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So I'm Philip Patton, and, um, I work these days more in the, um, social change creative change base. And my attendance has been to be part of two panel discussions, one on the interface between the disability and trans communities and [00:00:30] the other looking at issues around disability, mental health, and the queer for want of a better term communities. What were some of the issues that were raised in those presentations? I mean, I, I think that, um, probably in the trends and disability for, um the issue of [00:01:00] patho organisation and medicalization was was quite paramount. And how do we learn from each other about how to move what is often seen as a a medical issue, you know, or pathology into the social context. Um, how do you challenge, [00:01:30] um, the norms of society in a way that is constructive and and makes positive the change. Um, and And also, how do we as a community, um, change our attitudes and behaviours towards each other to model that in in the community? I think [00:02:00] in the disability and mental health, um, discussion. I think one of the big things was I. I guess we talked a lot about, um, how disability and mental health shows up the importance of relationship [00:02:30] and the conversation that we need to be continually having about how we connect with each other in in different ways. And how do we, you know, not only talk about the rights of of people to make sure that we're upholding the rights of [00:03:00] our own employees, for example. So you know, people talked about being in rights based organisation where something happened and and it's a bit unusual and everything goes pear shaped because, oh my God, we don't know what to do. So we'll just make that a problem and try and get rid of it. You made a very [00:03:30] interesting point in your first session about how, within the space of five minutes, you can be able or disabled, depending on the environment that you're in. Yeah, I mean, I think for the whole of society, and it's not just about this community, we have to remember that, you know, we we're all vulnerable and and life is uncertain, and there's a discomfort in that. And so I guess [00:04:00] a lot of my work at the moment and and the sort of conversation I've been bringing up at the conference is how do we sit with the fact that we we are all vulnerable, like there. There's not a group of vulnerable people that we have to look after and everybody else is not vulnerable. Human beings are vulnerable and and [00:04:30] and when we when we deny our vulnerabilities, we get into disconnection. And so in order for us to be more connected, we need to feel comfortable with that vulnerability. And And, you know, people talking in this space are are talking about understanding the [00:05:00] the beauty of vulnerable vulnerability. You know what? What? What makes us vulnerable makes us beautiful. And and so when we can say that we can then connect as beautiful people connecting rather than fearful people connecting How do you take those ideas and [00:05:30] take them outside of the conference and then put them into action? I have no dear Gareth, I mean, I, I think I think one of the my learnings in the last few years is that we we often focused on attitudinal change in this area that it's all about, you know, if we if we get the attitude right, then suddenly [00:06:00] everything will magically change. And the reading I've been doing around social change and and influence as a tool of social change is that we actually need to find out what the behaviours are that cause change. Um, because you know, you can have the best attitude in the world and not doing anything, [00:06:30] and nothing will change because we live in a material world where action is really important. I mean, you know, thinking about what you do is really important as well. But But then that you're following through and and working out, what are the behaviours that that that make a difference? So I think beyond [00:07:00] the the conference, one thing that I think is a vital behaviour and that I'm committed to following up on is having making a space in the community for people that want to have these difficult exploratory conversations. [00:07:30] Not because we want to have come to a certain outcome, but just because it's good to keep talking and get into places where we don't know the answer and disagree and agree to disagree and feel vulnerable and uncertain and and uncomfortable [00:08:00] at times. Um but also experience the magic of being in that place because that's where you know we can go. Oh, like I've never thought that way about something. Let's go away and try and do it this way instead of that way that we've been doing it for the last 10 years [00:08:30] and wondering why it didn't work. Has anything challenged you at this conference? Something challenge me? Um, getting into the the Islet Theatre where the disability panel was was quite a challenge. Um, it it was ironic. The probably the most inacceptable venue in the in the place. Um, [00:09:00] I mean, to be honest, I hadn't been here much, so So I'm trying to think About what? Look, what What challenged me last night, um, was that I went to, um, a woman event that a friend of mine was in seeing and said, Come along, we'll get you and be home. And my boyfriend and I arrived and we were just told we couldn't [00:09:30] come in, and, um, we we sort of played with that and said, Well, how do you know we're not transitioning? You know, like, how do you know that we we're not. We used to be women. And so we had a bit of a, you know, a discussion about, you know, if that was the case, how would it be verified? Who would we believe? And and stuff like that? [00:10:00] And I think the challenging thing is is again that that we I deeply respected the the need for some women to have a space where somebody who represents an unsafe element of society is not gonna turn up and and and ruin [00:10:30] that experience. And and so I deeply respect that. And it felt really sad to not be able to go in and, um, and hang out with with my friends. You know, most of my friends are friends. Um, so So there there's that uncomfortable place of transitioning, [00:11:00] you know, I mean that it's a nice metaphor because it seems that one of the great things about this conference has been on the the the focus of transgender. And and that seems to be, you know, really refresh, refreshing, fluid new energy in our community. [00:11:30] But but also, with that, the whole community is transitioning into a new understanding of of gender and and the role of gender in society, the role of gender in our community So So So That was challenging. And And what was nice was that we [00:12:00] stayed. We sat outside and a group of parents and kind of fringy academics. And, you know, myself having unique function formed a group, you know, we felt like the fringe of the fringe. And it was, um, one of the best nights [00:12:30] I've had for ages. So So we could have got pissed off and walked up in the house. We stayed with the discomfort and had a great experience. As a result, What do you think you'll take out of this conference? I feel a sense of, [00:13:00] of change, of growing up, maybe of of maturation of the community, where perhaps in the past we've been a bit looking at mainstream society to give us our right to accept us, to allow us to marry, to [00:13:30] employ us, you know, a bit of a a passive perhaps victim like, um, you know, space and And the other side of that is is, you know, while we wait for that and feel hard done by, we have lots of parties and and and are quite [00:14:00] sort of childish. And in some ways, well, maybe like childish, but But certainly, I think, um, I've noticed in adolescence about the community for a long time, and I think maybe now that, um, we have all those things in in more more quantity, um, and quality. It's not perfect, [00:14:30] by all means. But then maybe it is because affection is, um, a balance of positivity negativity. We we can't have one without the other. So maybe I take away from the conference, as is a slightly more inward focus of of here we are. We're we're actually we've [00:15:00] actually done a lot of work on the world outside us. And maybe now we need to do some work on our community internally and maybe some different work, which is far more playful and exploratory and and defining new words and new ways [00:15:30] to be with each other and and playing with gender and playing with, you know, fluidity and and not having to be one thing or the other anymore, because it's, you know, because we we have to, you know, have enough numbers to be noticed that that now we can begin to evolve and develop ourselves into [00:16:00] a new version of whatever this actually is skipping ahead 30 years. If somebody was listening to this 30 years from now, what would you like to say to them? Well, I hope you're listening to this going what the fuck? Like what? What's he talking about? Oh, yeah. I remember [00:16:30] a time when you know, they they were like acronyms with 10 letters. You know, G, LBTT FIQ. You know, um and and maybe you're thinking isn't it great that we we don't need to label ourselves anymore? Because we [00:17:00] we recognise each other with without the labels and and maybe we we are, you know, quite ok about being unique in some situations. And you know, the the magic of that and being done by common and dull and monotonous and other context. [00:17:30] You know, because because life is, you know, life is both magical and monotonous all at the same time. So So maybe that's what your not thing is. Is that that life is Is this strange paradox which doesn't need to be labelled.
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