“Behind the clapback queen, I just want a soft life. I'm actually meant to be a really nice person, but we're not allowed to be soft because the fucking world is so hard on us. And we've had to make these bravado kind of characters to defend ourselves.”

Wrapping up ‘Pause. And Rewind…’ for the year with Charlie Craggs (she/her) was an absolute TREAT! Charlie is an award-winning content creator, activist & campaigner. She’s been described as “a powerhouse transgender activist” and British Vogue labelled Charlie as “the voice of the community.” When she set up ‘Nail Transphobia’ back in 2014 - an outreach project tackling transphobia through manicures and the power of conversation - it was picked up by Vice Magazine. Despite her initial reluctance, the subsequent article massively boosted her profile and over the last 10 years, Charlie has published a book, fronted a documentary, featured in numerous brand campaigns & partnerships, built up a huge following, made her debut acting appearance in the Dr. Who audio series and much more. All whilst relentlessly advocating for the Trans+ community.

Little Charlie was a sweet, soft kid and the topic of softness comes up a lot during this conversation as well as resilience. Growing up on a council estate and going to an all-boys Catholic school in West London, as an out teenager, Charlie experienced bullying from both fellow students and teachers. We reflect on a shared need to fight back at a young age and a refusal to be victims.

Charlie opens up about the ongoing challenges & fears of being an influencer, public speaker & freelancer and shares some great advice for anyone in a similar situation - particularly when it comes to the fickle nature of working with brands. She reflects on how Big Brother’s Nadia Amalda & Pete Burns and shaped her as well as her acceptance of being Trans, being an anti-hero, future career & life ambitions and the return of her Charlie’s Angels self defence classes.

There’s so many laughs & touching moments right here for you to listen too. And on Charlie’s social media platforms too. Check it all out & ENJOY!

PLEASE NOTE | We cover a range of topics in this episode that some listeners may find triggering including bullying, physical assault & online harassment & the current landscape for Trans+ folk so please take care of yourself whilst listening.

“At this grand age of 60, I am filled with honesty, transparency, and living my best life. There are so many things that I'm celebrating and I am not going to sit here and be apologetic for all of the beautiful things that I have gained in 60 years.”

Ageing is a beautiful & privileged experience and this conversation was a timely conversation with this week’s guest on ‘Pause. And Rewind…’ Reverend Jide Macauley (he/him) recently celebrated his 60th birthday and I got to sit & chat about ALL the things he’s celebrating including some other milestones including his queerness, Blackness & almost 20 years since Jide founded House of Rainbow.

House of Rainbow is a faith-based community that celebrates the diversity of all God's people and it was founded on the vision of inclusion - providing a safe and affirming space for Black, African, Caribbean, and other ethnic minority LGBTIQ+ individuals, as well as their allies. What began as a place for fellowship now carries out work around leadership development, health & stigma reduction and global advocacy. It’s all part of Jide’s journey of reconciliation of faith & sexuality and a huge leap since Jide asked himself ‘Could there ever be a church where LGBTQ+ people feel safe?’. As well as sharing his own origin story, it was fantastic to hear about that of House of Rainbow too which began in Nigeria and now sees London as its home.

Little Jide couldn’t wait to enter the world and knew he was different from around 5 years old. He experienced bullying during school for his physical appearance & being effeminate. His home life was a loving one until his father became homophobic and Jide shares how their relationship remained strained into his adulthood. Yet Jide’s mother always showed acceptance & support when he needed it and even attended House of Rainbow for worship & community during the early days.

There’s a lot packed into this episode. Jide talks about his seven year marriage, the separation and the estrangement from his children - again as a result of homophobia - as he states “that is something that I am not going to sit down and tolerate.” His personal experiences fuel the work he does with his congregation including young people.

Jide also shines a bit of light on his challenges as a current minister in the Church of England and how he protects his resolve through that. And much more including exploring the themes of queer theology, toxic masculinity & authenticity. “I’d rather be hated for who I am than to be loved for who I am not”.

Long may the birthday celebrations! I loved this chat and I know you will too. ENJOY!

Find out more about House of Rainbow here | https://www.houseofrainbow.org/about-us

PLEASE NOTE | This episode contains talk around homophobia & suicide so please take care of yourself whilst listening.

“Confidence is a choice, not an emotion. You have to wake up every day and say ‘“I exist out of the social norms & I’m going to do that boldly. Loud. Empathetically’”.

Stephanie Lynnette (she/they), my guest for my Trans+ Awareness Week episode of ‘Pause. And Rewind…’ is ON FIRE during this conversation and I am here for it! Stephanie is the Events Manager for London Trans Pride (the largest in the world don’t ya know which this year saw a groundbreaking 100K+ attendees) as well as being a content creator & activist. She’s also has just taken an unexpected career shift into Trans healthcare as a patient champion & peer support worker - a move we dive into that has undoubtedly been shaped by Stephanie’s own 10 year transition journey.

Little Stephanie felt a mismatch in her gender identity at a young age and took the brave step to start her transition during secondary school in rural Cornwall the day before her thirteenth birthday. She was very aware of the doubt from her family & medical teams and so she knew she had to ‘hit the ground running at 110%’ to be taken seriously & prove that this was what she wanted. Her stubbornness as she calls it borne a confidence that has served her well. We dive into the topic of safeguarding children a fair bit from both a medical & healthcare perspective and the tendency for parents to project their insecurities onto Trans+ kids. Stephanie also shares how she refers to her pre-transition self as her little brother who exists as a separate entity.

In her teenage years, Stephanie became a self-confessed attention seeker & trouble maker as she shares “my extensions were long. My hems were short”. It was starting college and a 1.5 hour commute that alleviated this and brought with it a freedom to carve out her identity free from shame. It’s a journey she’s rightly proud of. & she isn’t going back.

We cover Stephanie’s career from retail to the arts & now healthcare, being outed during colleague, moving from insecurity to assurance and her polished public-facing influencer persona on socials vs. day-to-day reality. The topic of palatability comes up a fair bit too which is super interesting as Stephanie embarks on more focused content around body positivity & taking up space - and urging others to do the same. We bond over our mutual love of Kesha AND a very mutual loathing of our home towns too… Honestly, there’s so much in this episode - LISTEN IT & ENJOY!

Follow Stephanie on Insta @supersizedsteph or catch her content on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/stephanielynnette.

PLEASE NOTE | This episode contains talk around mental health and sexual & physical assault so please take care of yourself whilst listening.