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
1ST FEBRUARY 2020 - SHIATSU TALK BY DIEGO
Shiatsu for the trans community
In February, Diego, a non-binary trans man training as a shiatsu practitioner will be coming to talk to us about his work. Diego's focus is on how shiatsu can be made more accessible to trans and non-binary people.
About Shiatsu
Shiatsu is a Japanese healing bodywork that works the body, mind and spirit as a whole. It creates a state of deep relaxation that promotes health & wellbeing and can stimulate body self-healing. It’s often described as ‘Acupuncture without needles’ and ‘Japanese physiotherapy’. It can be beneficial for lots of conditions like shoulder tightness, back pain, surgical scarring, anxiety, arthritis, IBS, stress, emotional blockages, menstrual pain.
4TH January 2020 - new year's resolutions
Looking ahead to 2020
This month we'll be reflecting on 2019, thinking about what we want to bring with us into the new year, and what we want to leave behind. It’ll be a chance to share your goals and dreams and discuss how to make them a reality. Ideas on what you want from FTM London in 2020 would also be very welcome!
As ever, you don’t have to contribute if you don’t want to, and there’ll be time for more general discussion in the second half of the evening.
Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash
2ND November 2019 - Guest speaker
Guest Speaker
This Saturday we will have a guest speaker from Spectra who will talk to us about their organisation and answer any of your questions. Spectra are a community health & wellbeing charity, they provide peer-led services for all people of trans, non-binary, agender, gender variant, and/or questioning experiences, and those close to them.
Library
The library is here every month, with a selection of trans books - from fiction, to non fiction, and even some documentaries. You can borrow them to read at home.
Future Meetings
In case you would like to come by to one of our meetings, but you cannot make it this month, our next meetings are scheduled for the following dates:
7th september 2019 - health and fitness
Guest Speaker
The theme of this month's meeting will be transmasculine people and sports. Sam, who is a personal trainer will talk to us about health and fitness
BindKind
The BindKind binders will be around this month as well. BindKind is a project which provides a range of binders of different sizes ans styles for people to try on.
3rd August 2019 - binder project
BindKind
This month we will be hosting a project called BindKind which will provide a range of binders for people to try on. The project aims to help trans people find the binder which works best for them.
Discussion
In addition to our usual Q and A session, we will also discuss our participation in London Pride 2019, what went well and what could be improved.