Clothing Rebellion is a group that aims to change the conversation regarding fast fashion, by designing and altering clothes in a manner that cuts down on waste, and curating donated clothes to be sold at a pop-up shop held on Thursday mornings at The Old Fire Station. This shop also incorporates the People’s Pantry, which sells a wide variety of redistributed food, with both at low prices designed to be accessible to all.
As part of the New Year training bursary, volunteers from the Clothing Rebellion/People’s Pantry group, alongside a few members of Space2 staff, attended Trans Awareness training delivered by Gendered Intelligence.
As more and more trans people now feel able to express their authentic selves publicly, and with trans rights being such a topical issue, it is important for us to do all that we can to ensure trans people feel safe and validated in and by the groups that we run at Space2. This is particularly valuable for the pop-up shop volunteers, who welcome people from a wide range of backgrounds through the door each week, and aim to foster a welcoming and non-judgmental environment.
The training was facilitated by Jason from Gendered Intelligence, covering the basics of what being transgender means, the relevant laws, and ways of talking to trans people in a respectful way. There were plenty of opportunities throughout the training session to discuss our feelings and experiences in groups, ask questions, and reflect. The experience as a whole left us with a greater level of clarity on trans issues, and improved confidence in approaching conversations with trans people in our community.
This project was supported with funding from the Arts Together New Year scheme 2023.
Written by Nathan at Space2
