#my other close friend is a nepalese girl who also happens to be a butch lesbian

[nellygwyn]

One thing I have learnt from being upfront about being Romani at work (unlike in the past where I've concealed it for several reasons) is that it doesn't make one shred of difference to white British people. They will still indulge in anti-Romani racism/anti-Traveller prejudice right in front of you.

I have been sent links in a work WhatsApp group to articles in local right wing publications about '''anti social''' behaviour (read: taking a horse and carriage down to the river bank and causing a minor, trivial traffic jam) from local travellers, almost always followed up with the crying laughing emoji. I have been present for a conversation where someone I considered my friend laughed along as two other colleagues indulged in appalling anti-traveller rhetoric (some bullshit about not paying taxes ofc). Worst of all, I have listened to colleagues insult Romani/Traveller customers, as if their custom is worth less because of who they are. One even watched a young Traveller child who cannot have been older than 7 get relatively excited about some policemen with guns who were outside my work (as young boys tend to do - I know policemen are shit lol), and jokingly remarked that said Traveller child was probably destined to be shot in the future. Racism towards a person of any age is wrong, ofc, but there was something particularly sickening about hearing it voiced towards a child. But gypsy children aren't human to white Europeans, that much is clear.

It's not enough to have Nazis on Twitter telling me to go back to my own country (Wales? Lol) or screenshotting any tweet I make about anti-Romani/anti-Traveller sentiment in Europe and telling me to drink bleach/wishing some appalling sexual violence on me. I have to be belittled by those who are supposed to be, if not my friends, then my equals at work. The only people at work who have been genuine/kind about me being Romani are other non-white people (not shocking at all).