society – YATGB

Cause and effect

12 August, 2022 Lynn Jones Uncategorized

Hi, Before we dive in, a brief note of thanks to Christine who inspired Sue, who then inspired me to write this. BTW, if what I post turns out to be complete tosh, it’s absolutely not their fault. 🙂 I guess blogging can be a bit like home baking: you make the mess, you clear it up 😉 I had planned to start off with the phrase ‘of late’ or the word ‘recently’, but on reflection this one has a long shadow. In Sue’s post, Sue mentions an article by Pink News, in which they report on how a sports person’s career has changed following statements they made about trans people involved in swimming. Specifically, being dropped by sponsors and […]

Forgiveness

5 August, 2022 Lynn Jones Uncategorized

Hi, In the cosy, half awake period between the alarm and getting up, my mind drifted along. As often, two unconnected thoughts bumped into each other. The first was the news headline about people who are both Conservative Party members and LGBTQ+. Apparently some are feeling distinctly uneasy given recent statements by the current would-bes. I do wonder if they’d been asleep over the past decade as rhetoric had ramped up. 😋 (Then there’s this masterclass in allyship ❤️) As that thought floated by, an image of former and frequently cruel classmate followed. Someone who certainly wasn’t kind to a number of people in our class. They are both long dead and not someone I think about. I heard the […]

Finally

22 July, 2022 Lynn Jones Uncategorized

Hi, I don’t know about you, but in the raging heat of the European heatwave, the Muppet Show of UK politics, and the reveal of how much profit oil companies make in a day; there was only one question on my mind. What if the bloke in the loo next to me, used to be a woman? I mean, he might be butcher and more manly for a start! 😁 Talk about getting your priorities in a mix. 😋 So snarkiness aside, I’m very glad to report I’m not ill, knackered, or in a state. I have been waiting to write that for too long. It was about midweek that whatever had been weighing on me, drifted away. Perhaps, and […]

The need for Pride

1 July, 2022 Lynn Jones Uncategorized

Hi, This year sees the fiftieth anniversary of Pride in the UK. I’ve listened and read to the interviews of those who were there. Bless them, what an amazingly brave thing to do back in the 70s as well. 🏳️‍🌈 Hearing from people who managed to gather their courage and go to a Pride event or gay venue for the first time, that was really moving. I also, felt a touch of guilt around Pride. What I mean is, I don’t go to the one in the city and represent Chameleons. I help run the group, I run outreach Q&A sessions, I help organisations update their policies, I try to help parents who email the group, blah de blah blah, […]

Toxic

24 June, 2022 Lynn Jones Uncategorized

Hi, I’ve got a lot running around in my head at the moment. Thoughts jump in and out of focus, so I’m doing what I usually do in this situation: just write…. Or more accurately, when I can’t grab what I need to say, I tailspin into going off topic and I delete things. 🙄 I think this is attempt number four… The bad I… I don’t want to write about the bad things: the loss of womens’ rights in the US; the UK MP’s private letter sent to schools in South Yorkshire about a ‘push back’ to trans teens; and the creeping of fascism of our politics, etc. I am aghast that I’m writing that last line without irony, […]

Four days

10 June, 2022 Lynn Jones Uncategorized

Hi, This week saw the start of an experiment in a number of UK organisations: the four day working week. The important bit is folk are still paid for five days. That and it’s not where you do five days of hours in four. Been there, it was awful 😋 As someone who struggles to balance home commitments with work, and occasional bouts of, well, just feeling burned out by late Thursday, I could really fancy this approach of a shorter week. I read last year where Microsoft had tried it in one of their offices in Japan. Part of the deal was to stay off social media at work and try to cut down on lengthy meetings. The outcome […]