Hades Stream For Hope https://t.co/cgKs4l5qxv
— Now THIS Is Themboposting 🌈⚡ (@theymerSophie) December 19, 2020
Over the weekend I made some new friends. Some of them I had met before, but never in this context. On Saturday night, I found myself with a glass of wine in hand, talking live through a Discord server with the incredible @TheymerSophie, who had started a fund-raising event to help Trans Kids who needed care.
Sophie was running a livestream, on Twitch, playing Hades. They gamed, while people joined them to chat, comment and discuss their fundraising initiative and other gamer-related topics!
I explained that I was affectionately known as a ‘boomer’ to my kids, and that I had needed them to help me set up both Discord and Twitch and to even explain what a livestream was, so that I could join in! In return I was affectionately named “the mother of all gamers” and I had some incredible conversations.
As a result of Sophie – and the gaming community’s – amazing efforts over £50,000 have been raised towards the care of trans youth! GenderGP pledged to match that donation in-kind, which takes the total to over £100,000 which will be donated to the GenderGP Fund.
We had some fantastic conversations, some were very emotional and some were more pragmatic. We talked about education and advocacy and how sometimes it can be challenging to be trans in the current world. We also focused on the positive and how that world is changing and together we are drowning out the haters.
Find out more about non-binary identities
To my shame, I realised that, at times, my knowledge around non-binary identities is not as good as it is around the more binary identities. I acknowledged that it is harder for me to understand, as I have been brought up and educated in such a two-gendered environment. I am thus very grateful to Sophie and to Shonalika who have kindly agreed to come and join me on a podcast and we can thrash out some of the unknowns, and maybe educate a few more boomers like me.
I loved my three guest appearances on the livestream. I loved chatting to this group of people who understand exactly what it means to have been a trans kid in this world, and what support the younger members of their community need and deserve. I was humbled to have been on the receiving hand of their friendship for the weekend, thank you to all that made that happen.
A very Merry Happy Christmas to you all, Helen, the Mother of all Gamers x
