Interview: This is Me Empowered | Sabrina Sigler
Disobedient has supported This is Me Empowered (TIME), an LGBTQ+ youth charity based in Inverclyde, with their zine project. Published in November last year, the zine amplifies the voice of young queer people, while giving them a platform to be creative.
Inverclyde is one of the most deprived communities in Scotland, meaning LGBTQ+ youth have added pressures; it’s already hard enough being a teenager, but even more so when you’re queer, maybe neurodivergent, and from a more rural area where small-minded views can sometimes be seen.
I’ve been there – Inverclyde is home, and I’m so fond of the incredible landscapes and resilience of the community we have here, but a group like TIME was long overdue. A safe space for LGBTQ+ and often neurodivergent young people to make friends, be creative, and explore their identities.
I started Disobedient Magazine as a place for working-class artists to have a platform to showcase their work, in what is a very classist (and insert pretty much every other -ist) industry, so it has been an honour to play a small part in helping TIME with this project. It’s a scary time in the world; it always has been for queer people, but the laughter, awareness, and warmth seen in the young people who attend TIME’s Thursday sessions have filled me with hope for the future.
I spoke with the team behind TIME, Michelle, Amy, and Amy about the project:
Q: How did TIME come about?
A: Michelle and Amy met while working in a local high school in Port Glasgow, and it was clear that there wasn't an LGBTQ+ group or space for young people who identify in the community to come together. We decided to create a group in the school. However, the feedback was that young people wanted to meet up outside school.
We got Michelle's wife, Amy, on board, and the three of us created TIME. Throughout this process, we realised that Inverclyde didn't have a dedicated LGBTQ+ organisation, and we are now a registered charity with big plans on the horizon. TIME is needed in Inverclyde; the queer community must have a place where they can feel safe, come together, and be unapologetically themselves.
Q: Can you tell me about how the zine project began? Why a zine?
A: We thought it would be important for our young queer people to have a voice in their community. This is important as we are based in a more rural area of Scotland, where the queer community is welcomed by some and feared by others.
The young people are proud to have something that they can share with their community. We had our first stall since printing the zine, and our young people were very excited that people were engaging and buying copies of the zine.
Q: Tell me more about the process of gathering content for the zine?
A: We wanted to show the range of creative talents that our young people have and also to highlight the fun we have at TIME. It has been a creative tool to advertise TIME, and we have had young people join from reading the zine.
Q: How did the young people engage with the project?
A: Our young people were excited for the project; however, struggled at times with the huge undertaking of the task. It was great to have support from Disobedient as well as the Glasgow Zine Library bring great insight and tasks for our young people to keep them on target, especially when it came to writing. Our young people loved looking through all the pictures and annotating them, especially reflecting on the fun we had had together.
Q: What has been the reception to the zine?
A: Our zine launch was a great success - we had it covered in the local newspaper, and we felt the support of the community. It was lovely to see our young people bring along their families to the launch and receive that positive reassurance and encouragement. A lot of people haven't heard of a zine, so it's been great sharing this journey with others.
Q: Disobedient is all about art and resistance. Do you have anything to comment on this relationship, especially in relation to queer liberation and resistance?
A: Historically and unfortunately still today, the queer community has been hidden, feared, and discriminated against. It's important to be part of the fight against inequality and injustice, especially for our brothers and sisters in the trans community. We want to use art, creativity, and self-expression to stand up for our community and each other. It's unfortunate that we have to fight like our siblings before us, but needs must. TIME gives the queer future a space to do just that.
TIME will hold a stall at the Glasgow Zine Festival in May. You can find out more about them at timeinverclyde.wordpress.com and @timeinverclyde on Instagram.
