In honour of #transawarenessweek, we wanted to re-release one of our favourite episodes with one of our favourite people, Travis Alabanza.

Travis is an established writer, performer, and theatre maker, known for their outstanding pieces that engage audiences in the conversation around trans politics and the queer experience.

In this Ep we speak about using art for activism, victim-blaming, the contradiction of being hyper-visible and invisible in public spaces,  and so much more. *Trigger Warning* We discuss themes to do with transphobia and a story of sexual harassment towards the end of the show.

You can find Travis's work here: http://travisalabanza.co.uk/ and here @travisalabanza

Resources:

http://genderedintelligence.co.uk/

https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

This episode is the last episode of season 3, can you believe it?! Today I am speaking to a truly inspirational person, who’s work I’ve been admiring on my feed for years now, its the model, activist, entrepreneur and all round superstar, Kenny Ethan Jones! Kenny’s career in activism was launched after appearing in Pink Parcels’ I’M ON campaign, in which he made history by being the first trans man to front a period campaign. Kenny’s impactful work has been featured by the Independent, Teen Vogue, The BBC, Dazed and many more, and I can’t wait to share this episode with you! In this Ep. we speak about how to avoid burn out, being vulnerable and having honest discussions online, and why no one owes you their gender identity.

You can find Kenny here and here: https://www.kennyethanjones.com/

Resources:

https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/

http://www.galop.org.uk/

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

Hello and welcome back to the penultimate episode of Season 3! Today on the show I'm speaking to changemaker Lou Northcote. Lou is an activist, influencer and ex-model, known for her notable campaign #FreeThePimple, a skin positivity movement. After developing acne, Lou’s modelling career was put on hold, so she decided to challenge the skin stigma by using the hashtag #freethepimple in 2017. By doing this, Lou aimed to bring awareness of other people living with skin conditions, and has created an online space for people to share their skin-positive stories. 

In today's episode we talk about receiving unsolicited advice, why "resting bitch face" for men is not a thing, and why "perfect" skin is a myth. 

TW: In this episode we will be reading out an experience of sexual harassment.

You can find Lou here: @freethepimple and here: @lounorthcote and here:https://linktr.ee/Lounorthcote

Resources:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com

https://rightsofwomen.org.uk/

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

https://plan-uk.org/act-for-girls/street-harassment

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

In today's show I'm speaking to life coach, activist and author Michelle Elman. You might be familiar with Michelle’s work from her notable campaign, Scarred not Scared, which came about after Michelle decided there was little representation for people who had scars. Having had many surgeries herself, Michelle wanted to use her platform and share her experience to let others know that they were not alone. In todays episode we talk about the importance of enthusiastic consent, setting boundaries and how to recognise gaslighting behaviour.

TW: In this episode we will be reading out an experience of sexual harassment to discuss and myth bust.

You can find Michelle here: @scarredntscared and here: https://www.michelleelman.com/about/

or watch Michelle's TED talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/michelle_elman_have_you_hated_your_body_enough_today

Resources:

https://rightsofwomen.org.uk/

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

https://plan-uk.org/act-for-girls/street-harassment

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

Joining me on today's show are two women, whose podcast has honestly been getting me through lockdown, It's the amazing duo & wonderful hosts of Brown Girls Do It Too,  Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani!! I'm so excited about this episode and had so much fun recording it. If for some reason you’ve been living under a rock for the past year and aren't familiar with Brown Girls Do It Too, then let me briefly fill you in. Brown Girls Do It Too is an award-winning groundbreaking BBC Asian Network show, where they discuss all things related to sex & relationships, and candidly cover the topics which are under-discussed in South Asian households. 

In this episode we talk about accidentally breaking taboo's, removing the shame and stigma when talking about sex and the problematic fetishization of Asian women in society. 

You can find Poppy and Rubina here and here, and you can listen to Brown Girls Do It Too here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p08k5cp0 

Resources:

https://stopasianhate.carrd.co/

https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

https://plan-uk.org/act-for-girls/street-harassment

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

Welcome to another episode of The Cheer Up Luv Podcast! Today I'm speaking to someone who I’ve been really keen to get on the podcast, it’s changemaker Tyla Grant. Tyla is a model, podcaster and activist who campaigns to raise awareness about autism in adulthood. She is also the founder of Black and Neurodiverse, a platform which supports the personal development of young black neurodivergent adults. 

In this episode we speak about the importance of inclusive language, the gender data gap in health and medicine, and why you should never trust someone stopping you on the street for directions...

You can find Tyla's work here: @autistictyla and here: @blackandnd

Resources:

https://uk.gofundme.com/f/blackandnd?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

https://plan-uk.org/act-for-girls/street-harassment

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

Hello and welcome to another episode of The Cheer Up Luv Podcast! Today I’m speaking to someone whose work I have been admiring online, and in real life for a few years now, it's the incredibly talented illustrator Alice Skinner. I have been obsessed with Alice’s work for a long time, and after I realised she was also part of the activist collective, The Pink Protest, I fell in love with her work even more. Alice’s bold, beautiful and unmistakeable style has lead her to work with Always, Converse, Badoo, The Sunday Times Style Magazine and if that wasn’t enough, she has just illustrated the cover of Grace Campbell’s new Book, "Amazing Disgrace.”

In this episode we speak about how we can hold institutions accountable, growing up with the damaging beauty standards of 00's magazines and the very triggering insult, "You're Butterz". 

You can find Alice's work here: @thisisaliceskinner and here: https://thisisaliceskinner.bigcartel.com/

Resources:

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

https://plan-uk.org/act-for-girls/street-harassment

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

This episode is sponsored by TOTM and Lara Intimates.

Welcome to another episode of The Cheer Up Luv Podcast! This week I am speaking to the incredibly talented writer, author, performer, and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi, or Glamrou as some may know them. I’ve been looking forward to speaking to Amrou ever since I finished their book, ‘Life As A Unicorn’ , an incredibly moving memoir documenting their journey from shame to pride, navigating growing up in the Middle East, attending the boarding school Eton, questioning their Muslim faith, and finding themselves through drag, as a queer British Iraqi.

In this episode we speak about how TERF's are using the campaign to end violence against women and girls for their agenda, the vocal transphobic right wing media, and how we can make public spaces safer for all. 

TW: In this episode we discuss themes to do with transphobia, and will be reading out an experience of sexual harassment to discuss and myth bust at the end of the show.

You can find Amrou here: @glamrou and here: https://www.amroualkadhi.com/about

Resources:

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/

http://www.galop.org.uk/

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

This episode is sponsored by TOTM and Lara Intimates.

Hello and welcome to another episode of The Cheer Up Luv Podcast. Today I am speaking to a very exciting guest, it's the Labour MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy! Stella has now been an MP for Walthamstow for 10 years, and has worked on notable campaigns to tackle online harassment, domestic abuse and islamophobia. Stella also made history as the first MP to get maternity cover.

In the episode we discuss the campaign to treat misogyny as a hate crime, the gender gaps in our system surrounding childcare and maternity leave, and how we can make the streets safer for women, girls and marginalised genders. 

You can find Stella here @stellacreasy and here: https://members.parliament.uk/member/4088/contact

Resources:

https://fawcettsociety.eaction.org.uk/make%20misogyny%20a%20hate%20crime

https://www.change.org/p/make-public-sexual-harassment-a-criminal-offence-in-the-uk

If you would like to send in your story, please feel free to DM @cheerupluv or submit via the website: http://www.cheerupluv.com

Music composed by Alex Gruz

This episode is sponsored by TOTM and Lara Intimates.

This week we have another bonus special episode which was made in collaboration with #YouAreNotAlone, a public awareness campaign. This episode is dedicated to addressing the issue of domestic abuse, recognising the broad and varied forms in which it exists and provide valuable information. 

In this episode, I will be speaking to three representatives from the charities Refuge, Surviving Economic Abuse and SafeLives. Each of the guests will talk about the different types of domestic abuse, the stereotypes around it and most importantly, how to access the support available. 

If you have been affected by anything that you have heard listening to this, more information is available at www.gov.uk/domestic-abuse, and you can contact The National Domestic Abuse Helpline by dialling: 0800 2000 247. The 24 hour helpline in Scotland is 0800 027 1234, Wales 0808 801 0800 and Northern Ireland 0800 917 1414.

If you are in immediate danger, please ring 999. 

For more information about Surviving Economic Abuse and support available please visit:https://survivingeconomicabuse.org/

For more information about SafeLives and support available please visit: https://safelives.org.uk/

For more information about Refuge and support available please visit: https://www.refuge.org.uk/

If you are experiencing domestic abuse and need urgent help, you can also ‘Ask for ANI’ in participating pharmacies. ‘Ask for ANI’ is a domestic abuse codeword that stands for Action Needed Immediately and which is available in nearly half the pharmacies across the UK including Boots, Superdrug and other independent pharmacies, so be sure to look out for the icon in the windows .

This podcast was made in partnership with the #YouAreNotAlone campaign. The UK Government launched #YouAreNotAlone in April 2020 to help raise awareness about the support available to domestic abuse victims during the pandemic.