The Hx of our queer inclusive healthcare space

US LGBTQIA2S+ month is not til October but I'm moved by the UK Feb theme #underthescope which highlights queer “contributions to the field of #medicine & #healthcare both historically & today”.

In my 45th year of life / my 15th year of clinical practice as a #massagetherapist I sometimes feel like a #historicalfigure 😂

When asking newer MT's "why did you decide to become a #bodywork practitioner in the first place" I'm reflecting on my on reasons...

B/C from the time I was a kid I knew I was different- that I was more aware of people & what they were feeling ... #empathy or #hypervigilance ? Maybe both...

Because as a #queerkid & #teenager I had a challenging relationship with #mybody - I didn't see that reflected much in healthcare except around #HIV / AIDs education (my friends and I started the #GSA & AIDS awareness clubs at our Catholic HS 🏳️‍🌈)

I was an #artist & I did feel more accepted & reflected in art spaces, which in 1990s NYC were pretty gritty & #queer - my art was about the #oppression and s3xualization of #womensbodies & #queerbodies & #accessibility - I handed out #xeroxart in the parks & did #performance pieces - all about access / being free & #ephemeral

But when I started feeling unwell in my body in my 20's & found #CAM practices I felt a gearshift - it felt more productive to work towards helping people feel #athome and #free in their bodies - less ephemeral, more lasting & rewarding

My #saturnreturn rolled around at 28 I went back to school at night while teaching art full time to become a massage therapist. One of my first and best teachers was also queer. From the start of my practice I've tried to #holdspace for #marginalized folks and I've taught my students to do the same... but I'm learning more every day about how to do it better.

🏳️‍🌈❤️🏳️‍⚧️ Kiera