How to be a Good Bboy
‘Bboy’ means ‘boy’ in a very particular form of internet cat-speak. You can pronounce it ‘boy’, ‘buh-boy’ or ‘bee-boy’, whatever makes your heart happiest.
It’s not always easy to live your life with kindness, but Ellen Murray and her cat Bilbo are doing their best to spread messages of positivity to their followers. As an LGBT+ and disability activist, Ellen’s goal has always been to make love, care and safety a reality for all – but fighting for your own rights or standing as an ally to others can be daunting, intimidating and confusing work.
How to Be a Good Bboy is an accessible guide to understanding what human rights work is all about: how to get involved, navigate the inevitable pitfalls, overcome imposter syndrome and own your vulnerability and power.
It is about Bilbo, and about Ellen. About her work, and about how Bilbo’s online presence is not just an accessory to that work but a way to channel the greater goals of her activism to a wider audience. It is about dignity, respect and justice, and ultimately how to be a very good bboy.
**Ellen Murray** is a Northern Irish trans human rights defender who has worked towards LGBTI human rights in Northern Ireland since 2013. She is Executive Director of TransgenderNI, a trans human rights organisation in Northern Ireland which runs western Europe’s only trans community resource centre. She works in the field of international human rights at the highest levels to bring trans and LGBTI+ people’s issues into many areas of law, and is studying international disability law at NUI Galway in Ireland. Ellen is a public appointment to the UK Government’s LGBT Advisory Panel and an independent consultant to a variety of international human rights organisations. Ellen is based in Belfast.
@thegoodcatboy