We think a lot about the moment before someone reaches out for support.

The message typed and deleted. The tab left open for weeks. The quiet worry that you’ll have to explain yourself before anyone listens: who you are, who you love, why it matters. For many queer people, asking for help has meant meeting kindness that still misses the point. Being nice isn’t the same as understanding, which is why we say affirming is not enough.

Be/Here began because we believed there should be a place where you don’t have to translate yourself. We’re a queer-built, queer-run independent service. Therapy is shaped around you; you don’t have to be in crisis to start, and there’s no “right” issue to bring.

We also believe nobody should have to choose between support and paying the bills. Our sliding-scale sessions run from £40 to £60, with no proof of income needed, and we trust people to choose the rate that feels fair. Alongside therapy, we run free workshops and peer support spaces, where the first thing you might feel is the relief of looking around and realising you’re not the only one.

Over the summer, we spent ten weeks speaking with our community at different Prides. We cried, we celebrated our freedoms, and we shared our worries for the future and for the injustices facing our trans family. So many times, we heard about isolation and loneliness setting in because of the lack of safe spaces and services.

Keeping this going takes more than session fees. Every donation goes back into the dedication Max and I share, to make sure that one more person feels less lonely, one more person feels less hopeless, and our community is stronger.

If you’d like to help, a gift of any size makes a real difference.

Kindness is the kryptonite to shame, and Max and I hold that first and foremost in all our work.

Thank you for reading this far. It matters more than you might know.

Vanessa and Max, Be/Here