From a very young age I always remember feeling like I didn't fit in and that I didn't belong in the world. I often made comments like I'd be better off dead and I remember having dreams that one day aliens would come take me back as I didn't feel I fitted in. At the age of 8 I was diagnosed with autism, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. While it was helpful to put a label on it, I didn't really receive any of the support I needed so it didn't change a whole lot, it just meant I could describe why I was different.

Secondary school was an awful experience for me, I was bullied relentlessly for my disabilities and never felt I fitted in. I am super thankful to some amazing teachers such as Holly Shand that did look out for me and tried their best to prevent the bullying but unfortunately the school as a whole was not competent in dealing with it. I often came home covered in cuts and bruises from assaults and actually I think the physical attacks hurt less than the horrific words and insults used against me. An escape I always looked forward to was Christmas and travelling around the European Union. I did an exchange where I studied in Germany and had an amazing time where despite being different I wasn't constantly attacked for it like I was in England. I noticed a huge culture difference when travelling around the European Union that I could fit in a lot easier in EU nations than I could in England. This made me a massive advocate for the EU and during Brexit I volunteered for Young Europeans to support EU migrants throughout the chaos inflicted by the tories. I always felt supported by my EU friends so I wanted to give back to the European Community. When I was 14 I volunteered as a Cubs leader for my local Scout group, looking after 7-10 year olds and planning engaging and fun sessions for them. I also introduced the use of tablet based learning and I was able to help teach traditional skills such as knots to children who have never managed it before with the assistance of technology as being emotionally age delayed myself I can emphasise a lot with children. I also worked part time in my village store and was well known in my local community. The most stressful moment working there was when an old lady collapsed, but thankfully I was able to support her and help her get medical attention and she later thanked me for potentially saving her life. During Covid I setup a self isolation delivery service to support vulnerable people shielding and after my shifts I volunteered to deliver food to people around the village. This was necessary due to the supermarkets being unable to cope with the increase in demand from coronavirus, that's why I stepped in and created my own service, it was ran entirely for free by myself with occasional help from volunteers in my area, we just charged for the groceries purchased by typing the card number into the terminal in the village shop as a customer not present order.

Despite my challenging circumstances in school I still managed to obtain great results in my iGCSE exams and was able to go on to study a Computer Science T Level at York College. College was an amazing experience for me, it was a lot safer than school and while I was still struggling with trauma it helped me to work through it. I went on to obtain a Distinction in my first year which really surprised me. When Covid hit I was in lockdown and I used to go into college on my own as with my autism it helped to continue the routine. I started to discover that I was trans and I started working on transitioning to female, my college was incredibly supportive which helped a lot as it was very tricky at home. The person that owned the village shop was incredibly supportive as well, but I felt it better I go into a larger organisation where people don't know me from before and I can start fresh. I joined the Tesco Cafe across from my college which was ran by the amazing Marcus and Sharon. I later transferred to checkouts as I have a special interest in Self Service and Scan As You Shop systems, I became quite famous on TikTok and got recognised a lot. I was known as the Tesco Queen and people always wanted selfies with me which made me really happy as I felt I actually had value for once. I also loved dressing up in Halloween and Christmas dresses for the holidays. While I loved the job role I found the support was lacking, for example when service team support offered to call me before my shifts to check in on me a manager said "We shouldn't have to do that for her when we don't do it for anyone else" - I feel someone should read up on the Equality Act 2010 as that's a more than reasonable adjustment to support a disabled colleague in the workplace. Especially considering by other metrics such as Tesco Views I got the most positive feedback and caught the most shrinkage on Self Serve / SAYS. So in summary, Tesco Cafe was amazing but the support in the store as a disabled colleague is lacking greatly, it seems to depend on luck when it comes to Tesco Stores and whether or not you get decent managers. One of the managers in another department quit shortly after I did and she told me about racism, xenophobia and transphobia being allowed within Tesco, very different to their publicly facing image that claims to be inclusive. When I first joined I considered progressing into Tesco Technology and while I felt it would be the perfect role for me the amount I was spoken down to by higher ups made me feel it's not a business I should contribute to. I enjoyed my time at Tesco a lot but I knew I couldn't remain there long term. Thank you to all my wonderful colleagues and customers, you were all amazing, it was just a few nasty people higher up that unfortunately let the organisation down.

I made this an entire section because there's such a common myth that disabled people can't drive, especially with dyspraxia, and it's simply untrue. I started learning to drive on my 17th birthday. Due to Covid however I couldn't get a test until I turned 18 so I had plenty of time to practice. I learnt with a disability specialist instructor who was so amazing and so patient. She helped me find ways around my disabilities, for example my balance is very poor so rather than how most people drive using balance organs in their ears to keep them in a straight line, I use reference points such as aligning the centre of the car with the left of the road keeping me centred in the lane. I also use a steering knob to help reduce the amount of movement required to steer and my car has Nissan Intelligent Mobility features such as e pedal which allows one pedal driving, similar to a dodgem. On my theory test I got 100% as I recited the highway code and the procedures perfectly, my autistic brain means I'm great at recalling information about things that interest me. On my practical test I didn't get any faults. As my instructor put on Facebook "a perfect drive with no driver errors. An amazing result with the best feedback I've ever heard from an examiner saying he felt 'relaxed and comfortable on the drive'".

Is it harder to drive with disabilities? Absolutely! Our entire lives are harder, it's kinda the whole thing... but does it have to stop us? Absolutely not. It saddens me that some people think "I can't drive because I have dyspraxia" and simply gives up on trying. Especially if you're also autistic like me then public transport can be unusable on many days and driving is the only thing that gives me the ability to keep myself occupied and busy and distract from my mental health. I personally could never hurt anyone or anything so when I'm driving my mental health completely leaves the chat and I'm fully focused on the safety of other people, my instinct to protect others takes over and my anxiety tends to fade away. Driving is the only way I've been able to cope with so much going wrong in my life. With my limited energy I need time alone to recharge, I once tried to use a train to get to an appointment and I had to sleep for about a week afterwards. My life would not function without the ability to control my own mobility as it's key with autism to be able to control your environment and self regulate. That's why while I agree from an environmental standpoint we need to improve public transport I believe it's key we should always enable disabled people that need to drive to do so.

Soon after coming out as a member of the LGBT I got spotted on TikTok by Sophie Fox who is part of the York LGBT Forum and she invited me to come along to the sessions. It was lovely getting involved with a social group and it made me feel a lot less isolated, especially since I moved out of my family's home and was living in a Travelodge at the time. That group really helped me to feel less alone and I had a supportive community around me which as a 'baby trans' is so important as life can often feel incredibly lonely and isolating. One of the most notable moments with the York LGBT Forum was when I was on the front cover of the York Press for protesting the Tories disgusting decision to not ban conversion therapy for Trans Youth, effectively separating the LBG from the T which is disgraceful.

Very ironically, one of the pubs we met in had pictures of Rishi Sunak on the wall, it was his constituency from before he became Prime Minister... (the lasagne was banging though) so yeah, we were deep in Tory-ville therefore creating an LGBT community was vital and I'm very thankful to all the people from the York LGBT forum for creating that safe space for me and so many others. We also had to make numerous complaints against my GP practice which was horrifyingly transphobic. They made numerous nasty comments against LGBT people and would often screw up our prescriptions. I straight up refused to use their pharmacy (they prefer you do because NHS England is all privatised and they make bank when you rely on them for everything) so I would collect my paper prescription then drive 25 minutes to use Tesco Pharmacy instead. I can't begin to go into how dangerous England is for trans people, the tories have made it an incredibly hostile nation. At one point I had to collect oestrogen from a bush because there was no stock in pharmacies so the community banded together to supply it to those that needed it.

You may notice the hat in the newspaper picture, I actually got that from Highland Titles as I donated money to support nature conservation in Scotland and as I bought royally acclaimed land it means my full title is "Lady Amelia Connolly Of Glencoe Scotland". I was always a massive fan of Scotland and Scottish culture, the fact the national animal is the Unicorn is just ICONIC. So despite never having been to Scotland yet I was a big fan, I also loved Scottish politics and Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP. I felt as a party they spoke their mind and I love their no nonsense approach to politics and getting things done to improve the lives of the people they serve. The majority of English politicians drive me insane and never seem to want to actually do their job properly.

Important note: Some English people throw a tantrum when I talk about how bad England is, I grew up there, my family and friends are from there. Common sense should dictate I'm not hating on every single person from there, however the government has created a culture where people like me are being killed regularly. The death of Brianna Ghey for example is disgraceful and really shook me up. I even gave an unplanned speech at her vigil in Glasgow. This is persecution endorsed by the state. Compare that to Scotland which consistently champions LGBT rights and supports amazing charities such as LGBT Youth Scotland that help educate young people. I don't hate people in England, I hate the English government, the monarchist system that is completely undemocratic, the hate spread by the state, etc. I love so many people from England, as do many Scots. The term "I hate the English" is used a lot here, it means they hate the regime, colonialism, etc. not the English people. That's an important distinction to make especially when it comes to international relations.

After college finished I got into York St John University, due to my home environment being challenging since coming out as trans I felt it best to move into university accommodation for my safety and wellbeing, there was no accommodation available at that time however so the university moved me into a Travelodge. I continued working at Tesco part time while studying Computer Science. I found it very difficult to keep up however, partially due to suffering from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to an assault and also because YSJ failed to provide learning support due to there being months of backlog. By the time learning support became available I would be too far behind to catch up. While working at Tesco I applied for a degree apprenticeship in Cybersecurity and Networks with Lloyds Banking Group and Glasgow Caledonian University with the choice of either being London or Edinburgh based. This seemed like the perfect oppurtunity for me however I wasn't sure if I'd get in due to it being so competitive.

To my surprise, I passed the assessment centre and was offered the role! I soon after quit my job at Tesco and prepared to move. I was given a choice of whether to be London or Edinburgh based, as LBG owns Bank of Scotland as well as Lloyds Bank and many others. My family was in Africa on holiday at the time and at midnight I got all my stuff and moved all the way to Scotland without having ever been before. I went to McDonald's and immediately fell in love with Irn Bru and despite being very lonely it just felt like home. I had followed the Scottish Government and Nicola Sturgeon especially for years and seeing them constantly fight for my rights when I lived in constant fear of the tories was truly inspiring and I felt a huge sense of relief when I crossed the border. I moved to Airdrie and since moving I was told to follow my local SNP MP, Anum Quasar, on TikTok as she is such an icon. (I definitely didn't steal her idea with the first name dot scot domain lol). I was really enjoying life at that point, I was working in cybersecurity and finding it really fascinating. My line manager was the nicest human on Earth, despite being far away geographically she was always a massive support for me. The learning support from GCU as well was incredible! It was so much better than what I was used to in England and I was thriving on my course, regularly getting A grades.

I was told by someone who is English and has never been to Scotland that as someone who is foreign I likely wouldn't be accepted in Scotland and I would be treated as an outsider. I don't believe this to be the case at all, while I am incredibly lonely due to not having long lasting friendships built here, the majority of people who I have met have been absolutely incredible and more supportive than I could ever imagine. I believe that statement came from his experience moving to Yorkshire from another part of England. I believe English people can often have a closed off, nationalist, isolationist approach to life which explains why despite being born in England I faced so much abuse for being different my whole life. Scotland has a very different approach, it is a very internationalist nation. In fact someone high up in the SNP said they wish "Nationalist" wasn't in the name, Scotland wants to be a progressive, internationalist European nation, we just need to break free from Westminster control in order to accomplish it. Learning about Scottish history and colonialism was really fascinating to me, I used to be a Labour party member but after living in Scotland and discovering the SNP I realised they aligned significantly more with my values and I believe in their vision to leave the broken, undemocratic and unfair UK and rejoin the EU.

A term I really love is "New Scot", I often hear it when discussing charity work and talking about supporting refugees here, they're often referred to as "welcoming New Scots". As someone who has defected from England I can absolutely say that Scottish Independence is not a matter of race and upbringing as some may think. As the afformentioned MP, Anum Qaiser stated in parliament "Decisions for Scotland should be made in Scotland by the people of Scotland and it doesn't matter where you come from." - If you choose to make Scotland your home you are welcome here regardless of your protected characteristics and I think that's beautiful. Removing Westminster control is in no way an attack on the English people and I actually believe that a "Rainbow Railroad" type situation will exist, where citizens flee on mass to a safer country. We see this a lot with LGBT United States citizens fleeing to Canada. I don't see any reason this wouldn't happen with England to Scotland. I do not understand English people that don't approve of Scottish independence, if you're upset Scotland has the opportunity to build a better nation then why don't you join us?

Suddenly my life came crashing down.. I went to my NHS Scotland GP to ask about a lump in my neck. I had previously been to NHS England regarding this and they fobbed me off as being a "hormonal trans woman" and said that it was all clear after a needle biopsy... turns out that was a lie, an NHS Scotland doctor contacted the laboratory in Leeds and confirmed it. The biopsy showed more investigation was required, NHS England just didn't want to treat me. NHS Scotland however didn't care that I was disabled or LGBT, they immediately took me seriously and referred me to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. I had to have a full biopsy taken (this should've been done in England months earlier) It was then diagnosed as an incredibly rare form of blood cancer called Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's Lymphoma or NLPHL for short. Very little is known about this cancer as it is so rare, what is known however is that the majority of patients are cured with a single surgery to remove the lump. However, because the Tory ran NHS England neglected me, by the time NHS Scotland got to me it was too late and I needed full on chemotherapy which destroyed my mobility, despite lots of physio and exercise I still can't stand for long or walk, I need my wheelchair to mobilise even around my house.

I had to move from Airdrie to Alloa as my mobility deteriorated. I was in a situation where I was either stranded in bed or stranded in my car and it was making me very unwell due to my house being inaccessible. I searched Rightmove and Alloa was the closest location with a level access bungalow and it's still in the central belt so driving between the major cities is still relatively straightforward.

Throughout my treatment I was on sick leave, LBG was incredibly supportive and kept me on full pay throughout, always putting my health first and trying to give me as much time as I needed to recover. However sadly it didn't look like I was going to make a swift recovery, I tried so hard to return to work but unfortunately when it came to being assessed for fitness I was constantly marked as "Unfit for work" by healthcare professionals. After a while it was clear that I wouldn't be able to return to my degree apprenticeship scheme as it was a full time role with a university course and my health wasn't up to it. I had no choice but to leave. It wasn't a decision the higher ups took lightly, they seemed to be tearing up in the meeting with me regarding it and I could tell they genuinely wanted what's best for me and they knew that I couldn't carry on with my health in the way it is. They were incredibly supportive with my exit from the group and I genuinely can't fault them with it. I'm so upset I had to leave, I asked for any way I could carry on but I was fighting my own body and it's not a battle I could win sadly. I'm devasted to had lost my degree in Cybersecurity and Networks as with my autism I have incredible technical skills so hopefully in the future I'll be able to regain my qualification. Perhaps I could do university on it's own once I'm eligible for free university from the Scottish Government (thanks SNP), as I won't get employer funding. That should be a lot easier to manage with my health as I can just focus on the qualification and not a job role.

I'm now on watch and wait, the cancer is still in my body it's just considered small enough to not need treatment the now. I go in for check ups every few months where they review my situation. They don't want to provide further chemotherapy at the moment due to how badly I reacted so far but it's possible I will need it in the future. I'm suffering from cancer as a chronic illness where my day to day capability is greatly impacted. This has had a detrimental impact on my mental health especially being so alone.

This situation sucks. I feel so lonely and so isolated and I don't know how to cope with it all. Cancer is such a pain especially when you're all alone. Janey Godley has been a huge inspiration though! I went to see her show in Stirling and she was incredible. It was so nice to hear from someone that understands what it's like to go through.

One organisation I'm incredibly thankful for is LGBT Youth Scotland, they provide sessions and activities for me to get involved with. I especially appreciate Creative Stirling for giving me reasons to leave the house and learn new skills so I'm not just sat at home with my thoughts. Learning about Scottish history and the LGBT+ community has been fascinating! Through them I discovered that not a single pride event has ever been held in Forth Valley. A committee was assembled and the amazing Sam from Creative Stirling recommended I join it. That committee was Forth Valley Pride which later became Stirling Pride.

I also found Link Academy through LGBTYS and I've started a course with them called Creative Connections. I'm always amazed at how much support for skills development is on offer here and it's really helped with my social anxiety and isolation.

Another thing that has really helped my mental health is activism. I've been trying to get more involved with the SNP as much as my energy will allow. The only thing I find tricky is my mobility, I can't help with certain tasks because of it and often accessibility isn't mentioned so I have to ask if it's accessible which I sometimes struggle to do. However when I do reach out they're always more than happy to help and Anum even went out of her way to rearrange a meeting so I could attend which I'm of course massively grateful for.

One of the most incredible moments was when I met Nicola Sturgeon, who has been an idol to me for years. There were so many times I felt like the entire world was against me and that nobody cares about trans people and to see her go out of her way to constantly champion our rights and make lives better for minorities in Scotland is admirable.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the YSI international conference with delegates from the European Union. I loved having an opportunity to discuss Scotland's future within the EU and I'm very confident in the SNP's plan to build a new Scotland away from the backwards governance of Westminster.

I'm also super thankful to Sadie Mathews, the YSI Woman's Officer for inspiring me to join the SNP as a member and seeing her call out Kate Forbes on her transphobia was amazing, I was clapping at the screen watching it on STV lol.

A lot of people who have lived in Scotland their whole life don't realise how lucky they are to have been supported by the SNP. As a minority I noticed a massive difference when I moved. Scotland is so much better off than England and it's thanks to the Scottish Government for building and enabling that. This can of course go so much further with independence but I often see people blaming issues in Scotland on the SNP when in reality there's nothing they can do due to it either being under the control of, or funded by, or regulated by Westminster. That's why the SNP pushes independence so hard, it's not a distraction, it's what we need to help make Scotland the best country in the world. England is in effect an abusive partner, it has control of all our finances and pays us much less than it takes in resources. I hope one day England can sort itself out as well for the benefit of people there, but sadly too many people are under the false illusion that the monarchy and the two party system works when it clearly doesn't. Let's lead the way with Scotland as an independent EU nation, then Wales and England can follow along. (Oh and give NI back to Ireland ty x).

I guess that takes me to now... I'm not really doing anything specifically, I'm just carrying on with my courses and going along to things that interest me. Hopefully in the future I'll be in a better health situation to get qualified and build my career, at least if I don't make it then I won't be forgotten and hopefully some people can learn from my experiences. I genuinely wouldn't wish my life experiences on my worst enemy so hopefully we can build a better world for minorities moving forward. The fact that this cancer was completely curable and the only reason it wasn't is due to discrimination from NHS England is despicable. I really hope that by speaking out against this I can reduce the chance of it happening to anyone else.

I'd love to do whatever I can for as long as I'm still alive to make the world a better place. 💖