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Welcome to The Empathy Archive

The Empathy Archive brings together early experiences of gender, sexuality or relationship divergent (GSRD) people, capturing their experiences before they had the words or awareness to describe their identity. The archive is run by members of the Community of Practice Group for GSRD.
By bringing these experiences together, we hope to show kernels of consistency in GSRD people's experiences of themselves. In short, we hope to show that we have always existed, and have always been valid. We hope this will allow readers to encounter GSRD people in new ways, building greater empathy.

If you would like to write a submission for The Empathy Archive, you can do so here: Submission Form

If you would like to know more about submitting to the archive, you can read our Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of the page.

The Empathy Archive

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FAQ's

What is GSRD?

‘GSRD’ stands for ‘Gender, Sexuality, and Relationship Divergent’. This includes people who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, intersex, asexual and aromantic, for example) and anyone who has non-normative relationships (people in kink relationships, consensually non-monogamous relationships, sex work, for example).
GSRD is a term used within therapy and counselling. You can find out more about the term here: https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/22810/bacp-gender-sexual-relationship-diversity-gpacp001-mar23.pdf

How will my submission be used?

Our goal is to provide a resource which helps readers to understand the early experiences of gender, sexuality and relationship divergent (GSRD) people. We do not currently have plans to use submissions for research. We may use excerpts from submissions to promote the archive, via social media. If we change how we use submissions in future, we will publicise this on our webpage.
We cannot control how submissions may be used by others. We hope submissions will be used in good faith, but we cannot guarantee where they might end up. If we take your submission down, it may still exist somewhere else on the internet. Please therefore think carefully about what you are comfortable sharing.

If you want to change or remove your submission, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You will need to quote your unique identifier code (the three-word code combining an animal, colour and object) so we know that you are the author. We will not change or remove your submission if you do not provide your code.

What if the tags on the submission form don’t describe my identity?

You are welcome to use the text box at the end of the section to tell us how you describe your identity. We will do our best to make sure your identity is fully captured in the tags. However, we may group some terms in order to make the archive easier to navigate for readers. You are welcome to reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have concerns about the way we have tagged your submission.

What if my submission hasn’t been published?

If your submission has not appeared in the archive within 28 days, it is likely that we have decided not to publish it. We reserve the right not to publish submissions for any reason.
We may decline to publish submissions which:
  • We see as intended to disrupt, provoke, or attack others.
  • Are racist, sexist, homophobic, abusive or otherwise offensive
  • Could break the law or condone or encourage unlawful activity (this includes breach of copyright, defamation and contempt of court)
  • Describe or encourage activities which could endanger the safety or well-being of others
  • Advertise products or services for profit or gain
  • Are seen to impersonate someone else
  • Include information which could identify a person (even if their name is not used)
  • Include contact details such as phone numbers, postal or email addresses
  • Are considered to be 'spam' (for example, if the same text is submitted multiple times)
  • Are not relevant to the aims of the archive
  • Are very difficult to understand
  • Are significantly longer than 500 words
  • Contain too much explicit or graphic language (see next question in FAQs)
The archive is managed by a team of volunteers. If you query why your submission was not published, we may not always have capacity to respond.

Can I include explicit or graphic language in my submission?

We would advise you to write your submission for an audience of readers aged 15 and over. We do not want to censor sexual and/or traumatic experiences that are relevant to the archive. However, we also want the archive to be safe and accessible. Please therefore feel free to refer to these experiences, but please do not describe them in detail. We will add content warnings where appropriate. Please feel free to provide your own content warnings in your submission.
Example content warnings may be: ‘sexual violence,’ ‘swearing,’ ‘homophobia,’

What if I want my submission to be taken down?

You are welcome to request that your submission be taken down. You will need to email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include your unique identifier code. This will be a three-word code combining an animal, colour and object. Your code will be the only way we can verify that you are the author, as we do not collect your email address on the submission form. We will not make any changes to your submission, or take it down, if you do not provide your code.

Please ensure that you make a note of your unique identifier code when you submit to the archive. You may wish to copy your submission into a document so you can refer back to it.

Can I contact you with additional questions?

You can contact our moderating team by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that we are not always able to monitor and reply to emails. We will only reply to emails that have direct relevance to the archive. We will not engage with emails that are offensive or abusive in any way.

Please also note that this email address is not a source of emotional support. Please do not contact us if you are in crisis. Please consider alternative contact details below:
  • Call 0800 0119100 to talk to Switchboard’s LGBTQIA+ support line, or use their online chat at https://switchboard.lgbt/ - open 10am-10pm daily
  • Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a reply within 24 hours
  • Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line
  • Call 111 and select the mental health option, or use 111 online: https://111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-mental-health-symptoms
  • Call 999 if you do not feel you can keep yourself safe

Can I use AI to write my submission?

This archive is intended to provide opportunities for people to encounter each other and build empathy. We therefore encourage you to use your own words as much as you can. You do not have to write in a particular style or have perfect spelling or grammar. We welcome you to express yourself in your own style. Additionally, although we ask that you do not exceed 500 words in your submission, it does not need to be this long. However, we support you in using AI if this makes the archive accessible for you.

What if I want to write more than 500 words?

You are welcome to submit to the archive multiple times if you have multiple relevant experiences you would like to share.