As DIVA turns 25, I’m about to turn 30. So when the first issue of this magazine was published, I was about to turn five. I was a micro lesbian (this I already knew) growing up under Section 28, pre same-sex marriage and even civil partnerships. There was no one like me in books or on TV, and – like so many LGBTQI+ children – I thought there was something wrong with me. To give you an idea of just what I wish five-year-old me had known, I’ve written her a letter: “Dear Eleanor,
I’m going to tell you a secret: wanting to kiss girls is normal. And one day – when you’re a little bit older – it won’t be a secret anymore. There are lots and lots of children just like you and, when you all grow up, you’ll even be able to marry another girl. I promise.