Noms and Scribbles

Words are powerful things. For something that's seemingly simple, it can evoke a myriad of emotions. Poppa Chen hasn't been well and has made regular trips to the hospital and the GP surgery. My nerves shred with every blood test he has to take. My nerves shred even more with every notification I receive with the results. Thankfully, the latest message brought good news. I'm grateful Poppa Chen has one less health issue to worry about. #gratitude30 #gratitude30daychallenge #day1 #words https://www.instagram.com/p/CV3djLBoblR/?utm_medium=tumblr

Google Photos scared me with a picture of me 3 years ago; thought I would share the love. Happy Halloween! #ghibli #studioghibli #spiritedaway #noface #nosleepforyou https://www.instagram.com/p/CVtS4bnovG4/?utm_medium=tumblr

It's that time of the year again 🎅☃️🎄 #mincepies #earlybird #notimelikethepresent #christmas #xmas https://www.instagram.com/p/CUQSkLpIbiG/?utm_medium=tumblr

I just spent 5 days with 4 proper adults. Younger me would have despised the idea but older me quite enjoyed the time spent together. Things I learnt over the past 5 days: 1. Pheasants are discerning connoisseurs. Squirrels? Not so much. 2. My body has an interesting understanding of the word "relaxation". 3. The first-hand hardships Mumma Chen and her friend experienced under the Communist regime was unimaginable. 4. Poppa Chen is the best. 5. You're never too old to learn to swim; ask Mumma Chen, she's 50+. #restandrelaxation #randr #latebloomer #youngatheart #naturebathing https://www.instagram.com/p/CUNxbixoJkk/?utm_medium=tumblr

Got a lovely surprise at work today 📚💪 #thecambridgepocketdiary #leviathan #thomashobbes #knowledgeispower https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzWUVVIT0G/?utm_medium=tumblr

Throughout history, LGBTQIA+ people have always fought against police and state harassment, but one particular riot in the USA led to the creation of what we know as Pride today. The Stonewall riots, also known as the Stonewall uprising or the Stonewall rebellion, were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community, in response to a police raid that began in the early hours of 28 June 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighbourhood of New York City. The patrons of the Stonewall, patrons of other gay and lesbian bars in the Village, and people within the neighbourhood fought back when the police became violent. A year after the uprising, to mark the anniversary on 28 June 1970, the first gay pride marches took place in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Within a few years, gay rights organisations were founded across the USA and the world. Today, LGBTQIA+ Pride events are held annually in June in honour of the Stonewall riots. In 2016, the Stonewall National Monument was established at the Stonewall Inn; and on 6 June 2019, New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill gave a formal apology for the actions of the officers at Stonewall in 1969. Pride is now widely celebrated by people around the world and nearly everyone can enjoy the celebrations, glitter and joy in a safe environment. However, Pride is also about remembering the protests, riots and all the work put in by activist organisations to keep fighting the good fight, and also remembering that we still have a long way to go before we can declare that we live in a truly inclusive society. Pride shouldn't just be celebrated in a month, it should be celebrated everyday, by everyone. All the information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #stonewall #stonewallinn #stonewallriots #inclusivesociety #keepfighting #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwxwbXMU33/?utm_medium=tumblr

This particular Two Spirit Pride flag was designed by 2Sanon in 2016. The two feathers represent woman and man, and the circle represents unity in one. It's usually put over the general pride flag but it can also be put on the #transgender or #nonbinary flags. Two Spirit (also known as Two-Spirit or twospirited) is a modern, pan-Indian umbrella term used by some indigenous North Americans to describe Native people in their communities who fulfill a traditional third gender or other gender variant ceremonial and social role in their cultures - it shouldn't be used interchangeably with "LGBT Native American" or "Gay Indian" as the title isn't a modern, self-chosen term of personal gender and/or sexual identity, but is a sacred, spiritual, and ceremonial role that is recognised and confirmed by the Elders of the Two Spirit's ceremonial community. The term #twospirit was created in 1990 at the Indigenous lesbian and gay international gathering in Winnipeg and was "specifically chosen to distinguish and distance Native American/First Nations people from non-Native peoples." The primary purpose of the new term was to encourage the replacement of the outdated and offensive anthropological term "berdache". The information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #twospiritpride #nativeamerican #firstnations #indigenous #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQuIRo8LB12/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Polyamory Pride flag was designed by Jim Evans in 1995. The colours represent the following: Blue = honesty from all partners in a relationship. Red = love and passion. Black = solidarity with those who must hide their polyamorous relationships from the outside world. The pi symbol in the middle represents the #polyamorous community having "infinite love". Another use of π was as a secretive symbol that would only be understood by polyamorous people, allowing them to recognise each other without the risk of being outed or exposed. An updated version of the flag has an infinity heart symbol that represents infinite love for numerous people. Polyamory is the practice of and/or desire to be in intimate relationships with more than one person at once; with the informed consent of all partners involved. Polyamory can be as simple as an open relationship or it can be three or more people all in a relationship with each other. Polyamory can involve marriage but should not be confused with polygamy, the act of marrying multiple people. Polyamory should also not be confused with #polysexuality All the information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #polyamorypride #polyamorouspride #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQq9etSsnuL/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Transgender Pride flag was designed in 1999 by Monica F Helms, a #transgender activist, author, and veteran of the US Navy. The colours represent the following: Blue = traditional colour for baby boys. Pink = traditional colour for baby girls. White = those who are transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender. The original flag can be seen in the Smithsonian Natural Museum of American History. According to Helms, the flag is reversible because "no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives." Transgender is a term used to describe individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender identity is a person's internal, personal sense of being a female or a male. For some people, the sex they were assigned at birth doesn't match their own gender identity. Most transgender people seek to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity; this is called #transition As a part of the transition process, many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors, and some undergo surgery as well. However, not all transgender can or will take those steps and it's important to note that being transgender does not depend on medical procedures. Individuals in the transgender community may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including - but not limited to - transgender, #transsexual and #nonbinary Transgender is an adjective and shouldn't be used as a noun e.g. you can refer to an individual as "a transgender person" or "a transgender female/male" but not as "a transgender". All of the information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is wrong, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #transgenderpride #transpride #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQo16_Cs1sw/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Polysexual Pride flag was designed by Tumblr user Samlin in 2012. Inspired by the layout of the bi and pan flags, Samlin created the flag because there was no flag that represented the #polysexual community. The colours represent the following: Pink = attraction to women/feminine aligned genders Green = attraction to #nonbinary individuals Blue = attraction to men/masculine aligned genders Polysexual, also spelled #plysexual or #polisexua , is the attraction to multiple - but not necessarily all - genders. It can also mean attraction to more than one gender without a gendered preference. This is not to be confused with #pansexual , a sexual preference where an individual is attracted to all genders. All the information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #polysexualpride #plysexualpride #polisexualpride #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQmYkfLseuX/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Nonbinary Pride flag was created in 2014 by Kye Rowan. It was created because many #nonbinary people felt that the that the #genderqueer flag was too broad. The colours represent the following: Yellow = those whose identify outside of the gender binary. White = those who identify as all or many genders. Purple = those who identify within the gender binary. Black = those who identify as agender. Nonbinary is any gender identity that does not fit within the gender binary. Nonbinary identities fall under the #transgender umbrella, since nonbinary individuals typically identify with a gender that is different from their assigned sex, though some nonbinary individuals don't consider themselves transgender. Another term for nonbinary is #enby - from the abbreviation NB. Nonbinary individuals may identify as #agender , #bigender , #genderfluid or any other term under the umbrella. Gender identity is separate from sexual or romantic orientation, and nonbinary individuals can have a variety of sexual orientations. The information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is wrong, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #nonbinarypride #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjZYGOMPhI/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Pocket Gender Pride flag was created by Alex Stowe. The colours represent the following: Pink = femininity Purple = a combination of the gender binary, as well as genderless Blue = masculinity Black = a combination of genders or genderless Orange = #maverique The intention behind the design of the flag was to show the different levels of gender. Pocket gender is a series of gender identities that are used by either one person or a small group of people, and typically not well known. These genders are often xenogenders* but they don't have to be These genders are often highly personal or based on a highly specific concept. *Xenogender is an umbrella term for #nonbinary gender identities that cannot be fully described through their relation to concepts typically used to describe genders such as #masculinity #femininity #androgyny #neutrality #agenrity or #outherinity It is sometimes described as any gender that "cannot be contained by human understandings of gender". All the information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is wrong, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #pocketgender #pocketgenderpride #xenogender https://www.instagram.com/p/CQhLaa4MvTX/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Pansexual Pride flag was created in 2010 by an artist called Jasper. The colours represent the following: Pink = attraction to females. Yellow = attraction to nonbinaries. Blue = attraction to males. Pansexual is an orientation where the individual is sexually, romantically or emotionally attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as #genderblind asserting that gender and sex are not determining factors in their romantic or sexual attraction to others. Pansexual is sometimes referred to as omnisexual. The prefix 'pan-' comes from the Ancient Greek word for "all, every" - πᾶν; 'omni-' comes from the Latin word for "all" - omnis. Both terms can be used to describe those who are "attracted to people of all genders across the gender spectrum" but pansexual can also be used to describe attraction to people "regardless of gender". The information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is wrong, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #pansexua lpride #omnisexualpride #lovehasnogender #lovehasnoboundaries #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQdqEZWMJRt/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Maverique (pronounced mav-reek) Pride flag was created by Vesper H. and it was released on their Tumblr blog (Queer as Cat) in 2014. The colours represent the following: Yellow = nonbinary gender and completely separate from male and female. White = the blank slate and independence from the gender binary. Orange = the burning inner conviction regarding one's own gender, and the definition of the root word 'maverick'. Maverique is a specific #nonbinary gender that is defined as being completely independent from male, female, masculine, feminine, neutral, or anything in between or derived from any of them. However, it is neither #agender nor an apathetic attitude about gender. Despite any definitions given of a maverique, they have a distinct and firm sense of gender. The term 'maverique' is a combination of 'maverick' and the French suffix '-ique', which means "similar to" - the term was also coined by Vesper H. to describe their own gender, as they didn't feel #neutrois didn't fully represent their own being. The combination of words represents maverique as a gender that's unorthodox in that it's unrelated to the gender binary, but at the same time the gender is not a conscious choice of a maverique individual; nor is it a political stance against the gender binary. All of the information given has been researched to the best of my knowledge but if anything is wrong, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #maveriquepride #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQbpmeAsyk7/?utm_medium=tumblr

The creator of the Neutrois Pride flag is unknown; the colours represent the following: White = neutral/unidentified gender (Chartreuse) Green = neither #female nor #male - green is the inverse of lavender, which is a mix of pink (#femininity ) and blue (#masculinity ). Black = #agender / #genderless Neutrois is a #nonbinary gender identity that is associated with having a neutral or null gender. The term #neutrois was first coined in 1995 by H. A. Burnham (ze/hirself). It's presumed that the term is a combination of the French words 'neutre' (neutral or neuter) and 'trois' (three). There is no set definition of neutrois since each individual who self-identifies as such experiences their #gender differently. The most common ones are: • neutral-gender • null-gender • neither male nor female • genderless • agender Neutrois individuals may have any sexuality. The information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #neutroispride #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQY8TitMX7v/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Drag Pride flag was designed by Veranda L'Ni. In 2016, the Austin International Drag Festival (AIDF) held a contest for an official flag of drag to be created, and this was picked as the winning design. The colours and symbols represent the following - as detailed by L'ni: Purple = the passion for drag we all share White = the blank slate that is our body and face that we all change to create the characters that we become Blue = self expression and loyalty Crown = leadership in the drag community Stars = the many forms of drag The first person known to describe himself as "the queen of drag" was William Dorset Swann, born enslaved in Hancock , Maryland, who in the 1880s started hosting drag balls in Washington, DC, attended by other men who were formerly enslaved, and often raided by the police. In December 2015, Radar Productions and Michelle Tea (American author, poet, and literary arts organiser) developed the concept of Drag Queen Story Hour, an event aimed at children aged 3-22; hosted by drag queens who read children's books and engaged in other learning activities in public libraries. Launched at the San Francisco Public Library, it was adopted by the Brooklyn Public Library in the summer of 2016, and has since traveled to various libraries, museums, bookstores, recreation centres and parks across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The feather pride flag is an alternative flag that also represents the drag community. The information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #dragpride #featherpride #selfexpression #dragcommunity #mainstreamacceptance #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQUFVgLM7VK/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Feather Pride flag, also known as the Drag Pride flag, was created in 1999 by graphic design artist Sean Campbell. This flag represents the #drag community, which encompasses Drag Queens, Drag Kings and other forms of drag. The phoenix is a symbol of rebirth and fires of passion, something which the drag community uses to raise awareness and funds for many causes; a notable one being the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The term "drag" refers to the performance of masculinity, femininity or other forms of gender expression. A #dragqueen is an individual (usually male but can also be female) who performs feminity and a #dragking is an individual (usually female but can also be male) who performs masculinity. The term may be used as a noun e.g. "in drag" or as an adjective e.g. "drag show". The first recorded use of "drag" in reference to actors dressed as women's clothing appeared in print in 1870, but its origin is uncertain. One suggested etymological root is 19th century theatre slang, from the sensation of long skirts trailing on the floor. Another suggestion is that it was based in the term "grand rag", which was historically used as an alternative name for a masquerade ball. A new Drag Pride flag was created in 2016 by Veranda L'Ni. Compared to the feather pride flag, the new flag is simplified and the colour and design represents the community and its ethos in a more specific way. The information given has been researched to the best of my ability but if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it. Thank you 💖 #pride #pridemonth #prideeveryday #featherpride #dragpride #dragculture #inclusivity #art #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqiaplus https://www.instagram.com/p/CQRyP7qMBvM/?utm_medium=tumblr