SMW: Episode 13 – Chloe Cousins

This Strong Manchester Woman stands up proud to say,  “I’m really happy with who I am.” She takes the lessons that she’s learnt on her journey, to help others to be comfortable with themselves too;, from the young LGBTQ people she works with, to the LGBTQ community she helps to run. 

In this episode, your host Vic Elizabeth Turnbull speaks Chloe Cousins, the voluntary organiser for Rainbow Noir, Manchester’s social and peer support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people of colour. The group celebrated their sixth birthday in 2019 and provide a vital space for people to find family and community, a place to be 100% themselves, something which isn’t always possible in faith, cultural and LGBT communities.

Chloe, who was born and raised in Birmingham ‘but grown in Manchester’, also coordinates the programme for LGBT young people of colour at The Proud Trust, Manchester’s LGBT youth charity. Here she supports young people of colour and works within communities of colour to raise awareness and help build confidence and capacity to support LGBT young people within their communities. 

In this episode Chloe talks about,

• Starting and maintaining a thriving community
• Understanding and managing anxiety
• Getting comfortable with yourself
• Childhood ambitions (includes being lovely & catering!)
• Utilising her recognition as a platform to promote Queerness 
• The importance of achieving a better work/life balance
• What it’s really like being an LGBT+ woman in Manchester
• Why we need to start rephrasing questions around inequality 

Links and information

• Discover more about Rainbow Noir on their facebook page 
• Chloe works at the  fantastic Proud Trust, a LGBT+ youth support organisation
• Here’s Kate Cocker’s blog post about helping you to curb your ‘comparisonitis’. 

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Released 23rd October

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The podcast is inspired by the annual Strong Women campaign. The 14 women profiled in this series were selected for the 2019 campaign. For more information about the women visit The Pankhurst Trust’s website

Credits
Produced by us guys, aka MIC Media |@MICmediauk

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