I am, from this year, a qualified counsellor masquerading in my day job as an adviser in a call centre. In my spare time, I volunteer at Rasa Merseyside (Rape and Sexual Abuse support, including a helpline). I feel very proud of its work, but even in writing this I’m also aware of how it is almost a taboo subject and uncomfortable for some people to read about.
I’ve never wanted to stand out but find myself challenging decisions and standing up for individuals’ rights, which I guess can put my head above the parapet. I’m passionate about the theatre and have more than a few half-written plays floating around in my mind tank. I live in Liverpool with my writer boyfriend who, along with my mum, I find inspirational for just having the bravery to pursue life on their terms.
My family engaged me in what was happening locally in politics, so growing up in the 80s was an interesting time. The newspapers generally read in my household had that visceral photography with sensational headlines, so I tended to get news from satirical comedy such as Friday Night Live and Spitting Image. As a young drama student, the Guardian Guide was the attraction. A little booklet full of arty happenings and events that I didn’t even know existed. As I got older I began to read more and more sections, such as money. I mean, when did I start to plan for my own economic fluctuations?
Now I have the app, so I can read it anywhere and at any time and I love love love the Opinion section, the individual truth of it, the way it challenges my ways of experiencing the world through other people’s eyes. I did find myself arguing out loud at the This new wave of tattoos gets under my skin piece, but there it is: the vibrancy that keeps me reading.
If you would like to be interviewed in this space, send a brief note to good.to.meet.you@theguardian.com
