The Ledward Centre

On the 12th of August, we ran our second Funshop in collaboration with the Ledward Centre, tailored for the LGBTQ+ community! Ledward Centre’s services and other events.

We love how each Funshop has varied because of the space and people attending. This one felt intimate, heartfelt and there was lots of stimulating discussions.

“As a transgender person so much of my identity, and my struggles with it, have been tied up in issues around gender, gender expression and prejudice. Initially I felt apprehensive about the Saree Funshop as I was concerned about possible cultural appropriation and unsure of how I would respond in such a situation. These fears proved to be unfounded as Poppy created a safe, open and inclusive space where she invited us all to share in the wonder, culture and beauty of the Saree. Helping us to understand that this was so much more than a simple garment, this was an opportunity to step out of the mundane and explore our own identity.”
Sophie Cook
It was such a lovely evening, magical in fact!
I have already been picking clothes that are more colourful and pulling out stuff I used to wear when I lived abroad!
“The Funshop was such a joyous experience, celebrating the culture and history of the saree in a safe and inclusive manner.
Thank you for making me look and feel gorgeous!”
Ryan H
“The Funshop was really inspiring and life affirming”

Snapshot…

in 3 circles the text reads 6 attendees, 3 drapes, 3 hours

The Re-Balance Approach

Recognise.

The 2021 Census identified Brighton and Hove to have the most people identifying as lesbian, gay and bisexual (10.73%). LGBTQI+ people are often socially excluded and face higher levels of social rejection and discrimination compared to non-LGBTQ people (‘Pathways between LGBTQ migration, social isolation and mental distress’ Report)

We recognise the saree as the most inclusive item of clothing in the world, it is versatile and fits every ‘body’! It's 5 to 9 metres of unstitched material which can be draped in more than 90 ways to fit any size or shape.

The saree is fluid and very much a sense of statement and visual identity. This is especially true for the Hijra people (transgender community) across Southeast Asia, check out this 7-minute video to find out more!

Review.

We want to spread the love of sarees amongst the LGBTQI+ community. We aimed to do this by partnering with a local LGBTQI+ organisation to run a SareeNaSorry Funshop for people identifying as LGBTQI+.

In this Funshop we aimed to create a safe space to have a group discussion around the notion of belonging through the saree. We also hoped the Funshop would be a place for people to make new connections and feel unappologetically themselves.

Respond.

We partnered with the Ledward Centre and Sophie Cook for our second Funshop. The Ledward Centre provides a social space for LGBTQI+ people and their allies and Sophie is a LGBT & mental health campaigner and a transgender woman.

6 people attended the Funshop, as they came in they were dressed in the nivi drape. We then explored the context of the saree in regards to social experiences appropriation and belonging. Sophie shared with the group her experience as a trans woman where she is constantly confronting the rhetoric of transphobia of her appropriating women’s spaces /agenda /rights etc…and her response to this. This really added to the group discussion and learning of appropriation and belonging.

After the discussion we revealed how people looked in front of a mirror. One person shared they were surprised by how they felt taller in the saree and also how emotional they felt.