Latest news with #Damien
Metro
2 days ago
- General
- Metro
My child came out as trans – I wish I reacted differently
It had started as an ordinary Friday night with my husband Damien. Then my child texted. Damien read it aloud – it said our child would now like to be called Rohan and referred to as our son. I was in shock. I didn't know what to do, so I burst into tears and tried to pretend things would go back to normal in the morning. This was in January 2022 when Rohan was just 18 and it honestly felt like my world had fallen apart. Over the next few weeks I felt so many negative emotions, including anger, guilt, sadness, and worry. I found myself searching for signs I had missed in my memories of Rohan as a child, and whether I could have done things differently. In the years leading up to this text, we were in lockdown and Rohan found it really hard to be stuck at home. He had just started at a new college and should have been meeting new people and being a typical 17-year-old. He began experimenting with baggy clothes and even shaved his head – I wanted to support him with his mental health struggles, but I wasn't sure how. He seemed so unhappy. Rohan had moved out of the house four months prior to study at university. With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! When he came out to us, it felt like I had no idea how to handle things. I had never lived with a teenage son and I didn't know how to do it. I struggled to talk to Rohan during this time. Luckily, Damien found it easier to adjust. Rohan had firm plans on his next steps – legally changing his name and starting to medically transition. It felt like it was all moving too fast for me, but Damien made sure he told me everything they discussed, and sometimes I just listened in on their phone calls. I began to adjust to hearing my son again. Gradually, I began to text Rohan, explaining we needed to take this very slow, and then finally, we had a conversation. I told him that I was sorry for my inability to speak to him, but I needed to take everything gradually. It was good to talk to Rohan so openly. It felt the same as it always had done – I was still talking to the child I always knew – but different in so many ways. Where my son had been struggling so much with his mental health previously, he was now excited about the future. Over time, we practised using Rohan's new name and pronouns – with many, many mistakes along the way. In those early days, I couldn't understand his feelings or what he was going through. In fact, the more I thought about it, the harder it got. But when I realised I will never truly understand – because I am not trans – I began to accept it. That's when things got better. I had to find the courage to message groups of family and friends, a few at a time. It was so hard and I was so surprised when everyone messaged back with so much love. With each new message of support, I began to realise that Rohan's identity was something to celebrate rather than be embarrassed about. Even my mum agreed to call him Rohan, and used 'he' instead of 'she'. I was so happy that she could welcome her new grandson into the family with ease. Around a month after Rohan came out, I found out one of my colleagues also had a trans son too – he and his family were almost a year ahead of us in their journey with his transition. We met for coffee and chatted, cried a lot, and laughed. It was such a relief to have someone as a support. We could support each other whenever we needed it with a quick text, a hug when we saw each other, and great chats. I gradually began to realise that – yes, I was finding it hard to tell people, but what would it have been like for Rohan? How did he feel? How confused had he been? How long had he struggled with who he is? That's when I tried to think less about me and more about my son! I knew he had been finding the latter teenage years difficult but I realised it was far harder than I could ever imagine. I wanted my son to be happy, and that was by far the most important thing to me. Today, I am so proud of what Rohan has achieved. He is a confident, handsome young man that I am proud to have as my son. You can find Just Like Us's LGBT Guide for Parents here. Rohan is back at university after taking some time out from studying and moving back home to adjust to a new version of life. He is now very settled, and happy with a lovely girlfriend. Our bond is actually stronger, as he now knows who he is and can be himself. Rohan became an ambassador for Just Like Us – a charity supporting young LGBTQ+ people – where he would get the chance to tell others his story. More Trending He told me about Just Like Us's LGBT+ Guide for Parents – an invaluable resource for parents to have that one document that has all the information you need about information and terminology. Nothing is more valuable than a parent who is open and willing to learn about their child. Support at home for young trans people is so important because parents are a huge part of their child's life. At the end of the day, your child is the same child regardless of their name, how they present themselves, or who they love. It has been a hard journey – not just for me accepting this, but an incredibly hard journey for Rohan. I cannot imagine what he has gone through, but the least I can do is help him be himself. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Pride doesn't come cheap — the LGBTQ+ 'queer tax' has cost us thousands MORE: The date was going well – until we hit a strip club MORE: There's an LGBTQ+ film festival you can attend without even leaving the house
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration budget cut flip-flops leave southwest Georgia Head Start programs uncertain
DAWSON – LaTosha Peters kept a journal to track her son Damien's development as a child diagnosed with autism. Getting his diagnosis at just 1 1/2 years old, Damien struggled socially and verbally. Peters said her child navigated echolalia in his early years, involuntarily repeating words or phrases he'd heard from others. At 3 years old, Damien was accepted into the Terrell County Head Start Center. And there, Peters said, he began to blossom. 'Through Head Start, he learned how to talk, he began reading … getting along with other children,' she said. Peters noticed new developments and big changes every day, jotting them in her 'Damien Journal.' Teachers made students write their name every day – even if they couldn't write, they still had to try. As Damien's signature went from lines, to shapes to letters, his physical, verbal and emotional ability transformed as well. This development is part of the core mission of Head Start, a federal program that provides free early learning, health and family support services to low-income families from pre-birth all the way to age 5. The program served 833,000 low-income students in the U.S. in 2022, including nearly 19,000 students in Georgia. In rural, poverty-stricken areas like Terrell County, it's one of the few, if not only, early education and child care options for families. In mid-April, the program faced a potential funding crisis and complete elimination outlined in an internal draft budget from the Trump administration's Department of Health and Human Services. 'When I heard things were up in the air … and they were going to do away with Head Start, I was like, 'Oh, my God. They don't understand the impact this is going to have on families, especially those in high poverty,'' Peters said. 'I'm hoping this is a program that's gonna be around for a long time because it's really needed.' Several centers across the country were forced to close while awaiting funding. However, in early May, the administration released an updated 'skinny budget.' Head Start avoided the chopping block, but advocates remain nervous. In southwest Georgia, Head Start's parent organization, the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, which serves low-income Georgians from housing assistance to health care, may see other cuts. 'The value of the program is undervalued and undermined,' Yolanda Daniels, the southwest Georgia Head Start program director said. 'Any threat to that is a threat to our communities as a whole.' Supporting the whole child and family A Terrell County Head Start classroom is alive with color and hands-on learning stations. A tiny play kitchen sits in one corner, and in another is an open space for dancing and exercising. The sounds of nursery rhymes, music and 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as children sound out letters can be heard behind every classroom door. Anita Ware, the Terrell County Child Development Center's supervisor, said each day is meticulously planned out from 8:30 a.m. until about 3 p.m for its 74 students. Head Start classrooms are packed full of stimulating activities for students. Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan'There's no idle time,' she said. 'It guides teachers and students through a day of stimulation and fulfillment.' Classrooms are spaces for exploration as children fine tune their motor skills by stacking blocks, embrace their creativity in the 'art area' and learn responsibility by taking on classroom roles, like 'the nutritionist' who hands out meals or 'the librarian' who organizes the reading area. Daniels said more than just child care and education, Head Start supports the 'whole child and family.' Students receive health screenings and get scheduled for doctor's appointments at no charge to the families. Terrell County's Head Start programming offers monthly workshops for parents, where they learn about child nutrition or parenting skills. Parents are connected to different resources throughout the community, whether it's the health department or housing authority. Ware said these are services that low-income families would otherwise not have access to. 'A lot of our families do take pride in having all of their children go through the program or having multiple family members, but our goal is to break that cycle of poverty so future generations will not need our Head Start program,' Daniels Start has trickle-down effects Ultimately, Head Start prepares underserved students to transition to public school. Peters said without the early intervention and learning for her son with autism, his future may have looked very different. Instead, he made it to high school – graduating with honors. Now, he's a college student at Georgia Southwestern State University. He has plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. As the principal at Cooper Carver Elementary School, Peters said she notices a difference in those students who went through Head Start – whether it's better test scores or skill sets as simple as patience while waiting in the lunch or bathroom line. 2025 Head Start growth reports released by the Community Action Council show significant gains in social/emotional, literacy and mathematics from fall 2024 until now among students in the program. Randy Weldon, the SWGACAC CEO, said these gains show how necessary Head Start is. Daniels said no Head Start would have a trickle-down effect on communities: a student body population less prepared for elementary school, parents unable to get to work, the inability for children with disabilities to get much-needed services. 'In smaller, more rural counties, if Head Start services were not there, there are very few, and in some cases, no other child care available in those counties,' Weldon said. 'If you've got … a single parent who is trying to work and maintain a job and maintain income for a household, if we're not there, I hate to think about the choices they would have to make.'Community Action Council grapples with potential cuts While most of the fears surrounding Head Start funding have dissipated, Weldon said there's a general nervousness among SWGA Community Action Council staff as other funding streams remain up in the air. 'You may not necessarily know our agencies and services, but if they were gone, you'd feel it,' Weldon said. The Community Action Council, which has supported southwest Georgia for 60 years, is entirely supported by federal funds. It serves roughly 21 counties with a goal of helping people living in poverty to climb out. It's reliant on the Community Services Block Grant, which was zeroed out in Trump's proposed 'skinny budget.' No longer having these funds would mean a significant cut to council staffing and closure of local 'neighborhood service centers' where communities can access services. It would eradicate the council's ability to provide emergency housing, utility or health assistance. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program also seemingly was at risk of cuts, but Community Action Council staff were informed Thursday that additional funds were made available. The Community Action Council is already struggling as it loses COVID-19 recovery funding but still faces a pandemic-era need for its services. 'Since the pandemic, we've had people coming to us who've never had to come to us before,' Weldon said. 'We've gone back to pre-pandemic funding … so it's a little more difficult because folks are still … facing lingering effects.' The council also employs 550 people and budgets about $40 million to support its southwest Georgia clients. 'You take those jobs away … you take that funding out of the community, that's a big impact here,' Weldon said. Anita Ware sits at her supervisor desk; classroom schedules and parent information binders fill the space around her. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganWeldon said he understands the need for cutting costs at the federal level, but he doesn't want necessary areas or services to get caught up in the mix. Ware said the Terrell County Child Development Center is carrying on, giving 100% to the children and families until it's no longer able to. 'We're small, but we have a real impact,' she said. 'Watching a child graduate from high school, knowing they were once here, and now they're a valedictorian or an honors student, it's a great feeling. It makes you proud.'
Perth Now
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
'It's just constant tension': Damien Leone doesn't find movies fun to make
Damien Leone doesn't think filmmaking is "fun". The 41-year-old filmmaker has enjoyed success with his slasher franchise 'Terrifier' and explained that the process of getting a movie onto the big screen is a lot less glamorous than people think. Speaking on the 'Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum' podcast, Damien said: "Movies aren't fun to make. People think you're having the time of your life. "It is hard work. It is constant pressure. You don't want anybody to feel bad, but it's just constant tension." Damien's movie 'Terrifier 3' caused a stir with its violence when it was released last year and the director explained that he frequently argued with producer Phil Falcone during the making of the flick – which had greater funding after the success of 'Terrifier 2' in 2022. The 'All Hallows' Eve' filmmaker said: "We were on the phone arguing all day long. It was not a fun experience making part three just because of so many other external factors. So much more pressure, so much more money." Damien explained that he is planning to bring the 'Terrifier' series to an end after the fourth movie and revealed that he has plenty of other projects in the pipeline that he could make in the meantime, although he will only board a film if he can have a hand in the writing process. He said: "I have so many original ideas. There's a bunch of potential projects. If one of these other projects is ready to happen and that'll take me away from 'Terrifier 4' I'll do it. "All of these potential movies would involve me at least co-writing, because it's really how you shape some of these things." Damien doesn't have a "strict formula" when it comes to writing scripts but does seek to put in key ideas that he has dreamed up. Asked if he skips to the horror element when it comes to penning scripts, he said: "Not necessarily. I also don't write in a linear way so if I feel like writing the ending, I'll write the ending. I have all the ideas on my phone that I know I have to weave into the story somehow if I'm in love with that set piece. "There's no strict rule or formula in terms of how I write the script. I bounce all over the place." Leone accepts that the 'Terrifier' franchise is likely to be the creation he has best remembered for. He said: "It's certainly lightning in a bottle. I'm not delusional, there's a great, great, great chance that when I die I'll be known as the creator of Art the Clown."
Perth Now
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Damien Leone wrote Terrifier 2 script in his old job delivering flowers
Damien Leone wrote the script for 'Terrifier 2' as he delivered flowers. The 41-year-old filmmaker has recalled how he crafted the script for the second movie in his ultraviolent slasher franchise whilst working in his previous job. Damien told the 'Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum' podcast: "I literally wrote the entire movie of 'Terrifier 2' when I was delivering flowers. Almost all the ideas came to me as I was driving that van." The filmmaker explained that he never wanted to lock himself out of the movie industry before he went on to find success with the 'Terrifier' franchise. Leone said: "I didn't want to dive into a career that would keep me away from filmmaking. I needed a 9 to 5 job that I could break away from any time I would get a freelance gig doing makeup effects on a movie or if I was gonna make my own movie." The 'Terrifier' franchise features the iconic antagonist Art the Clown and Damien revealed that the murderous character was conceived when he was making his first short film. He said: "I wish it was a cooler story. It was when I was gonna make my first short film, I said, 'Why is anybody going to watch this?' "I'm a makeup effects artist, so I'm gonna try and pack this thing out in 10 minutes with creatures and some makeup effects gags and sort of generic characters that I enjoy and creep me out. "Clowns always creep me out. I didn't have a particular fascination with killer clowns, they didn't scare me. "I knew I could put a spin on the clown and make a cool version of one at least and then it comes down to the process of creating it. "It was very quick (to create). I sketched him. That's why his name is Art. I kept referring to him as that. There was never a second name. Things like that just click, you feel like they happen for a reason." Art the Clown is portrayed by David Howard Thornton in the film series and Leone knew immediately that the star was right for the role because he had the perfect physicality. The filmmaker said: "He was the sixth person to audition. I knew instantly. "There's a good chance I would've cast him just on his physicality alone when he walked in the room. As soon as I saw him I said, 'He's just gonna look great.' I was looking for a tall, skinny person with a big smile." The director explained that the actor behind the antagonist couldn't be any more different from the role he plays. The 'Frankenstein vs. The Mummy' helmer said: "He's a walking cartoon character, he couldn't be any more different to Art the Clown, it's incredible." Damien also revealed that he had to curb the enthusiasm of star Lauren LaVera – who plays the role of Sienna Shaw – when it came to doing stunts for the flick. He recalled: "She was so psyched about it and she read the script. She's a stunt performer, so she couldn't wait to get in and do all the physical stuff. She wanted to do stunts that I wouldn't even let her do."
Irish Independent
17-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
‘He eats, sleeps and breathes Samaritans' – Arklow charity director steps down
After joining the branch in 2017 and committing his time, energy and can-do attitude to the cause, Damien's fellow volunteers recognised his diligence and dedication by electing him as their branch director in 2022. Taking on the busy position and learning as he went, Damien took the leadership role in his stride, working long hours on fundraising efforts, awareness campaigns and developing meaningful connections with communities on both sides of the Wicklow-Wexford border. Although no longer the branch director, Damien is still working away in the background with the branch and will return in an increased capacity after a brief break. In the meantime, he will be kept busy by his new role as chairperson of the MS Ireland East Wicklow Branch – a cause very close to his heart. Still on cloud nine after the 'amazing' reception he received at his celebratory bash, Damien said that it was a pleasure and an honour to work closely with so many like-minded and dedicated volunteers, adding that he is delighted that the charity is in the safe hands of new branch director Brigid Flynn. 'It was nice to see so many people there at the party, and I didn't expect to see such a turnout, with lots of volunteers and people who support Samaritans in attendance, and I'm so grateful to everyone at the branch,' he said. 'I enjoyed the role, and there were a lot of really positive things that happened over the last year, with lots of kindness and generosity from the community. 'It was just amazing to see what can come from an idea for an event, with people becoming more aware of it and our services, and the branch going from strength to strength because of it. Spreading the word about the charity and encouraging people to volunteer has been very rewarding. 'It is a busy role, but everyone's busy here, not just the branch director. All our volunteers give their role 100pc, and that's amazing to see. 'There's a kind of rule that you have to take a break and stay away for a little while after you step down, but I'll still be helping out here and there in the background, with the IT side and outreach activities, and I hope to return in an increased capacity in recruitment. 'I was offered the role of chairperson of the MS Ireland East Wicklow Branch, which I was already part of, so it works out in a way that I have more free time to commit to that,' he continued. ADVERTISEMENT 'I'm not going anywhere, and will return to the Samaritans branch, which I'm delighted will now have Brigid as the branch director. 'She's very committed and has been involved in every area of the charity. She has given her all since day one, and I know she'll excel in the new role. 'I can see a bright future with Brigid at the helm, and I'll be very glad to be part of her team.' Returning the compliment, Brigid expects Damien will do great things in his new role at the MS Ireland East Wicklow Branch, adding that she is delighted she and East Coast Samaritans will still be able to call on his broad skill-set and vast knowledge. 'Damien is one in a million – he eats, sleeps and breathes Samaritans and he's fully dedicated himself to us,' Brigid said. 'He led us brilliantly for three years, and is such an approachable guy who is so willing to help in every aspect of the branch. He puts everything into it, is very dedicated. He's a great communicator and speaker. No job fazes him, and if it does, he asks for help and digs in. 'I've worked with Damien for the past three years in outreach, fundraising and volunteer care. I am just so grateful that he's not leaving our branch, he's just changing roles, and he's staying with us on the board of trustees. 'I'm so delighted that Damien is staying with us. It's just wonderful for the branch that his expertise will still be here.'
