We’re excited to announce a special, limited and hand-numbered edition of a Love Spells & Rituals for Another World publication, inspired by our symposium back in May. Featuring an international and interdisciplinary body of artists and researchers, the volume, like the symposium before it, explores desire—and with it sexuality, love, and care—as a kind of evental magick that (in the words of Lauren Berlant) reorganises worlds.
In an attempt to move from discourse to action, we have decided to employ this project as a means to raise funds in support of organisations safeguarding LGBTQI lives in the UK. All proceeds (after covering the costs of printing) will be split between the African Rainbow Family, akt, and Mermaids.
With contributions by:
Denise Ackerl, Marcus Bell, Toni Brell, Keti Chukhrov, Genevieve Costello, AC Davidson, Mijke van der Drift, Phoebe Eccles, Aimilia Efthimiou, Antke Engel, Andrea González Garrán, Caroline Harris, Christian Klesse, Si Leong, Lilly Marks, Cynthia Montier, Lisa Moravec, Ophélie Naessens, Nat Raha, Andrea Ray, Charlotte Rohde, Lou Lou Sainsbury, Sorana Santos, Despoina Tzanou, Alexandra Voutsina, Nadira Clare Wallace, Romy Day Winkel
Design by Toni Brell
To pre-order your copy
1. Please make a donation of a minimum of £25+£2.50p&p for the UK, or £25+£5.80p&p for Europe & international shipping, via our GoFundMe page: gf.me/u/zc68z7 Please note: If you live in London and would prefer to collect your copy in person (from Hackney), that’s also okay so you can skip pp costs!
2. Send us a screenshot of your donation and postal address at lovespells.rhulgmail.com
All orders will be printed and dispatched in January 2021.
By purchasing a copy, you'll be supporting:
African Rainbow Family (ARF) is a nonprofit charitable organisation that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexual and queer (LGBTIQ) people of African heritage and the wider Black Asian Minority Ethnic groups.
ARF was established in 2014 by a lesbian in the wake of toxic and draconian anti-gay laws, persecutions and environment in some of Africa’s Commonwealth member states, seeking to criminalise LGBTIQ individuals on the basis of sexual preference or for whom they choose to love.
ARF:
-Provides support for LGBTIQ refugees and people seeking asylum
-Campaigns for global LGBTIQ equality
-Stands against hate crimes
-Supports communities who face constant harassment, hate crimes and discrimination heaped on them by an ignorant society because of their sexuality or sexual preferences and or gender identity.
You can find out more at https://africanrainbowfamily.org
akt is a charity supporting LGBTQ+ young people aged 16-25 in the UK who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment. They support young people into safe homes and employment, education or training, in a welcoming and open environment that celebrates LGBTQ+ identities.
Coming out, or being outed as LGBTQ+, can sadly lead to young people being made homeless—even in 2020. 24% of homeless young people are LGBTQ+, which is significantly disproportionate. Once homeless, LGBTQ+ young people are more likely to face violence and discrimination than young people who aren’t LGBTQ+. They’re also more likely to develop substance misuse issues and experience sexual exploitation. This can all take a huge toll on someone’s physical and mental health.
77% of the LGBTQ+ young people akt work with believe coming out at home was the main factor in causing their homelessness and so it's vital that they’re supported in an environment that’s inclusive and celebrates their identities in order to improve their life outcomes.
As Covid restrictions remain across the UK, akt has continued to see a high volume of young people needing support, either because they’re homeless or because their living situation at home is becoming increasingly volatile. They’ve seen a 118% increase in new referrals from April to August this year, compared to the same period last year. akt are dedicated to being there for these young people, offering national virtual support via Live web chat, email, and telephone. You can find out more at www.akt.org.uk
Mermaids supports transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children and young people until their 20th birthday, as well as their families and professionals involved in their care. Transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children and teens need support and understanding, as well as the freedom to explore their gender identity. Whatever the outcome, Mermaids is committed to helping families navigate the challenges they may face.
Mermaids is one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities, empowering thousands of people with its secure online communities, local community groups, helpline services, web resources, events and residential weekends. Mermaids seeks to educate and inform wider society on gender identity by helping professionals accommodate and reassure gender-diverse young people.
Mermaids:
-Reduces isolation and loneliness for transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children, young people and their families.
-Provides families and young people with the tools they need to negotiate education and health services.
-Helps young people to cope better with mental and emotional distress, and equips their parents with what they need to offer individual support.
-Improves the self-esteem and social skills of children and young people.
-Improves awareness, understanding and practices of teachers, GPs, CAMHS, Social Services and other professionals.
You can find out more at https://mermaidsuk.org.uk
Our GoFundMe page: gf.me/u/zc68z7
For more information about this project and all other queries, please contact the editors at lovespells.rhulgmail.com
A special thanks to the Humanities and Arts Research Institute (HARI), RHUL, for financially supporting this publication.