What does the LGBTQIA+ group do?
The CAPS LGBTQIA+ collective advocacy group spreads awareness of the challenges that LGBTQIA+ people face with mental health and when accessing mental health services. We use our own personal experiences combined with research to plug the gaps in knowledge around LGBTQIA+ identities. In the past, we have delivered workshops to NHS staff, the Cullen Centre, Mental Health Officers, other third sector organisations, the Lothian Health Services Archives, and university students. We have also designed and delivered collaborative workshops with the Minority Ethnic and Eating Disorder collective advocacy groups at CAPS. These collaborative workshops were initially proposed by group participants and increase the value and effect of the workshops. These intersectional workshops are frequently requested by organisations. We have also hosted events for LGBTQIA+ people to come together and have their voices heard.
What would be lost if the group ends?
The city’s mental health and third sector services would lose a unique educational service mostly provided for free by people with lived experience. We’re often told that hearing from us directly has more of an impact than more sanitised textbooks or medical journals.
CAPS’ Collective Advocacy groups are safe and trauma-informed spaces. We produce our own group agreements and stick to them. One group member described the group as “the only queer space I’ve been in where I haven’t experienced racism”. Being a part of this group gives us a sense of purpose and a way to make a difference. Losing this group would be losing a way to make change. Even if we change a few minds, there is a knock-on effect. This group empowers queer people to make change. It is a safe space to just be, and to express our concerns. We can make connections with others who have similar experiences, and this makes us feel less alone. CAPS is a community that just gets it. This collective advocacy group is different to other LGBTQIA+ groups as it’s a place where everyone has similar mental health experiences and we don’t have to feel embarrassed. If this group ends, it will increase loneliness and isolation, and we will lose a sense of purpose.
Read more testimonials here.