include starting up a podcast, providing binders for free, social outings, and having a counsellor at meetings - but we want your thoughts on where to go next!
We’re also considering changing our name, so will be voting on a new name.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Photo by Nik MacMillan on Unsplash