Katy Lees (they/them)

Will I be seeing you this Friday at 1b Books in Newcastle? I’d love to meet you there! I’ll be reading from Queer Minds, answering any questions, and signing your books!

Urgent Action: Get Sam her heart medication urgently! Sam is currently held captive at HMP Drake Hall. As a direct consequence of medical abuse, she has been segregated (read: placed in solitary confinement) and deprived of the medication she requires t...

actionnetwork.org/letters/urge...

It's an artistic representation of a circulatory system walking through a kitchen, as drawn by Dave Gibbons and written about by Alan Moore. It happens a lot 'round here.

Happy There Is A Circulatory System Walking Through The Kitchen Day to all who celebrate.

Donate to Aid in Daniel’s Recovery from T boy Wrestling Malpractice, organized by Teddy Dills Daniel was wrongfully and intentionally injured during the T boy… Teddy Dills needs your support for Aid in Daniel’s Recovery from T boy Wrestling Malpractice

www.gofundme.com/f/recovery-f...

I’ve donated copies of my books to support an important charity auction. Every bid helps raise funds for a good cause. If you’ve been looking for a meaningful way to give (or a special treat for yourself) check it out/bid if you can. There are a few hours left!

www.jumblebee.co.uk/onthislandau...

If you’ve ever felt like your story didn’t fit in, or wondered how others navigate life as their authentic selves, Queer Minds is a book for you.

I’ve had a lovely time visiting Nottingham for the first time in about eight years! So much has changed since I studied there, but a lot that I love about the city has stayed the same. Thanks for having me, Nottingham!

An important new book for the #TherapistSky community.

Great to spend time with
@iamkatylees.bsky.social and colleagues at @spti-nottm.bsky.social this evening.

Huge thanks to everyone who came to the Queer Minds book launch in Nottingham yesterday! I was really moved to see you all there and I loved speaking to you all.

Queer Minds is a book of interviews with LGBTQ+ experts of all kinds to speaking in their own words. When I set out to create the book, my goal wasn’t to write just another book about queer people - it was to curate a book that included as many of us I could.

Will I be seeing you in Nottingham for our second Queer Minds launch event? Join me for a night of reading and conversation about queer mental health on the 1st of November.

Queer Minds It's time to give queer minds the attention they deserve. As a non-binary and queer psychotherapist, Katy Lees knows how crucial it is to feel seen and supported as a queer person with mental health c...

SPTI book launch
MSc graduate Katy Lees
‘Queer Minds: LGBTQ+ Therapists and Advocates on Mental Health, Neurodivergence and the Things That Help'
7 Castle Quay
Sat 01Nov 6-8:30pm
nibbles & drinks
Author Q&A
Book signing
uk.jkp.com/products/que...
Book: www.cognitoforms.com/SPTI1/KatyLe...

I had the best time with BookWyrm at 3 of Cups for the official Queer Minds launch event! Thank you to everyone who was there in person and in spirit.

I also donated a bunch of copies of Queer Minds to BookWyrm’s Gift-A-Book scheme so, if you’d like a copy but can’t buy one, please contact them!

Today is the day that Queer Minds is officially out in the world!

What an honour it’s been to work on this collection of interviews with such wonderful people. I really hope you love this book as much as I loved creating it.

Queer Minds is Nearly Here! Sorry for my absence on Substack lately - life has been abruptly hard this year.

open.substack.com/pub/iamkatyl...

Want to see a sneak peek of Queer Minds before it comes out next week? Head to the link in my bio to see an excerpt on the Jessica Kingsley Publishers website!

Makin’ my way to Durham for the cosy book launch of Queer Minds! I’ll be hosting a comfy launch party at 3 of Cups Cafe on the 21st of October, joined by the lovely team at BookWyrm bookshop. Will I see you there?

‘Just because I stopped using those behaviours and healed from that, does not mean that the reasons that created it went away... I would have to heal from whatever it was that contributed to that. I will do that work forever and now I’m okay with that.’
- Jess Sprengle, interviewed in Queer Minds

Queer Minds launch events are coming and I’m excited to celebrate with you!

📍21 Oct - BookWyrm and 3 of Cups, Durham.

📍1 Nov - Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute, Nottingham.

📍14 Nov - 1B Books, Newcastle.

Links to the events are in my bio.

Two weeks to go until Queer Minds is out in the world!

If you’ve been thinking about pre-ordering, now’s a wonderful time. Pre-ordering helps put this book into the hands of people who need it, and you get your copy as soon as it’s available!

You can click the link in my bio for more information.

‘I hope we can keep each other safe and also empower each other to then go out into the world, and be strong, and capable, and make change, or even just live a happy life. We deserve to live without constant stress, without constant anxiety [and] fear.’
- Stef Sanjati, interviewed in Queer Minds

I’m delighted that Oblong Books in New York are taking pre-orders for Queer Minds! Indie bookshops like this are the heartbeat of their communities and Oblong has been connecting readers with inclusive stories since 1975. I’m so grateful that they’re helping Queer Minds reach readers across the U.S.

Safety Advice:

I keep seeing young trans people on social media talking about therapists disrespecting their pronouns and parents telling them that the therapist has a right to their beliefs.

I want to be clear: you have a right to the therapy room being a safe supportive space for YOUR growth.

Trans people frightened to leave homes, says MP Daisy Eastlake Trans people are frightened to go out or use public toilets after the supreme court ruling that defined a woman in terms of biological sex, a Labour MP has said. Rachel Taylor, who is a member of the women and equalities committee, described the interim guidance put forward by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) after the ruling as “dangerous” and “incorrect”. The judgment in April ruled that sex was defined biologically in terms of the Equality Act. Numerous Labour MPs have defied the ruling, and criticised guidance issued to the government by the EHRC in light of it. The Times previously revealed the guidance warns shops, gyms, the NHS and other public bodies that if they say a facility is single-sex, it would have to exclude transgender people who did not biologically match that sex. Taylor said: “I think the interim guidance ... was a totally disproportionate response to a judgement. What happened as a result was that trans people became very frightened — to go out, to use toilets.” Taylor also said that the commission’s new guidance, which was set out following a public consultation, was likely “dangerous”. She added: “We have some very rushed, very incorrect guidance ... that wasn’t done in any way in consultation with the government. They have now put forward guidance which ... I’m assuming is quite similar to the dangerous interim guidance.”

This is in the Times today

‘My work, as a multiply marginalised community worker who also has proximity to whiteness, is to constantly disrupt white supremacy in every facet of this work, because healing justice cannot be nurtured under oppressive conditions.’
- Sage M Stephanou, interviewed in Queer Minds

🌈 Queer Minds will be out in one month! ✨

This is some of the most important work I’ve done. It’s a collection of interviews that capture real stories, struggles, hope, and joy from the LGBTQ+ community. The contributors have much to say about resilience, authenticity, and the power of being seen.

I would absolutely love to see you here.

“I will always open myself up to love, and to hurt, because to do otherwise closes you off from who we are as humans at the most basic level… Even if it feels like your community is hidden in the shadows, we’re out here for you.”
— Lucy Fox, interviewed in Queer Minds

Lucy’s chapter is a must-read!

I heard we were sharing our ADHD notes

I’m thrilled that Octopus Books in Ottawa are taking pre-orders for Queer Minds! Octopus Books is a progressive space that’s helping queer and neurodivergent voices reach readers in Canada and beyond.

You can pre-order your copy from Octopus Books by clicking the link in my bio.