Joanne: Buddha Nature

It’s early October - and that means that, once again, it’s time for Liverpool Mental Health Festival!

We've been working for the last year on putting the programme together and we've got 49 events taking place across the city over the next fortnight - here’s the online brochure https://issuu.com/liverpoolmentalhealthconsortium/docs/lmhfbrochure2017_issuu

We launched proceedings last night at The Brink, where this year’s art exhibition was unveiled to great acclaim. I think this is the best exhibition we’ve put on to date - the standard of the work is incredibly high and it was great to have so many of the artists present. Huge thanks to Jazamin for her excellent curation.

After the launch, we zipped across to 81 Renshaw Street for this year’s comedy night, in partnership with The Comedy Trust, where we enjoyed stand-up from 7 men who’ve completed the ‘Feeling Funny’ course, aimed at men who experience mental health difficulties of one kind or another. Again, it was great to see the positive creativity which can arise from people’s difficult personal experiences.

All of today has been spent at St Bride’s Church where we hosted a conference entitled ‘Believe it or Not! - Sexuality, Gender, Faith and Mental Health’.

Remember Rev Sister Maria Renate, whom I blipped a few weeks ago? https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2352892736786401406 Well, she was in attendance, along with a fascinating group of people from a range of religious and spiritual traditions, including people of the cloth and dyed in the wool atheists! Thanks to Kieran for all his help.

Today’s blip subject is one of our keynote speakers, Joanne Theaker. Joanne’s a psychotherapist, a Buddhist and a trans woman and, as such, was very well-placed to get the day’s proceedings off to a flying start!

I’m also including Extra Photos of some of the other people who made the day special.

Zac came to Liverpool from the United Arab Emirates with his family when he was 15 years old but became estranged from his family when they discovered he was gay - which they felt was incompatible with their Muslim faith. He moved to London and spent time sleeping rough before finding support networks, work and eventually - after a long process - being granted asylum. He moved back to Liverpool but discovered that during the 9 years in which he had lost contact with his family, both his mother and his brother had taken their own lives. His bravery and resilience in the face of what he has lived through absolutely staggers me.

Megan (on the right of the picture with her partner, Ruth) came to Liverpool from Uganda, where her strict Roman Catholic community would not accept her sexuality, putting her in considerable personal danger, which, I’m pleased to say, the Home Office has recognised, by granting her asylum this summer. I’m delighted for her!

Brendan is my favourite caterer and has provided the most mouth-watering food for many of our big events over the last 3 years. I only wish I could persuade him to cook for me on a daily basis! When not creating heaven on a plate, he’s a talented artist and performer and is currently developing his alt-drag act, Auntie Climax (best pronounced with a northern accent!).

The 3 sections of today’s programme were inspired by songs - ‘You Gotta Have Faith’, ‘Losing My Religion’ and ‘God Only Knows’.

This one undoubtedly has the best video… www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwtdhWltSIg