Their Story, Her Story, His Story, Our Story…History – a benefit album for the trans community
BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS, IMAGE VIA BROADLY, THE GENDER SPECTRUM COLLECTION
T&Coffee is a peer to peer networking project, providing alcohol free, accessible and safe spaces, where trans and gender diverse people can share their experiences. The project is aimed at transgender and gender diverse people, with any gender history, at any stage of their journey, their families and carers, who are looking to find or offer community based support.
It was founded by a transgender woman who wanted to provide members of a marginalised and largely online community a safe and friendly space to turn to when seeking support. It’s a project that was designed to bring people together, with volunteers on hand to be welcoming and provide specific information as required.
At the end of 2019 café locations, provided by Tesco around the country, acted as monthly safe meeting spots for trans and gender-diverse people. Meetings were crucially open to people at any stage or point in their gender journey. The regular alcohol free social environments were accessible without any special entry processes or criteria helping bring people together.
Against the sudden and unavoidable conditions created by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the heart of T&Coffee quickly came under threat. A community of people, who finally felt they had a space, were about to return to their isolation. This wasn’t ever an option the T&Coffee team could accept, so they quickly developed an online solution in the TACvTuesday virtual sessions every week.
They were such a success that within two weeks with members rising by 500% and now covering more than just the UK community it became clear that more than one session was needed and members from across the USA, Europe and UK wide began to be regular faces at the now twice weekly events.
The drive to restart the face to face sessions is pushing the T&Coffee team forward and with people now depending on the online TACv Sessions, the resources of the team are becoming stretched. Having had no fundraising opportunities over the last few months, the growth needed was brought to a standstill.
One of the regular members of the weekly sessions, Emma Page, is now donating the proceeds of her upcoming release to help support T&Coffee in these difficult times.
Within 48 hours of her initial idea, she had bands from around the world offering their music to help build a benefit album entitled Their Story, Her Story, His Story, Our Story…History. The outpouring of support from not just LGBTQI musicians but from a huge range of global allies, has meant they are now left with more artists and tracks than they can even fit onto a single record!
History features music by Ian Page & The Affair, The Name, YEH-YEH, Elena Ramona, The Deep Six, Omega Tribe, French Boutik, The Electric Stars, yellowcake, The Portobello Set, Brasher & Darkhorse with many more still donating their music.
As well as digital versions and streaming, CD versions of the full album, with limited edition vinyl presses will be released. The spirit of this album screams that it’s time to #BeOnTheRightSideOfHistory.
Click here to pre-order History now or click here to donate to T&Coffee’s GoFundMe.
