Outreach Cumbria have just launched the first ever LGBT+ magazine in the county to help bring the community together and to showcase various stories and events that may be of interest.
Alphabet Soup, aptly named for the collection of letters that is now being added onto the LGBT ‘banner’, is a bi-monthly online magazine produced by volunteers at Outreach Cumbria. Lead Editor Louise Askew said “In 2018 OutREACH Cumbria made the decision to start an online magazine, called Alphabet Soup, which is ran wholly by a team of four volunteers. The aim of the magazine is to reach the LGBT+ community in Cumbria and the surrounding areas to give details of upcoming events, LGBT+ safe spaces, and give some focus to LGBT+ artists from the county. We reach out to the community through the magazine but also through social media and our website to find musicians, photographers, poets, writers, artists etc. and give them a platform for their work. In addition to this, the magazine has book and film reviews, a history of LGBT+ Cumbria section, and interviews with LGBT+ role models from the county.
Alphabet Soup is released bi-monthly with our first issue premiering in January 2019. We feel that it acts as a talking point and source of information for people who want to be more actively involved in the community and we pride ourselves on the magazine being a place for any LGBT+ individual to have a voice.”
This issue covers topics such as ‘What’s on’, ’LGBT+ History in Cumbria’, ‘Reader Write In’, and much more. This year also celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Outreach Cumbria and a small piece has been written about what has been happening over the years within the organisation, the Charity are also looking at celebrating this milestone later this year. You can keep up to date with this by following Outreach on their social media.
Outreach are also looking for help with some research they are conducting around LGBT+ Hate Crime and the under reporting which is happening in the county and are actively seeking more people to fill their online survey, which can be found on their website.
In each issue the writers are also keen to use ‘The Spotlight’ to explore a sexuality or gender expression that can sometimes go under represented, this gives highlight to them and helps educate. They are also encouraging others to write in and get involved in the magazine, whether this be a story you would like to share or a project you are working on, you can submit them to: mag@outreachcumbria.co.uk
You can find more on these articles and the whole collection in the magazine, which can be found on the Outreach website: www.outreachcumbria.co.uk
