Те са уморени да бъдат обсъждани, критикувани, съдени… Затова застават с телата си в мощна бодиарт фотосерия на студентите Паула Акпан и Хариет Евънс, които решават да изследват и покажат ежедневното неравенство и дискриминация в обществото.

Чрез изписани с боя послания върху гърбовете на участниците, авторите на проекта искат да представят с черно-белите фотографии хора, които са "уморени" от коментарите, критиките и несправедливото отношение, което срещат в ежедневието си - просто заради това, което са.

Те споделят своите истории с изписан текст върху гърба, за да запазят анонимността си, като същевременно интимността на голите портрети подчертава уязвимостта им.

Повечето истории са основани на расова, сексуална или междуполова дискриминация, макар че нерядко се отнасят до психическо и физическото здраве, религиозни или политически възгледи. 

Акан и Евънс стартират проекта "Уморен съм" през 2015-а, за да обърнат внимание на проблемите, които съвременното общество нанася върху отделните индивиди. А днес красивите и смели портрети продължават да осветяват въздействието на ежедневната агресия, предразсъдъци и стереотипи върху тях.

 

"I'm tired of the expectation to bleach my skin. “It all started in high school where people would ask me how it felt to be the ‘darker one’ at home, since I schooled with my sister and people had seen my mom - both are lighter than me. Others even started insinuating that I was slowly bleaching myself cause I grew up to be a shade or two lighter, which is quite normal. It still didn’t make me feel any less/more of a woman because to me it’s just a skin color. “This has also extended to my work life. As an actress starting out, I get a number of audition descriptions specifically asking for ‘light skin girls’. Once, during a promotion job, we were told to separate ourselves into two groups - light skins and dark skins. All the dark skin women didn’t get the job. “In the Central Business District of downtown Nairobi, women sell skin bleaching oils and creams. They approached me a few times saying I could look like ‘them’, bearing in mind that some of them are originally light skin to trick you into believing that the bleaching oils really work. “It tires me everyday. I’m tired of people judging others based on the lightness of their skin color, causing insecurities to many. Many women end up feeling unsure whether they can get jobs or feel comfortable even showing their skin. “We are all different and diverse in many ways that should all be accepted. The black woman especially should be taken as she naturally is - dipped in chocolate, bronzed in elegance, enameled with grace and toasted in beauty. “No one should be forced to feel uncomfortable in their skin.” ———————— This photograph was taken during our trip to Nairobi, Kenya in collaboration with @creativesgarage - a space where creatives from all walks of life can come together to network, collaborate and push boundaries. We can't thank the entire team at CG enough for their support. www.creativesgarage.org/ This trip was made possible through funding from Arts Council England.

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"I’m tired of believing I need male validation. "Self-love is one of the hardest journeys to find yourself on; I know because I’m still on it. It takes a huge amount of strength to address the voices in your head that are telling you anything but to love yourself, to separate the negative and all the hate you’ve manifested over the years, and give your body the chance to heal. It’s not the simplest road to travel down; there’s no quick fix in relearning how to speak to yourself and suppress the urge to recoil back into the default dialogue between self, criticising every inch of you, vandalising the face of the person behind the mirror with deep, wounding words. It took years to learn this language and it will take years to bury it. "Growing up was difficult, the untimely jerked changeover from childhood into teenage years was something I hoped I was better prepared for; there’s nothing like being young and hating yourself. The relationship I had with the person I saw in the mirror was unhealthy; her and I didn’t get along (sometimes we still fight – she cries, I cry). It was surreal, finding myself in an endless blame game with the voice in my head, taking time out from the perpetuating teenage angst I was so used to accommodating to ask how we got here, and by “we” I meant me, and by “here” I meant unhappy. "I could make an endless list of all my flaws and show you hundreds of images of what I wanted to be. Everything about me was undesirable: my skin was too dark, my nose too wide, my chest too flat, my hair too kinky, my body too skinny. I wanted to be beautiful and blonde with a chest that made boys drool, breasts that commanded an entire room and a face that said, “Look at me”. It’s not easy hating yourself, wishing for so long to be someone else and watching the rest of the world not tell you any different; I was hurting. "I spent years trying to fit the mould, imitate the kind of beauty I heard boys liked: I permed my hair, I started to wear makeup, I shimmied into skirts “too short for school”, tried to sashay my way into confidence, but it’s even harder to pretend than to hate." (Follow the link in our bio to the continued Facebook post)

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"I'm tired of being fetishised because of my sexuality. "From the first moment I came out as a gay woman, the fetishisation of my identity has been made painfully clear: “How do you fuck?” “Do you use dildos?” “How do you get each other off?” “Can I watch?” “Can I join in?”. I can’t seem to get away from these questions; I’ve heard them at school, at university, at work, at the supermarket, in the street, and (of course) online. It feels like my body is up for comment as often, and as lecherously, as the term “lesbian porn” is searched for on PornHub. "The sexualisation of queer people goes far beyond verbal harassment from curious fuckboys - it is entrenched in the fabric of our culture on all levels. It’s the reason we don’t have LGBTQ+ characters in children’s films (and no, that one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in Beauty and the Beast doesn’t count) - because we are seen as inappropriate, dirty, and explicit just by existing. It’s the reason teachers are warned not to come out, and why there have been campaigns to ban LGBTQ+ people from the profession; if we let queer people near children, who knows how they will corrupt them with their sexual deviance. I was told, while at high school, that we couldn’t have any teachers identify themselves as safe for LGBTQ+ students to talk to, because it might lead to “inappropriate relationships”. "This poisonous assumption is having a devastating impact on the queer community, as it destroys our ability to form meaningful intergenerational friendships and mentor relationships for fear of it being labelled as something sinister. It is directly isolating queer youth, who have no where to turn for support and knowledge except the same internet pages and comment sections that tell them they are wrong. "A few months ago YouTube was embroiled in a scandal after it was revealed the site was blocking LGBTQ+ content from young people in a “Restricted Mode” setting. I broke the story in a video on my own Youtube channel (which was itself, ironically, blocked under Restricted Mode) and the internet was outraged. (Check out our Facebook page for the continued post)

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"I'm tired of hiding the effects of my anxiety. "For as long as I can remember, my anxiety has effected my life both physically and mentally. "Having anxiety means I constantly analyze everything I say and or do. At times, it's to the point where I worry about things that haven't even happened and may never happen. There are times I'm completely unaware of my anxiety. "Anxiety constantly affects my relationships with both my friends and family. My anxiety has even prevented or destroyed a good friendship. When I'm asked what happened, I tell them that my anxiety got the best of me. I've had people say to me that my anxiety is me being self-centered because I'm only thinking about me. "My anxiety hasn't just affected me mentally, but physically too. I used to feed my anxiety with food that wasn't beneficial to my body. When I stepped on the scale three months ago and saw that I had gained twenty pounds over two years, my anxiety took me down an entirely new path. Worrying about my weight gain, I lost my appetite. Three months later, I have lost fifteen pounds. In the first month, I would skip breakfast. For lunch, I'd probably have fruit, and then I'd pick away at my dinner, even after being physically active all day. "I lost eight pounds in that first month. "Over the past two months, I have slowly started re-introducing meals, such as having breakfast, into my life. Ironically, I still get anxiety about gaining back all the weight my anxiety has caused me to lose. My heart races as fast as a marathon runner and pounds so hard, I feel it through my body, making me light headed if I sit or stand too suddenly. I get mind-numbing headaches, which can affect my whole day. "As one might expect, society has had a huge impact on my anxiety since my early teenage years. Puberty starts, and all of a sudden how you look and act fully determines how accepted you really are as a person by your peers. Our society is full of so many unrealistic standards; how many friends do you have on Facebook? How many likes did you get on your selfie? This all determines your popularity..." (The link to the continued Facebook post is in our bio)

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"I'm tired of being told women can't be funny. "When I was cast in my first comedy show, someone asked if I’d slept with the director to get in. I laughed, and then realised they weren’t joking. "When I finished my very first show, coming off stage, flushed with success, I was greeted by a friend who told me that I was really funny “for a girl”. "When a show I was working on got reviewed, the reviewer talked about how hilarious and well-acted the play was, singling out each actor and saying how “charming” or “impressive” they were. For me, they added in how pretty I was. Again, I laughed outwardly, but felt demeaned by it. Why did they feel the need to bring my looks into it? Was I not entertaining enough in my own right? Why not mention how attractive any of the boys were? "When I was lucky enough to get into an international arts festival, several people inferred that the only reason I had been selected was because I was female. “Comedy is oversaturated with funny men”, they said, and the occasional token female has to be thrown in to maintain a kind of balance. At the time, a big part of me believed them. Rather than growing in confidence with more practice, I felt more and more that I didn’t deserve to be there. "When I was eighteen, a guy I was doing a scene with kept pushing things further and further for laughs. In the end I was put into a sexual situation where I felt so uncomfortable that someone else had to step in and stop him. I didn’t feel I could call him out on it, because surely he was only trying to be funny, but I was terrified doing comedy for months afterwards. I still remember how sick to the stomach I felt. Knowing no matter how smart or funny I tried to be there would always be someone who would just see me as an opportunity for a laugh by trying to cop a feel made me feel worthless. Was it only funny if I ended up in a compromising position? Am I only funny if my humour is directly related to my sex appeal? "My experience is not unusual. In fact, speaking to some of the women I’ve worked with, my experiences are pretty tame in comparison. (See our Facebook page for the continued post)

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"I'm tired of being the "sexy mamacita". "Last year, I was awarded a full scholarship to study law, and moved to the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree. Last night, I went to a club with some friends. I love to dance and I wanted to have fun. But something happened, as usual: a guy approached me at the club and asked me to ‘twerk’ for him, as he ‘could tell’ that I am ‘not from here’ because of the way I looked and danced. In this moment, and in many moments since, I've felt like it doesn't matter how hard I work or what I achieve, I will always be seen as the 'sexy mamacita'. "As a woman from the Latin American/Caribbean region, I have experienced how social imageries portray me as a hyper-sexualized human being, not only because of my gender, but mostly because I come from a very ‘exotic’ and ‘hot’ place. This happens particularly in societies like the UK, where I am seen as the ‘sexy mamacita’ (‘mamacita’ is a Spanish word that can be understood as ‘fine or hot girl’). As a Latina, that boosts my perceived sexuality and characterises me as willing to please everybody around me. People assume that I want to have sex with them right away when they speak to me. Let's not forget, the hyper-sexualization of Latin American and Caribbean women is a consequence of colonization and slavery, and nowadays, mainstream media still promotes this stereotype. "We, Latin American/Caribbean women, still have to deal with the lusty looks, the nasty phrases and even the uninvited physical touches whenever we say we come from one of these countries. "We also have to face discrimination in academic and professional circles. People are amazed to meet a Latinx with achievements and ambitions when they meet me. "Whenever people say to me ‘Oh, your English is so good for a non-native speaker!’ or ‘Wow! You are so smart and accomplished!’ because of my career up until now. I know most of the times, people mean good with these comments; they do not mean to offend me - but at the same time, these comments come from a general idea of denial, that Latinx and ‘brilliant’ or ‘accomplished’ do not come hand-in-hand..." (Check our Facebook page for the continued post)

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“I’m tired of the stigma of HIV. "For years, I have had to watch and listen while uninformed, and misinformed people, talk about HIV. They remark about how these “promiscuous” and “dirty” people deserve what they get. In the best of circumstances, I have had to listen to people say how,“sad they were,” for the men and women living with HIV. After years of scientific study, some people still think that the virus can be transmitted through the air or by drinking from the same glass as someone who has it. "I have lost many friends to this disease. I hate that ignorance and stigma still surround HIV in a way that Cancer does not. I’ve lost both my long-time partner and mother to cancer. When they were in the hospital for treatments, or due to illness, they received compassionate care and support. But when my friends with HIV were in the hospital, while they received care, it wasn’t very compassionate. People with HIV are kept at arm’s length. People “get” cancer. HIV is still seen as a “punishment.” "I am a survivor. More than that; I am thriving. I have been successfully living with HIV for 20+ years. And although my viral load has been undetectable most of this time, I still have to deal with discrimination. I am lucky to have a supportive family and group of friends. But even they still sometimes live in fear of the disease. If I get the flu or a cold, they panic thinking that my immune system has collapsed. Sometimes it feels like they are just waiting for me to die rather than living a life with me. "Dating has also presented problems. I like to let people get to know me a little before I share my status. I would never become intimate with someone without telling them. Honesty is the only way for me. But I have faced rejection from the most diligent suitors once I reveal my HIV status. "I wish that you had told me before I developed feelings for you.” “I think that you’re amazing, but there is no way I could ever watch you die.” “I can’t deal with something so serious, so early on.” There are all kinds of responses and rejections. Even dating someone else who is HIV+ can be a problem. (Check out our Facebook for more)

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"I'm tired of rape being permissible for the right celebrity. "Socializing primarily in feminist and social justice-y circles, I always hear the old mantra that, in cases of alleged abuse or rape, "you always believe the victim." This holds true when the perpetrator, like Bill Cosby or Daniel Holtzclaw, is already disliked. But when we learn that someone we once admired (like Julian Assange or David Bowie or Mike Tyson or Sean Penn) committed unspeakable abuses, then it becomes so easy to ignore the victim and excuse the crime. "Again and again I see well-liked, charming, talented men receive "get out of jail free" cards from their adoring public after being accused of sexual assault. And, as a young woman living in a deeply unsafe world, it frightens me to know that if I am attacked by a man who is good-looking or influential or famous, his future will be deemed more valuable than my life. "I am tired of living in a rape culture that is so insidious, so deeply internalized in our society, that crimes are judged not by the facts, but by our own desire to conform experience to our biases. I am tired of being a buzzkill for bringing up the past abuses of beloved celebrities. I am tired of being asked to shut up so that you and your friends can listen to Ziggy Stardust in peace." Photo credit: Robert Olsson Editing credit: Robert Olsson

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"I'm tired of being suffocated by my loneliness. ""You're fine" "Get over it" "You're just sad" "There's a lot worse going on" "Maybe you're overthinking it". "When you hear the word depression or anxiety, automatically you are told two contrasting things: 1) it's a battle 2) it doesn't exist. It goes to two extremes. For example, my mum calls my anti-depressants "crazy pills". When I asked why, she said because when she was young you didn't have those issues. Saying you're depressed is almost like saying you're sad to some. "On the other hand, it flips and becomes a battle. A battle implies there's an end. Depression doesn't have an end. It has its ups and downs. It is always there - the difference is that there is no choice to enter this battle. "Whenever I've spoken to a doctor or therapist they always talk about being "stronger". Who said depression means you're weak? Where have we gotten this impression from? "Is it the media? For example, just yesterday I picked up a magazine that spoke of Lindsay Lohan leaving rehab "stronger". Or talks of how celeb lives have gone downhill AND they now have depression. "This isn't the message we should be passing on. How can anyone feel comfortable to talk about it when firstly, the media portrays it so negatively but also as we see it as an invisible illness. If you can't see it, it's not there. That mentality is how society is weakening those who suffer, not the illness itself. "I am tired of feeling lonely. I am tired of feeling as if I'm shouting at the top of my lungs for help but no one can hear me. I am tired of being asked "what's wrong?" and not being able to provide them a reply and then being given a look - a look which instantly tells me they think I'm melodramatic. "Depression isn't a weakness; those around us are." Photo Credit: Harriet Evans and Paula Akpan Photo Editing: Harriet Evans #theimtiredproject #photography #stereotypes #discrimination #assumptions #microaggressions #loneliness #depression #anxiety #mentalhealth #mentalillness

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“I'm tired of working two jobs to make the salary of one man. “As an educated woman in my 30s with extensive experience in the working world, it pains me that it's so difficult to earn a salary that I'm able to live comfortably on, especially when I see men all around me with less experience, a lower level of education and even younger in age making tens of thousands of dollars more than I do. “I know so many incredible, smart and talented women, dedicated to their work, yet unable to afford to live. So many of my friends, sisters, aunts, and even my mother, have to work countless hours between two or more jobs just to survive. I'm blessed to have a job that I love but I long for the day that I don't also need a second or third job that I hate just so I can afford my rent, student loans, tuition and other bills. Working 55 hours per week and attempting to continue my education, start and support a family and maintain some semblance of self is exhausting. “I'm so tired of not earning what I deserve, especially when less qualified men in my position make so much more.” Photo credit: Robert Olsson and Hudson Valley Centre for Contemporary Art Editing credit: Robert Olsson #theimtiredproject #gender #sexism #stereotypes #assumptions #discrimination #photography

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"I’m tired of being blamed for my sexual assault. "I was sexually assaulted by my ex-boyfriend at a house party when I was 18. "We’d drunkenly kissed the night before at the party and talked about getting back together. When I stayed in bed later than everyone else the morning after he took that to mean I wanted something to happen. I didn’t. "We were still at someone else’s house and I felt hungover and dirty. I told him I didn’t. I kept saying ‘no, stop.’ I remember him saying ‘but do you really want to stop? I don’t think you do.’ Like me crying and saying no and trying to push him off me wasn’t enough of a fucking clue. "After a while I just went with it because it was easier than trying to fight it. "I didn’t know what to do and none of my close friends were still at the party, so when we joined everyone else I was just normal. I didn’t want to cause a scene around people I didn’t know and I was still processing what had happened. I even let him hug me goodbye. I hated myself for years for how I acted after. "Over time I told some friends, and some were so supportive. They reassured me that it wasn’t my fault and made me feel better about it all. However, some friends weren’t so supportive. They described it as ‘not that bad’ and some said I must have made him think it was okay because he was a ‘nice guy.’ It made me question my own innocence… had I somehow made him think that it was okay? If my friends didn’t believe it was wrong, why would anyone who didn’t know me? "I didn’t see a point in reporting it. I know that sexual assault cases are really hard to prove, and if he wasn’t convicted then I’d be branded a liar. Also, what if he were to be convicted? I had loved him once, and I didn’t want to be the reason he was tarred for life as a sex attacker. "I got my revenge, though. A few months later, I saw him and I punched him in the face. I wouldn’t normally recommend violence, but I wanted him to know what it felt like to have someone touch his body in a way he wasn’t comfortable with..." (See FB post for more) #theimtiredproject #photography #discrimination #stereotypes #assumptions #rape #sexualassault #sexualviolence #rapeculture

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"I'm tired of being judged for my ambition. "As a female, I feel compelled to be subtle about my ambition. I often find myself attributing my hard-won success to “serendipitous circumstances” when in fact, it is the result of grit, determination and capability. While we have made great strides in alleviating gender stereotypes, there remain deep-seated perceptions that we females constantly have to fight against. "I see myself as a confident and intelligent woman who strives for great things. Yet, I find it difficult to reconcile that with characteristics which are often associated with (perhaps even preferred in) females: demure, sweet, deferential etc. It is almost as though “ambition” is a dirty word, implying egotism, selfishness and difficult personality. Though ambition is appreciated in men, the threshold of a healthy ambition amongst women is much lower- we may easily be labelled as a b****. "I am too often eager to downplay my achievements and find covert ways to express what I want. However, I shouldn’t have to hide my ambition in order to fit cultural norms. I shouldn’t have to moderate how I display my confidence so that it is more “palatable” to my male counterparts. "I take pride in my ambitions- they are the product of how I see myself leveraging on my strengths to create an impact. This requires courage, foresight and of course, capability. We women are capable of running the show. I hope that society will recognize that and allow us to claim a central, purposeful role in crafting our own stories.” Photo credit: Harriet Evans and Oxford Skin Deep Photo editing: Harriet Evans #theimtiredproject #photography #stereotypes #ignorance #representation #ambition #gender #genderequality

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"I'm tired of being told what I can't be. "As a woman of colour, I’m often associated with stereotypes or beliefs of what a black women "can’t be": how we can’t be quiet, how we can’t be nice, how we can’t be gentle, and other negations. These stigmas are attached to us by those outside of our race and by a few within. Many of us react to these assumptions—and with good reason—with anger or frustration, and by constantly refuting these stereotypes or beliefs, we lose sight of the quieter, soul-refining qualities about ourselves. "In today’s society, the black woman is gaining a bigger platform to voice herself but she is often criticised, devalued, or summed up with stereotypes regarding her gender/race and not regarding what’s coming out of her mouth. "So, I’m tired of being told what I can’t be because I am quiet, and I am nice, and I am gentle. I’m not frustrated about being who I am anymore, not the way I used to be, because I see that there’s nothing negative, or wrong, with being; I am, I am, I am." Photo Credit: Harriet Evans and Oxford Skin Deep Photo Editing: Harriet Evans #theimtiredproject #stereotypes #assumptions #blackwomen #womanofcolour #womenofcolour #peopleofcolour #photography

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"I'm tired of my body being sexualised. "As an athlete, I've grown to love my body. To me, my body represents strength, power, and hours of dedication. Thus, it's frustrating how I consistently feel the need to hide my body because of the way that the female form has been hyper-sexualised by society. "Sexuality is consistently, and pervasively, imposed upon women. From a very young age, we are taught that our bodies are something to be ashamed of. This objectification is rooted in how women are presented in the media, but is also exacerbated by every well-intentioned comment directed at a woman about 'covering up'; every 'she was asking for it'; and every snide remark made about the way another woman chooses to dress. "For me, it manifests in constantly second-guessing the type of clothing I wear, feeling uncomfortable every time I walk into a gym full of men, and getting nervous when I walk through a dark street alone at night. For others, the consequences can, and have been, be more severe. "I'm tired, and I know I'm not the only one. "As a society we need to re-evaluate the manner in which we think about the female body, and truly, deeply, understand that the intrinsic value of the female body should not be tied to its sexuality. "Women should be able to be proud of their bodies. Women should be respected regardless of how they choose to present their bodies, and, more importantly, women should be unashamed of their bodies. "No woman should feel unsafe simply because of the skin we exist within." Photo credit: Harriet Evans and Oxford Skin Deep Photo editing: Harriet Evans #theimtiredproject #discrimination #stereotypes #photography #sexualisation #sexuality #gender #objectification

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"I'm tired of being shamed for being a sexual woman. "I was once told that I over-sexualise myself with the clothes I wear and what I speak about. "I was told that it is unladylike for a woman to be 'so' vocal about the pleasure I get from my own body and from sex. "I was told this after growing up in my conservative African society where a woman's body is not her property. "I was told this after past relationships had systematically stripped away my self-confidence and self-love, time and time again. "There is something about these kind of statements which imply that only certain people in this world have the right to be proud and confident sexual beings; to find enjoyment and pleasure in their own bodies and in their sexuality - that only men can be such beings. "... And maybe some women - the women that are conventionally appealing to the male gaze. "I am told I have no right to desire the pleasures of sex and relationships because they do not belong to me. They do not belong to any woman. They exist in the realm of men alone who are the only ones who get to take pleasure in women's bodies. "These statements say that I have no right to take pride or confidence in my own black, not skinny, too curvy body. I am tired of having to explain that 'despite' this, I am proud of my body and deserve the same pleasures as any man. "I am tired of always second guessing my right to love myself. I am tired of being ashamed that I take pleasure in my body and I am tired of being ashamed to admit that I enjoy every aspect of what that means." Photo credit: Harriet Evans and Oxford Skin Deep Photo editing: Harriet Evans #theimtiredproject #photography #discrimination #stereotypes #shame #sexualisation

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"I'm tired of hearing 'how do you have sex?' “This question carries a double meaning. Firstly, why does the fact that I am transgender make asking me intimate questions acceptable? Would you ask the same of someone else you had just met? Secondly, your anatomy does not define how you have sex. The idea that sex must be different and complex for transgender and non-binary individuals is evidence enough that society bases its understanding of human interaction on what body parts you have. “The world is obsessed with physical appearance and sex. Your worth is decided by how sexually attractive you are, women are sexualised in the media, men are held to ridiculous standards, non-binary individuals are treated like a taboo minority to be silenced and disregarded. “How I have sex is no indication of who I am; nor is it a party trick, or an inside joke, or some kind of fascinating scientific anomaly to be analysed. Being transgender or non binary can make you dysphoric and uncomfortable with your body, but it doesn't stop it from functioning like anyone else's. “I am not a guinea pig, or a unicorn. How do I have sex? How do you have sex?” ++++++++++++++++ Throughout the month of November The 'I'm Tired' Project is collaborating with the CUSU LGBT+ 'Make No Assumptions' Campaign for Transgender Awareness Month. You can check out the Make No Assumptions Campaign here: https://www.facebook.com/makenoassumptions Photo credit: Rowland Goodbody Editing: Rowland Goodbody and Harriet Evans #theimtiredproject #discrimination #transgender #trans #stereotypes #photography

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"I'm tired of gender stereotypes being forced on my children. "As a mother to three small children under 5, including boy/girl twins, it's fair to say we have a large and widely varied amount of toys in the house that they are free to play with. My 4 year old boy chooses to play mainly with tractors and diggers, my 4 year old girl plays with a wider variety; she, like my son, enjoys transport toys but also adores dolls, craft, playmobil and more. "My children can play with whichever type of toy they wish – whether that’s my son playing with a doll or my daughter playing with a tractor, I do not have a problem as long as they enjoy themselves. This is why I get so frustrated walking into toy shops and seeing the types of toys segregated into ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ sections. The girls section is almost exclusively pink, with dolls, fairies, princesses, kitchens and little housework sets. It’s rare in this section to find products that now seem to be aimed at boys, such as transport, mechanical sets or action figures – even though my daughter, for example, enjoys playing with these sorts of toys just as much as my son, and just as much as the other toys which society dictates she ought to own simply because she is a girl. "Back when I was a child in the 80's, toys were just toys; mainly in primary colours, aimed at any sex and any gender, so why has it changed now? "Even though she has only just started school, my daughter has already noticeably started to change her preferences away from toys such as tractors towards more stereotypical ‘girls toys,’ even declaring that ‘girls things are pink’. Likewise, should her twin brother take in a doll or housework set with him to school, I can guarantee he would get teased because ‘it’s for girls’. "Studies have found that gendered toys shape children’s play preferences and styles, because gendered toys limit the range of skills and attributes that both boys and girls can explore through play. As a result, this may prevent children from developing their full range of interests, preferences, and talents.* ...

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"I'm tired of people judging me for my accent. "People often assume I will think, respond, or act in a certain way based on the way I speak. I find myself being self conscious around new people because of my strong accent. My voice is often associated with a certain type of person and in turn I find it awkward to express certain views because I’m afraid of being labelled as ’typical’. This has lead me to be conscious of speaking too loudly in public due to the fear of people making nasty comments about me. "I have been judged countless times by both new acquaintances and strangers, with weighty assumptions often being made about my political views, family life, upbringing and level of intelligence simply because of how I naturally talk; which is both hurtful as well as completely untrue. This means I am now less confident in myself in social situations where I might be meeting new people. This is further exacerbated when people's misguided notion of who I am contradicts with their own viewpoints, meaning they take a disliking to me before they have a chance to get to know me. "Freedom of expression and speech is the central focus of so many discussions, however little is said about how society judges the way in which individuals speak or pronounce certain words, but this mode of discrimination is yet another tool by which society is able to fit people into boxes and label individuals with preconceived notions of who they are simply because of how they sound. Whilst it may not be a prolific as racial or sexual discrimination, it is extremely demoralising to be judged by my voice before being given a chance to express who I really am." Photo credit: Harriet Evans Editing: Ming Au #theimtiredproject #imtired

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