[hammyhavoc]

I am Irish on both sides of the family and live in Liverpool. Do you speak for me? No, you don't.

When my mum was born, there were still signs that said "No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish", she remembers them vividly along with the problems they caused for her. The Troubles have been a big topic in our lifetimes, and there's still a lot of anti-Irish sentiment, even in Liverpool. My teens were ruined for being a redhead and there was never a single day I wasn't covered in bruises and cuts, and I was bullied out of education at sixteen and wanted to kill myself for who I was.

Every day, I look in the mirror and can see my broken nose and facial scars from having the bridge of my spectacles punched into my nose when I was knocked unconscious and beaten by other pupils. I won't ever forget.

I'm also Ashkenazi Jewish on both sides, Sudanese and Indigenous American, so if you'd like to continue gatekeeping my feelings, go ahead. I can guarantee it won't go well for you.