Paul Bloomer

Human rights matter to me because nobody should have to win approval to deserve dignity. Basic respect and dignity should be the starting point, not something we have to earn. We can disagree with someone and still defend their freedom and safety. That’s the kind of world I want us all to live in.

The Consumer Council has free tools for Northern Ireland households to compare electricity and gas tariffs and check daily heating-oil prices. With winter costs rising, they can show whether another option costs less: www.consumercouncil.org.uk/save-energy-...

Northern Ireland’s planned Safe Leave right would give eligible workers experiencing domestic abuse 10 days’ leave at normal pay each leave year. That is practical dignity at work: time to seek support or secure safety while not having additional stress.

Breakfast for dinner is one of adulthood’s better freedoms. Bacon and scrambled eggs at 8pm need no explanation. A bowl of Frosties is practically a dessert anyway.

‘No, thanks’ can be the whole answer. A boundary does not need a perfectly argued case.

If food costs are a worry, HERE NI is offering £100 supermarket vouchers to LGBTQIA+ women facing financial hardship who live in the Belfast City Council area. Previous recipients can apply. Applications are confidential. Request a form: tracey.mcdowell@hereni.org. Deadline: 5pm, 16 October 2026.

If food costs are a worry, HERE NI is offering £100 supermarket vouchers to LGBTQIA+ women facing financial hardship who live in the Belfast City Council area. Previous recipients can apply. Applications are confidential. Request a form: tracey.mcdowell@hereni.org. Deadline: 5pm, 16 October 2026.

People with experience of NI schools have until 6 October to share what they know about behaviour, bullying and feeling safe. Those learning and working in our schools should be heard: consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/de/behaviour...

A guide to interacting with me…

I love a pot luck, and I haven’t been to one in ages. I love sharing a table where everyone brings a dish that means something to them and tells the story behind it. It’s a lovely way to celebrate our different food cultures and sometimes it’s fun to troll by bringing a 7up salad.

If you need period products, they’re free at every public library in NI, including mobile libraries. It’s works on a take what you as you need principle, for yourself or someone else. Find other collection points here: www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/fre...

My good friend Andy Burrows features in Cornered: Finding Yourself in the Ring, a documentary about boxing and men’s mental health. 🥊 The full film is out today! Proud of Andy for sharing his story. Please watch and share ❤️ youtu.be/-_XdEaLeQ7g #MensMentalHealth

Trans people deserve to grow old with people who love them as they are, and to have things to look forward to at every age.

If ill health, disability or limited mobility makes visiting a library very difficult, Libraries NI’s free Homecall service may bring books to you. Ask your local library or call 0345 450 4580, Mon to Fri, 9.15am to 4.45pm: www.librariesni.org.uk/libraries/ho...

My good friend Andy Burrows features in Cornered, a new documentary about boxing and men’s mental health. 🥊 Full film out tomorrow, Sunday 27 September. Please watch the trailer and share Andy’s story ❤️ youtu.be/wLttBy9GxWs #MensMentalHealth #Documentary

I’m glad NI’s Sign Language Act has begun to take effect. Funding for parents of deaf children to learn sign language is a practical start. The law should make public services easier to use in BSL or ISL.

Being LGBT+ and having faith can belong in the same life. Your relationship to the Devine is yours alone, no person has the right to gatekeep that from you.

If you’re disabled and starting a job or already in work, Access to Work (NI) may help with equipment, communication support or extra travel costs. Apply by email or through a Jobs and Benefits office: www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/acc...

Not sure you’re getting all the support you’re entitled to? NI’s Make the Call team checks benefits and other help. Phone 0800 232 1271, weekdays 9am to 5pm, except public holidays. Language, speech or hearing difficulty? Request a callback: www.nidirect.gov.uk/forms/contac...

Queer adulthood should include plenty of silliness. A ridiculous outfit and a bad dance in the kitchen can make an ordinary evening much better. Be silly and enjoy it.

I grew up in a family made up of people from opposite sides of Northern Ireland’s conflict. That’s how I know we can care for each other without giving up where we come from.

If you own or privately rent your home in a targeted area and gross household income is under £23,000, Affordable Warmth may help with insulation or heating. Private landlords must be registered and pay half. Check: 0800 111 4455 www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/ene...

Sometimes I just need to remind myself…

If there’s someone who makes you feel comfortable being yourself, you could tell them today. Tell them “I’m glad I know you” or tell them how they make you feel comfortable. It’s a lovely thing to hear any day of the week.

LGBTQ+ life is not a waiting room where we sit until the world becomes kinder. We can make plans, fall about laughing, try something new and enjoy ourselves now. Joy doesn’t erase the work still needed; it reminds us what that work is for.

NI free school meal and uniform grant applications are open. Pupils in full-time education may qualify if their family gets income-related ESA, Pension Credit’s Guarantee Credit or UC with net household earnings up to £15,900. Other routes apply: connect.eani.org.uk Help: 028 9047 0233.

Don’t give up on your dreams. Give them time, practice and the chance to become real. Don’t listen to those who try to dim your light, if someone underestimated you because of who you are, that shows the limits of their imagination, not yours.

A safe home is the foundation for everything else. NI’s proposed Homelessness Commission must put prevention before crisis, listen to people who’ve lived through homelessness and lead to real change. The measure of success is seeing fewer people face homelessness.

Everyone deserves help finding their next step. NI’s Careers Service offers free, impartial advice for all ages. Call 0300 200 7820, Mon–Fri, 9.30am–4.30pm (except public holidays), or explore your options: www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/ca...

Being LGBTQ is a natural part of human diversity, it’s not something that can change through force, coercion or sheer will. No one should be forced to live an inauthentic life, LGBTQ people should be able to live as their authentic selves. I support a ban on conversion practices in Northern Ireland.

Caring for someone shouldn’t mean figuring everything out alone. Unpaid carers in NI can contact Carers UK for information on benefits and support: 0808 808 7777, Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm. www.carersuk.org/ni/help-and-...

Debt worries deserve understanding, not judgement. Advice NI offers free, confidential debt advice. Call 0800 915 4604 or explore the support available: www.adviceni.net/money-debt/d...

You don’t have to be the person who knows all the answers to have something valuable to say, just a thoughtful question can open up a whole conversation. I’d love more opportunities where curiosity is welcomed and nobody is made to feel small for wanting to understand.

The fact that we’re all different, is something we all have in common.

Getting online shouldn’t mean struggling alone. Libraries NI offers free computer courses for members, including beginners. Ask your local library in person or by phone about joining and booking: www.librariesni.org.uk/resources/di...

Beauty doesn’t belong to one age, shape or size. A face lighting up with laughter, someone completely absorbed in what they love—that’s worth noticing too. We deserve a kinder, more generous idea of what it means to be beautiful.

NYC’s going wild for Martin Auer’s $60 rye bread at RYE. Here in Austria, Roggenbrot is everywhere, so I grabbed an €8 loaf from Ströck. Lovely with butter & chives; divine with sour cream, smoked salmon & caviar. Best as an open sandwich rather than on its own! #AustrianBread

Dismantling the Far Right edifice brick by brick.

I come from a family with roots on opposite sides of Northern Ireland’s conflict. There’s joy in making traditions your own: keeping what you love, sharing it, and adding something new. A sense of home can hold more than one story.

Nobody should have to go without period products. You can collect them free from libraries across NI, including mobile libraries, for yourself or someone else. Find collection points: www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/fre...

Friendship can be a great love story in its own right. Building a home together or growing old side by side needn’t be reserved for romance.

When we share a dream, we all deserve someone who asks, “What would help you get there?” If you’re disabled, that might mean accessible spaces, flexible plans or a helping hand. Whatever your needs, getting there with support doesn’t make the joy or the achievement any less yours.

If you’re in distress, you deserve someone to listen. In NI, Lifeline’s trained counsellors are available free, 24/7: 0808 808 8000. BSL/ISL and language interpreting are available. www.lifelinehelpline.info

Sixty years ago today, the starship Enterprise launched and with it, a vision of the future where humanity had moved beyond its divisions. I was there at the beginning, and I can tell you...

Aged 16–59, permanently resident in NI for at least three months and receiving either rate of PIP mobility? You can apply for a Half Fare SmartPass. Call 028 9066 6630 for a form. www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/hal...

Love should feel like being on the same side: noticing when someone needs a hand, and knowing you can ask for one too.