Creative Responses to Archive Material | Ymatebion Creadigol i Ddeunydd Archif

We are thrilled to publish these creative responses by three of our members: Kayley Roberts representing North Wales, Mair Jones from Mid Wales and Soma Ghosh representing South Wales. 

This is a project in partnership with the Wales Broadcast Archive where our members took inspiration from clips from the Archive that lead them to these pieces. Each one looking to the past in order to say something new about our contemporary lives in Wales. 

What is the Wales Broadcast Archive?

The Wales Broadcast Archive is a pioneering initiative, the first of its kind in the UK. It offers a rich, nearly century-long history of broadcasting in Wales, featuring material from BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Cymru Wales, S4C, and The National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive collections. The archive has digitised, catalogued, and made these invaluable materials fully searchable, ensuring access for everyone.

Kayley Roberts

Kayley is a nonbinary therapist and writer. 2025 will see them emerge on the scene with several publications including a novel titled ‘Lladd Arth’, an opera, poems, a monologue, and this exciting piece of work for inclusive journalism wales – an exploration of the ownership of working class lungs by the parasite class

Kayley employs fictional realism to delve into themes inspired by historical footage of quarrying communities from the Wales Broadcast Archive. They highlight how so little has changed in terms of class dynamics in Wales. The contemporary housing crisis, much like the exploitative quarrying industry of the past, has a devastating impact on the health of working-class individuals, echoing the harmful consequences faced by the same communities many years ago.

Mair Jones

Mair Jones is a freelance writer and historian from rural Ceredigion, who runs Queer Welsh Stories blogs and workshops. Mair is also currently the Cymraeg Editor for Poetry Wales and has worked with the Wales Broadcast Archive researching LGBTQ+ history in the archives and organising workshops into this research in Clip Corners. This piece is about the ‘queer rural’ experience in Wales. 

In her essay, Mair offers an intimate exploration of rural queer life in Mid and West Wales, providing an invaluable resource that sheds light on a largely overlooked aspect of rural existence. This work serves as a testament to the rich research potential found within the archive, with references to archival clips adding depth and vibrancy to the story of the region.

Soma Ghosh

Soma Ghosh is a writer, performer and podcaster. In response to Welsh broadcasting legend Vincent Kane interviewing the people of Carmarthen in 1970 about Merlin’s Oak, she has created a podcast episode about enchanted trees in Wales and Bengal. ‘The Tree Men of Wales and Bengal’ explores Merlin and his oak in Carmarthen, and Ramakrishna, a 19^thC cross-dressing saint from Kolkata, unearthing unexpected intersections around masculinity, gender, Empire and sprituality. It is the pilot episode of a proposed multicultural and LGBTQ-inclusive history series about trees around the world.

Branched Out will be a reimagining of nature’s impact on identity, culture, and belonging. This episode is in English with a little Bengali.

Showcases

These three pieces will be showcased at dedicated events in their respective regions – the first being Soma Ghosh’s showcase which will be occurring at our AGM on the 15th of March at 4pm in The Sustainable Studio, Cardiff. Please register here by 7th March. Details of the next two showcases will be announced shortly. 

Note, we have made the decision not to translate these pieces so as to retain the creative impact in their original languages. We believe that these showcase the true multilingualism that exists in Wales. 

Mae’n bleser gennym gyhoeddi’r darnau yma gan tri o’n haelodau: Kayley Roberts sy’n cynrychioli Gogledd Cymru, Mair Jones o’r canolbarth a Soma Ghosh o Dde Cymru.

Dyma brosiect mewn partneriaeth ag Archif Ddarlledu Cymru ble cafodd ein haelodau eu hysbrydoli gan glipiau o’r Archif a’u harweiniodd at y darnau hyn. Pob un yn edrych i’r gorffennol er mwyn dweud rhywbeth newydd am ein bywydau cyfoes yng Nghymru.

Beth yw Archif Ddarlledu Cymru?

Mae Archif Ddarlledu Cymru yn fenter arloesol, y gyntaf o’i bath yn y DU. Mae’n cynnig hanes cyfoethog, bron i ganrif o hyd, o ddarlledu yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys deunydd o gasgliadau BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Cymru Wales, S4C, ac Archif Sgrin a Sain Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru. Mae’r archif wedi digideiddio, catalogio, a gwneud y deunyddiau amhrisiadwy hyn yn gwbl chwiliadwy, gan sicrhau mynediad i bawb.

Kayley Roberts

Mae Kayley yn therapydd anneuaidd ac yn awdur. Bydd 2025 yn eu gweld yn dod i’r amlwg gyda nifer o gyhoeddiadau gan gynnwys nofel o’r enw Lladd Arth, opera, cerddi, monolog, a’r darn cyffrous yma ar gyfer Newyddiaduraeth Gynhwysol Cymru – archwiliad o berchnogaeth ysgyfaint dosbarth gweithiol gan y dosbarth parasitiaid.

Mae Kayley yn defnyddio realaeth ffuglennol i ymchwilio i themâu a ysbrydolwyd gan ffilm hanesyddol o gymunedau chwarelyddol o Archif Darlledu Cymru. Maent yn amlygu cyn lleied sydd wedi newid o ran deinameg dosbarth yng Nghymru. Mae’r argyfwng tai cyfoes, yn debyg iawn i ddiwydiant chwarelyddol y gorffennol, yn cael effaith ddinistriol ar iechyd unigolion dosbarth gweithiol, gan adleisio’r canlyniadau niweidiol a wynebwyd gan yr un cymunedau flynyddoedd ynghynt.

Mair Jones

Mae Mair Jones yn awdur a hanesydd llawrydd o gefn gwlad Ceredigion, sy’n cynnal blogiau a gweithdai Queer Welsh Stories. Mae Mair hefyd ar hyn o bryd yn Olygydd Cymraeg Poetry Wales ac mae wedi gweithio gydag Archif Ddarlledu Cymru yn ymchwilio i hanes LGBTQ+ yn yr archifau ac yn trefnu gweithdai i’r ymchwil yma yn y Corneli Clip. 

Yn ei thraethawd, mae Mair yn cynnig archwiliad manwl o fywyd cwiar gwledig Canolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru, gan ddarparu adnodd amhrisiadwy sy’n taflu goleuni ar agwedd o fodolaeth wledig sydd wedi cael ei hanwybyddu i raddau helaeth gan y prif ffrwd. Mae’r gwaith hwn yn dyst i’r potensial ymchwil cyfoethog a geir yn yr archif, gyda chyfeiriadau at glipiau archifol yn ychwanegu dyfnder a bywiogrwydd i stori’r rhanbarth.

Soma Ghosh

Mae Soma Ghosh yn awdur, perfformiwr a phodledwr sy’n gweithio ym maes ffuglen, ffeithiol a newyddiaduraeth gelfyddydol a diwylliant. 

Mae’r bennod Podlediad, ‘The Tree Men of Wales and Bengal’ yn dwyn ynghyd Myrddin a’i dderwen chwedlonol yng Nghaerfyrddin, Cymru, a Ramakrishna, sant croeswisgo o Kolkata o’r 19eg ganrif, y rhoddwyd goleuedigaeth i goeden sy’n cyflawni dymuniadau Kalpataru ar adeg o helbul o dan Imperialaeth Brydeinig.

Bydd cyfres podlediad Soma, Branched Out, yn ail-ddychmygu effaith natur ar hunaniaeth, diwylliant a pherthyn.

Arddangosiadau

Bydd y darnau hyn yn cael eu harddangos mewn digwyddiadau penodol yn eu rhanbarthau priodol – y cyntaf yw arddangosfa Soma Ghosh a fydd yn cael ei chynnal yn ein Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol ar 15fed o Fawrth am 4pm yn The Sustainable Sudio, Caerdydd. Cofrestrwch yma erbyn 7 Mawrth os gwelwch yn dda. Cyhoeddir manylion y ddwy arddangosiad arall yn y man.

Sylwch, rydym wedi gwneud y penderfyniad i beidio â chyfieithu’r darnau hyn er mwyn cadw’r effaith greadigol yn eu hieithoedd gwreiddiol. Credwn fod y rhain yn arddangos y gwir amlieithrwydd sy’n bodoli yng Nghymru.

Nodir fod y darn hwn yn un ffeithiol-greadigol. Nid yw’n seiliedig ar unrhyw ddigwyddiad na pherson penodol. 

Mae’r safle, sef chwarel Penmaenmawr, wedi ei ddewis o Archif Darlledu Cymru fel ysbrydoliaeth yn unig, ac nid oes ffeithiau penodol am yr un chwarel benodol i’w gweld yn y darn, ond yn hytrach, ceir archwiliad o hanes chwarelwyr a’i hiechyd dros y blynyddoedd, ar draws y wlad. Ffuglennol yw’r cymeriadau a’r cymunedau penodol yma, ond mae’r sefyllfaoedd, ac effaith llwch a llwydni ar yr ysgyfaint, yn seiliedig ar ffeithiau hanesyddol a meddygol pendant.

Am y tro gyntaf yn hanes newyddiaduriaeth Cymru, mae gohebydd wedi ei ddarganfod sydd nid yn unig yn siarad sawl iaith a thafodieithoedd arbennigol, ond sydd hefyd wedi cyflwyno eu hunain fel bardd, neu minstrel o ryw fath. Maent yn teithio ar draws y byd, y bydysawd, a thrwy amser, i ddod a’u straeon a hanesion arbennig i ni heddiw. Rydym yn ddiolchgar iddynt, a fysan ni’n ddiolchgar hefyd i’r cyhoedd, os oes unrhyw un yn medru datgelu unrhyw wybodaeth bersonol am bwy yw’r gohebydd dirgel yma! Cysylltwch efo ni, os oes unrhyw beth fedrwch chi ei rhannu amdanynt. Yn y cyfamser, dyma eu cyfraniad.

Be wyddost ti
am hyn?
Aer yn llifo fewn
ac allan
yn ddibaid.
Paid gorfeddwl
ac anghofio sut
i anadlu.

Be sy’n dy rwystro?
Aer trwchus, llithrig,
twyllog
llawn gronynnau.
Faint o gul yw broncws
all llwch basio
i fewn
ac allan
all llwch aros
i fewn?

Pan rydym ni’n meddwl am yr ysgyfaint, mae’n rhaid bod y rhan fwyaf ohonom yn dychmygu rhywbeth tebyg i ddwy sach binc, yn ehangu a chrebachu, drosodd a thro. Mae’n ddiddorol i ddysgu nad oes nerfau yn yr ysgyfaint. Diddorol, a hefyd brawychus, oherwydd does ddim ffordd i wybod fod yna niwed i’r ysgyfaint os nad fod symptomau eraill hefyd yn bresenol. All afiechydon aros yn yr ysgyfaint heb eu darganfod am flynyddoedd, ac erbyn iddynt ymddangos, mae hi rhy hwyr am driniaeth. Efallai nad ydi triniaeth yn bosib.

Rhai o’r pethau sy’n medru effeithio ar iechyd ein hysgyfaint yw llygredd aer, ysmygu, a heintiau ffwngaidd. Mae’r cysylltiadau rhwng ansawdd yr aer, ac effeithiau hyn ar ein hiechyd, wedi ei astudio a’u profi niferoedd o weithiau. Ceir llygredd yn yr awyr agored. Ceir hefyd llygredd dan do, a tydi’r ail bwynt yma ddim yn cael eu hystyried digon aml. Y faith fod rhywbeth yn ein cartrefi yn medru bod yn llygredd, ac yn llygreddu ein cyrff, heb i ni wybod, neu heb i eraill eu hystyried fel bygythiad i’n hiechyd.

Mae nifer o afiechydon yn medru cael eu creu gan lygredd ar yr ysgyfaint, gan gynnwys clefydau o’r llwybr anadlu, lle ceir culhad neu rwystrad o’r llwybrau anadlu i fewn i’r ysgyfaint; clefydau meinwe’r ysgyfaint, lle mae niwed i’r meinwe yn golygu na allai’r ysgyfaint ehangu’n iawn, ac felly yn rhwystro faint o ocsigen all ddod fewn i’r ysgyfaint; clefydau cylchrediad yr ysgyfaint, sy’n effeithio pibellau gwaed yr ysgyfaint ac yn gwneud i rwyun deimlo’n fyr o wynt o hyd.

Dyma archwiliad pellach i’r hyn sy’n effeithio ar ein hysgyfaint, a sut mae hyn wedi newid dros amser. Sylwch fy mod i’n defnyddio’r gair newid, nid ‘gwella’. Awn yn ôl rwan i’r ‘70au i ddysgu am lwch, a’i effaith ar yr ysgyfaint, ac ar y cartref. Dyma ein gohebydd o’r gorffenol, i ddweud mwy.

Mae ithfaen yn massive.
Hynny yw, nid oes strwythur mewnol ganddo.
Carreg ddi-strwythur, carreg all ei fowldio
i unrhyw siap neu faint
o dan y pwysau cywir.

Mae angen strwythyr mewnol
i fod yn hyblyg.
I newid a chymeryd siap unigryw
nid un sy’n cael
ei ddewis
yn ddynol.

Ond mae ithfaen yn gwybod ei werth.
Daw cryfder yn ei ronynnau mân
a gyda’r rhain
daw dial.

Gwenithfaen, neu ithfaen, sydd yn cael ei fwyngloddio yn chwarel Penmaenmawr. Mae ithfaen yn garreg igneaidd, galed, ac asidig. Hwn yw un o’r creigiau fwyaf pwysig ar gyfer adeiladwaith, oherwydd ei fod yn galed ac yn medru gwrthsefyll pwysau. Mae carreg igneaidd wedi ei ffurfio o fagma o ganol y ddaear, ac mae’r magma yn cynnwys nwy a mwynau, sydd wedi eu crisialu. Dyma’r unig wahaniaeth rhwng mwynau a cherrig eraill, sef fod mwynau wedi ei crisialu. Cred rhai bod crisialau yn medru dylanwadu ar y corff, iechyd, ac emosiynau. Mae cwarts rhosyn, amethyst, neu labrodit, i gyd efo’i galluoedd iachusol eu hynain. Fe all crisialau nadu afiechydon neu orbryder, a dod â chariad neu gryfder i’r rhai sydd yn eu defnyddio yn gywir. 

Mae crisialau ithfaen, felly, yn rhai sydd yn medru dylanwadu ar ein cyrff a’n meddyliau. Tybed a yw hynny’n wir o’r crisialau ym Mhenmaenmawr? Dewch i ni holi rhai o drigolion y pentre.

Dyma chi rwan, Mrs Owen sydd yn byw mewn tŷ cyngor gerllaw’r chwarel. Mi ofynnodd ein gohebydd os ydi hi’n credu mewn galluoedd iachusol yr ithfaen. Ar ôl iddi sychu ei dagra’, fe ddwedodd hi rywbeth wrthym na allwn ni ei rhoi mewn print, ond nid oedd yn gyfeillgar, na chwaith yn ymddangos eu bod hi’n credu yng ngalluoedd y crisialau. Fe ofynwn a fysa’n bosib i ni ddod i fewn i’r tŷ, i gael golwg ar sut mae byw mor agos i’r garreg pwerus yma’n effeithio ar fywydau’r trigolion.

Roedd hi’n amlwg o’r cychwyn un bod y ddynas yma ddim ’di llnau’r tŷ, oherwydd bod haen drwchus o lwch dros bopeth. Mae’n rhaid ei bod hi wedi bod yn diogi, neu yn gwneud gweithgareddau anaddas tu allan i’r cartref, yn hytrach na chadw tŷ mewn ffordd barchus. Wrth iddi dollti tê i’n gohebydd, sylweddolon nhw fod haen fach o lwch yn arnofio yn y tê. Roedd rhaid ei yfed, er mwyn bod yn gwrtais, ond nid oedd blas da arno.

Allan yn y chwarel gerllaw, clywsom fod Mr Owen yn gweithio gyda’r ithfaen yn ddyddiol. Yn ddiweddar mae Mr Owen wedi bod yn dioddef gyda pheswch trwm, a gan fod nifer o’i gymdogion hefyd yn pesychu, mae’r gymuned yn poeni fod rhywbeth yn ‘mynd o gwmpas’. Swydd Mr Owen yw torri’r cerrig ithfaen o’r chwarel yn fân iawn, er mwyn iddynt gael eu hallforio i’r Almaen, lle fyddent yn cael eu defnyddio i adeiladu’r autobahn. Nid oes terfyn cyflymder ar y lôn arbennig honno, ac felly mae ceir yn medru teithio yn gyflym a rhyddhau fwy o fwg a mygdarth i’r atmosffer. Pan ofynwyd i Mrs Owen beth oedd ei barn hi ar hyn, gofynodd i ni adel ei thŷ, a ni chynnigodd ail baned i ni.

Nid ydym, felly, yn agosach at wybod sut mae’r crisialau yn effeithio ar drigolion y pentref arbennig hwn.

O dan y ddaear
tân y ddaear
golau canwyll
neu lamp
llygaid yn addasu –
â’r dynion i lawr i’r tywyllwch.
Yma mae cyrff budr yn cyffwrdd
ac aer llychlyd yn cuddio
ymysg y duwch.
Darnau carreg, llechan
yn chwyrlïo
fel llwch diniwed y cartref
croen, bwyd, cwsg
llwch corfforol, sy’n pydru
a diflannu.
Yn yr ysgyfaint
mae llwch yn eistedd yn drwm

Mae pobl wedi bod yn mwyngloddio ers cannoedd o flynyddoedd. Deunyddiau caled sydd yn cael eu hechdynnu o’r ddaear, a hynny gan amlaf yn cael ei wneud gan ddynion ers yr oes ddiwydiannol, ond hefyd cyn diwydiannu gan ferched, phobl anneuaidd, a phlant ifanc. Yng Nghymru mae hanes eang o fwyngloddio, gan gynnwys glo, ond hefyd metalau gwerthfawr fel plwm, aur, sinc, arian a chopr. Fydd pawb yn gyfarwydd gyda hanes Cymry a mwyngloddio llechi, sydd yn rhywbeth gwerthfawr hyd at heddiw, gyda sawl pwll llechi ar agor i’r cyhoedd er mwy dysgu straeon y chwarelwyr yma.

Roedd perthnasau cadarn rhwng y dynion yn y chwareli. Oherwydd yr oriau maith mewn tyllau bach, tywyll, mi fysa rhaid cael rhywfaint o ymddiriedaeth yn eu gilydd, a dealltwriaeth o’u cyd-weithiwr, gan fod bywydau ei gilydd yn dibynnu ar hyn. Yn aml mi fysa chwarelwyr yn cyd-sefyll gyda’i gilydd yn erbyn pob math o rwystrau, a phawb yn gwybod eu lle a pwy oedd eu cynghreiriaid. Fysa’r chwarelwyr hyn yn partneru efo’r rhai iau er mwyn dysgu iddynt sut i [gyd]weithio. Yn aml mi fysa perchennog y chwarel yn talu’r chwarelwyr ar sail eu hallbwn, yn hytrach na thalu pawb yn gyfartal, ond mi fysa rhai o’r dynion yn rhannu eu cyflog ymysg ei gilydd yn deg, ac wrth gwrs, glowyr oedd ymysg y rhai cyntaf yn y wlad i gyd-drefnu a chreu undebau, i amddiffyn eu hamodau gwaith a chymdeithasol.

Mi fydd nifer o hynafiaid y darllenwyr yn rhan o’r naratif hon am chwarelwyr, nid oherwydd unrhyw ddathliad ohonynt ar sail eu llwyddiannau yn creu undebau neu amodau mwy diogel i chwarelwyr y dyfodol, ond oherwydd yn fwy diweddar daw hanes gwahanol am fwyngloddio i’r golau. O chwarel, daw llwch. Mae’r llwch wedi eistedd yn ysgyfaint y chwarelwyr yma am flynyddoedd. Silica yw enw’r sylwedd sydd o fewn cerrig o bob math, sy’n troi yn bowdwr mân all ymdreiddio i’r ysgyfaint. Arweinir hyn at lid, a ffibrosis. Does ddim ffordd i ddad-wneud y difrod yma i’r ysgyfaint, ond mi fysa wedi bod yn bosib ei rhwystro.

Mae’r silica yma wrth gwrs yn rhan o’r ithfaen a gafwyd ei fwyngloddio ym Mhenmaenmawr. Mae briwsion y graig yn y tebot, a’r haenau o lwch yn y tŷ, ei flas yn yr awyr, y llygredd peryglus hyn. Dyma ein gohebydd o’r gorffenol, sydd rwan gyda thipyn fwy o wybodaeth am y niwed gwneir llwch ar yr ysgyfaint. Awn drosodd atyn nhw.

bod yn fyr o wynt
trafferth gydag ymarfer corff
blinder
pesychu heb gynhyrchu unrhyw beth
lliw anarferol i’r hyn sy’n cael ei gynhyrchu, fel arfer du neu lwyd
llid
dicter
diffyg rheolaeth dros eich amgylchedd
diymadferthedd
iselder
ysgyfaint sydd yn pydru
ysgyfaint sydd ddim yn gartrefol
ysgyfaint sydd angen gadael eu corff
ysgyfaint sydd yn garcharor
ysgyfaint na ellir newid, rhyddhau, na glanhau
ysgyfaint na fydd byth yn iach nac yn berchen i chi bellach

Pwy sy’n berchen ar eich ysgyfaint? Cwestiwn rhyfedd ar y naw, i rai, ond i drigolion stâd fach o dai cyngor ym Mhenmaenmawr, cwestiwn hynod o berthnasol. Os nad ydach yn berchen ar gartref eich hun, digon bosib nad ydych yn berchen ar eich ysgyfaint chwaith. Beth felly mae’n ei olygu, i fod yn berchen ar ein cyrff? Pa hawliau sydd gennym ni dros be sy’n digwydd iddo, tra bod ni’n fyw? Tydan ni ddim yn cael dewis, er enghraifft, lle cawn ni ein geni. Hefyd does ddim bob tro dewis ar le i weithio, chwaith. Dyma’r sefyllfa i rai o drigolion pentref Penmaenmawr, wrth i’r dynion mynd i weithio yn y mwynglawdd cerrig, a’r merched aros adra i llnau haenau o lwch oddi ar bob modfedd o’u cartrefi cyngor, dwy neu tair gwaith bob dydd. Does dim hoel llnau ar y lle, dim ond hoel llwch. Mae blas llwch yng nghegau’r trigolion. Mae’r llwch yn eu bwyd, ar eu dillad. Ac yn eu hysgyfaint.

I drigolion y pentref yma, lle mae plant yn chwara’ yn ddiniwed ar y strydoedd, y gwŷr yn mynd i’w gwaith yn ddyddiol, a gwragedd yn llnau eu tai heb gwyno, mae gelyn tawel yn ymdreiddio i bopeth. Mae o’n medru bod mor fân a’i fod yn anweledig. Mor ddi-arogl fel ei fod yn cael ei anadlu heb i neb sylwi. Mor ddi-flas ei fod o’n cael ei fwyta.

Powdr carreg.

Mae’r silica yn y powdr carreg yma yn creu afiechyd. Silicosis yw enw’r afiechyd. Does dim ffordd i’w drîn nac i’w wrthdroi. Er sawl cwyn i’r chwarel a’i berchennog, does dim ateb wedi cael ei gynnig o sut a pham mae hyn wedi digwydd, ac nid ydi hi wedi bod yn bosib i’n gohebydd ni cael mynediad i’r chwarel heddiw.

Siaradwyd gyda rhai o’r trigolion, a hoffem i ni gadw eu henwau yn anhysbys, er mwyn osgoi cosb gan eu cyflogwyr, felly dyma eu geiriau nhw heb ddatgelu eu hunaniaeth.

“Dwi’n deffro yn y nos yn chwys doman. Dwi’n methu cysgu ond dwi mor flinedig. Mae ‘nghoesau i’n chwyddo, a dwi’n tagu a thrio dal fy ngwynt bob munud o’r dydd. Ond mae’n rhaid i fi dal i weithio, er mwyn ennill pres i’r teulu. Mae rhai o’r dynion eraill yn y chwaral yn tagu, a dwi’n gweld hoel du ogwmpas eu llygaid, ond does neb yn siarad am y peth yn uchel. Da ni gyd just yn cario mlaen neud be sydd angen ei wneud.”

Mae symptomau silicosis yn ymddangos blynyddoedd ar ol i’r unigolyn ddod mewn cysylltiad â’r silica. Efallai fod y symptomau yn ymddangos ymhell ar ol iddynt adael y chwarel. Dyma pam fod hi wedi cymeryd cyn hirad i greu’r cysylltiad rhwng y llwch a’r afiechyd, yn ôl rhai. Mae eraill yn mynnu na nid y chwarel sydd ar fai o gwbwl, ond diffyg ymarfer corff a bwyd iach. Onid yw gweithio yn y chwarel yn ymarfer corff? Onid yw bwyd gyda haen o lwch arno yn afiach?

Dros amser, ni fydd rhywyn sy’n dioddef o’r afiechyd yn medru cerdded i fyny ac i lawr y grisiau. Bydd rhai yn gaeth i’w tai. Bydd rhai yn methu gadael eu gwelyau. Yn y pendraw, mae’n debygol iawn y bydd yr afiechyd yma yn eu lladd.

Os ydach chi, neu unrhyw un rydych yn agos ato, wedi dioddef gyda silicosis, mae modd hawlio iawndal. Er mwy hawlio iawndal, mae’n rhaid gwneud cais drwy’r llys. Er mwyn gwneud hyn, mae’n rhaid ymchwilio’r gyfraith a dysgu fwy am eich hawliau, a chyflogi cyfreithiwr. Er mwyn gwneud hyn, mae’n bwysig eich bod yn gweithio er mwyn ennill arian, a ddim yn gorwedd yn y gwely yn cwffio gyda’ch holl egni dros bob anadl.

Mae ein gohebydd yn gadael Penmaenmawr gyda chalon drom. Ac, efallai, ysgyfaint sydd hefyd yn drymmach nac yr oedd, cyn iddynt anadlu aer y chwarel.

Yng ngraidd y ddaear
mwyngloddwyd amdano
i greu tai, lonydd
batris ffonau symudol.
Caewyd y chwareli,
rhai am byth
a rhai ar sgrechiadau
a chyrff
y plant anfonwyd lawr
yn erbyn eu hewyllys.
Collwyd fwy nag ysgyfaint
er mwyn cael iPhone 16.

Er bod sawl pwll glo a chwarel lechi wedi eu cau dros Gymru, a’r byd, mae’r nifer o fwyngloddiau cobalt yn dal i gynhyrchu yng Nghongo. Mae’r cobalt yma’n cael eu defnyddio mewn batris ceir, ffonau symudol, ac mewn gwirionedd unrhyw fatri sy’n medru cael ei ail-wefrio. Yn Ne America mae mwyngloddiau lithiwm, metal meddal sydd hefyd yn cael ei ddefnyddio mewn batris gallid ail-wefrio. Drwy greu ateb sydd ar yr arwyneb yn eco-gyfeillgar, mae’r effaith o dan wyneb y ddaear yn ddinistriol mewn ffordd wahanol iawn. Dinistrio bywydau, yn hytrach na’r amgylchedd, mae’n wir. Ac mae bywyd yn blaned hefyd.

Ni allwn adrodd ar chwareli a mwyngloddi heb gydnabod fod plant a phobl, a’r rheini yn bobl sydd wedi eu caethiwo, yn mwyngloddio am gobalt yng Nhongo a lithiwm yn Ne America ar hyn o bryd, wrth i’r geiriau yma cael eu teipio.

Rwan, cawn symud i’r reel nesa, bydd gyda neges a phwnc gwahanol.

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Mae tai sy’n berchen i un person ond gyda rhywun arall yn byw ynddynt, yn rhywbeth sy’n eang ar draws Gymru, a’r byd. Er bod rhai o’r tai yma’n wag, mae rhai yn llawn bywyd, gyda theuluoedd neu unigolion, neu ffrindiau neu bartneriaid, yn byw eu bywydau ynddynt. Weithiau ceir sawl cenhedlaeth yn rhannu’r un tŷ. Weithiau, nid unigolyn sy’n berchen ar yr adeilad, ond sefydliad, cwmni, neu gyngor sir. Mae hyn yn codi nifer o gwestiynau o ran pwy sy’n gyfrifol am gynnal y tai yma.

Yn aml, gweler ein gohebydd fod y rhain yn adeiladau sy’n cael eu trwsio, nid eu cynnal. Hynny yw, os oes mater difrifol o’i le gyda’r tŷ, bydd hyn ar adegau yn cael ei ddatrys, yn enwedig os ydi o’n rhywbeth sy’n effeithio’r adeilad eu hun, fel difrod i’r to neu i’r waliau, ond yn llai tebygol os ydi o’n rhywbeth sy’n effeithio’r trigolion, fel boilar sydd ddim yn gweithio’n iawn, neu lwydni du ar y waliau. Er mwyn trwsio’r tai yma, mae’n rhaid i’r broblem gychwyn, yna mynd digon drwg i fod werth yr ymdrech o gysylltu gyda landlord neu berchennog, i ddadlau’r achos, ac yna aros am ateb neu ymateb. Anaml iawn daw hyn yn brydlon, nac yn hawdd. Ceir hefyd yr ofn: os nad ydynt yn cael ei gweld fel tenantiaid da a ffyddlon, ac yn cadw’n ddistaw am yr hyn sy’n mynd o’i le efo’r eiddo, efallai bydd y landlord yn penderfynu mae’r peth haws i neud fysa cael gwarad ar y tenantiaid eu hunan, yn hytrach na newid boilar neu osod ffan newydd.

Cei hefyd y broblem o orfod amddiffyn yr achos, oherwydd bod tueddiad i’r landlord mynnu mae’r rhentwr sydd ar fai, am beidio rhoi’r gwres ymlaen digon aml neu agor ffenestri. Ac eto, mae hyn yn anwybyddu’r natur gylchol o’r broblem, sef os nad wyt yn medru prynu tŷ, neu os wyt yn rhywun sy’n gorfod dibynnu ar dai cymdeithasol, dwyt ti ddim yn angenrheidiol yn rhywun sy’n medru rhoi’r gwres ymlaen am oriau yn ddyddiol, heb boeni am y biliau. Yn y cylch dieflig yma rhaid hefyd gwestiynu pam ddylsa rhywyn sy’n byw mewn tŷ perchennog preifat, cyngor, neu gymdeithasol, rhoi gymaint o ofal iddo a fysan nhw i’w tai eu hunain. Oes ddisgwyl iddynt fuddsoddi arian na welan nhw mohono eto, er mwyn cymeryd gofal o adeilad rhywun arall? Ac os ydi’r adeilad yma yn incwm i rywyn, efallai ddylsa’r cyfrifoldeb o gynnal yr adeilad yna hefyd fod yn gyfrifoldeb y perchennog.

Felly mae’r cylch yn troi, ac yn gannol y llaith a’r llwydni mae trigolion y tai yma yn ddi-gartref, oherwydd nid eu tŷ nhw ydi hwn, a does ddim rheolaeth ganddynt dros yr amgylchedd maen nhw’n gorfod byw ynddo. Os does ddim dewis a dim rheolaeth dros le maen nhw’n cael byw, tydi hyn ddim yn rhyddid na chartref. Be sydd ganddynt ydi cyfeiriad, ac mewn cylch arall o gyfeiriad, cyfrif banc, swydd/lle i flaendalu arian, dyma beth sy’n cael ei ystyried yn bwysig. Nid cartref, rheolaeth, ac iechyd, ond cyfeiriad, cofnodion, cyfrifon.

Dyma gylch arall. Dan ni’n byw o fewn y tŷ, ac mae ein hysgyfaint yn byw o fewn ein cyrff. Mae’r tŷ yn llaith ac yn llawn llwydni du. Mae ein hysgyfgaint ni’n llawn llaith a llwydni du. Mae’n iechyd yn creu iselder, a diffyg egni i ffonio bob dydd i ddadlau’r achos. Diffyg egni a chymhelliant i lanhau. Tydi’r perchennog ddim yn byw yn y tŷ. Mae eu hysgyfaint yn iach. Pob dydd, maen nhw’n mynd adra i’w tŷ eu hynan, gyda’r gwres ymlaen a’r waliau a’r silicôn ogwmpas y bath yn wyn.

Awn draw rwan at ein gohebydd sydd tu fewn i feddyliau’r landlord. Dyma’r sefyllfa, yn ôl nhw:

Maen nhw’n cael galwad arall gan rentwr y tŷ, ac yn ochneidio. Maen nhw’n meddwl: mae angen i’r bobl yma ofalu’n well am fy eiddo i. Mae angen iddynt lanhau a glanhau, ag agor ffenestri a rhoi’r gwres ymlaen a glanhau, a chadw’r lle mewn cyflwr da er bod o ddim wedi cael ei adael iddynt mewn cyflwr da, ac os oes yna broblem dwi’n disgwyl iddynt ddelio gyda fo a ddim gofyn i fi wneud. Dyma eu gwaith a’u dyletswydd nhw rwan. Fy ngwaith i ydi prynu tai, a chael eraill i fy nhalu’n fisol am yr hawl i fyw yna. Nid dod i edrych ar ôl y tai iddynt! Eu gwaith nhw yw cadw’r tŷ fel darn o gelf, i neud yn siwr nad oes hoel byw arno, i gadw’r lle fel newydd, ac os oes unrhyw dystiolaeth eu bod wedi byw yma unwaith maent yn gadael, wel, fydd rhaid iddynt fy nhalu’n ychwannegol am hyny. Tydi’r rhent ddim yn talu am hyny. Efallai os byddaf yn codi’r rhent, fe allaf gyfiawnhau gwneud bach o waith cynnal a chadw. Dyna syniad!

Felly, mae’r pres gan y rhentwyr yn llenwi ei bocedi. Ac mae llwydni du yn llenwi eu hysgyfaint nhw. Dyma’r blaendal, dyma’r cyfnewid, am gartref, am ddiogelwch.

A rwan dyma’n gohebydd sydd yn medru siarad iaith y llwydni du. Beth sydd gan hwnw i’w ddweud?

Dwi’n caru bod mewn llefydd llaith
mae bywyd yn creu amgylchedd perffaith
i fi ddatblygu.
Coginio, cael cawod, anadlu –
mae’r lleithder mor flasus
ga’i symud i fewn yn syth?

Mae’r gohebydd yn ofni braidd, ar y pwynt yma, oherwydd mae’r llwydni wedi cynhyrfu’n lân, a tydi o ddim i weld yn sylwi faint o ddifrod a straen mae’n creu i bobl. Dros waliau a nenfwd y gegin a’r stafell molchi mae’r llwydni wedi lledaenu, ac mae’n tyfu gwreiddiau dyfn. Hyd yn oed wrth lynu i’r arwynebau, mae dal i ryddhau sborau allan, os ca’i ei ‘styrbio. Felly, mae’n medru bod mewn sawl lle ar unwaith – ar y wal, yn yr aer, ac mewn ysgyfaint. Dyma gartref y llwydni. Mae o’n gofyn i ni eu cynnal drwy goginio heb roi’r ffan echdynnu ymlaen. Ond tydi’r ffan heb gael ei adnewyddu ers blynyddoedd, ac yn llawn saim, ac yn gwneud fwy o dwrw nac ydi o gwahaniaeth. Pan symudodd y tenantiaid blaenorol allan, ddaru’r perchennog ddim edrych ar y ffan, nac ystyried ei amnewid, neu gael siarcol newydd iddo er mwyn ei gynnal. Tydi amnewid y ffan ddim yn uchel ar restr blaenoriaethau’r perchennog.

Gadawa ni y preswylydd, y perchennog, a’r llwydni, i drafod ymysg ei gilydd, ond ym marn y gohebydd gostyngedig yma, does ddim llawer o obaith y bydd y tair yn medru cyd-fyw yn hamddenol yn y dyfodol agos.

Rho faneg wen ymlaen
sycha fys dros bob arwyneb
a phaid dangos dy ffieidd-dra
pan ddaw o nôl yn ddu.
Rho farc wrth fy enw
cofnoda’r ffasiwn stad
sydd ar y lle ma.
Be mae’r ddynas ma di bod yn neud
trwy’r dydd?

Sgubo, hwfro, mopio
tacluso, cadw, twtio
mae’r adeilad yma’n gartref
i’w gadw’n ddiogel. Mae’n ddiogel
cael glendid, arwyneb hylendid
er mwyn gwarchod ein plant
ein teulu
ein enwau da.

Mae’r cwestiwn o bwy sy’n gyfrifol am llnau’r tŷ yn un na chai ei ofyn yn aml. Ond rydym yn gofyn heddiw i drigolion sawl cartref, dros ardaloedd ac amseroedd gwahanol. Dyma rhai o’u hatebion nhw, sydd wedi eu crynhoi a’i golygu er mwyn darllen yn haws ac i fod yn fwy cyson. Hoffwn ofyn i chithau ystyried y cwestiwn hwn, yn eich amser eich hun. Mae lle ar ddiwedd y tudalen i gofnodi eich atebion.

Mae Mr Parry o rif 6, sy’n byw mewn rhes o dai cyngor ym Mhenmaenmawr yn y ‘70au, yn sicr ei fod yn gwybod yr ateb, ac yn ei gynnig hyd yn oed cyn i’n gohebydd ni orffen gofyn. Y ddynas sy’n llnau’r tŷ. Tydi o erioed wedi llnau yn ei fywyd, ac yn sicr ddim yn bwriadu cychwyn rwan. Gan fod o allan yn gweithio ac yn ennill pres, er mwyn cadw’r teulu, a thalu’r biliau, cyfrifoldeb ei wraig ydi gwneud cartref iddyn nhw, a’i gadw’n lân. Mae’n adlewyrchu’n ddrwg arno os nad ydi hi’n llwyddo i wneud hyn.

Mae’r llwch sydd yn gorchuddio pob modfedd o’i gartref, y llwch mae ei wraig yn llnau oddi ar bopeth bob dydd, yn cael ei greu gan y peiriannau mae o’n ei defnyddio yn y chwarel. Ysgwyd ei ben ‘wnaeth Mr Parry pan sonwyd ein gohebydd ni am hyn.

Awn drosodd rwan i’r 2020au. Mae Ms Brown yn byw mewn tŷ wedi ei rentu yng Nghaernarfon, ac yn meddwl ddylsa pawb yn y cartref sydd yn medru pigo cwpan budur i fyny, helpu gyda’r llnau. Tydi hi ddim yn anodd mynd a’r gwpan i’r gegin a’i rhoi yn y peiriant golchi llestri, yn enwedig os ydi’r person yna ar y ffordd i’r gegin beth bynnag! Rhan fwyaf o’r amser, mae pawb yn ei thŷ hi yn cytuno efo hyn. Ond, pan mae’n dod at ddefnyddio cemegau cryf neu llnau’r ystafell molchi, mae’n well gan Ms Brown beidio gofyn i’w phlant neud hyny. Gan fod ddim ffenast yn yr ystafell a tydi’r ffan ddim yn gweithio yn effeithiol, ceir llwydni du ar y nenfwd a’r waliau, yn y silicon rownd y bath a chawod, ac weithiau ei arogl ar y tyweli a dillad sy’n cael eu gadael yn yr ystafell.

Pan ofynodd ein gohebydd pa mor aml mae hi’n llnau’r ystafell yma, mae hi’n deud fod o’n amhosib gorffen, gan nad ydi o byth yn hollol lân oherwydd y llwydni. Gofynnodd wedyn os ydi’r landlord yn bwriadu dod i ddifa’r llwydni ei hun. Atebodd hithau na’i chyfrifoldeb hi ydi hyny, yn ôl yr unigolyn yma sy’n berchen ar ei chartref hi. Mae hi eisiau symud, ond yn poeni fod y llwydni du yn mynd i fod yn rheswm iddo gadw’r blaendal, ac felly ni fysa’n bosib iddi dalu’r blaendal ar y tŷ nesa. Mae hi’n gaeth i’r eiddo yma.

Doedd ei landlord hi ddim ar gael, ond fe lwyddodd ein gohebydd siarad gyda rhywun arall sy’n berchen ar sawl tŷ, ac yn eu rhentu. Fe ofynwyd iddo pwy sy’n gyfrifol am gael gwared a’r llwydni yn y tai mae o’n berchen arnynt. Fel Mr Parry yn y ‘70au, roedd o’n brydlon gyda’i ateb, ac yn hyderus iawn mae’r bobl sy’n byw yn y tŷ sy’n hollol gyfrifol am eu hamgylchedd. Pan ofynwyd a ydi’r sefyllfa’r un peth mewn achos o lwydni du, rowliodd ei lygaid a deud ‘mond agor y ffenast a rhoi’r gwres ymlaen sydd isho!’. Mae’r landlord yma’n sicr fod bosib osgoi llwydni, a hefyd cael gwared ohono. Ydi’r llwyni, felly, yn dod i fewn ac allan drwy’r ffenast, ac yn mynd i ddenig o’r tŷ cyn bellad a’i fod o’n medru gweld ffenast ar agor?

Roedd distawrwydd angyfforddus rhyngddynt wedi hyny, a daeth y cyfweliad i ben.

Yn anffodus, tydi’n ymchwil ni ddim wedi llwyddo i ateb y cwestiwn heddiw, ac mi fydd yn rhaid dyfalbarhau, os rydym am ddarganfod yr atebion.

Organeb sydd yn cael maeth gan organeb arall, unai drwy fyw arno neu drwy fyw o’i fewn o, yw paraseit, parasit, neu arfilyn. Oherwydd ei fod yn defnyddio gymaint o enwau, does ddim ffordd pennodol o ddynodi pwy neu beth yn union sy’n medru cael eu hystyried yn barasit. Yn aml iawn mae’r paraseit yn dibynnu ar y gwesteiwr i wneud y gwaith caled o gasglu bwyd, darganfod lle diogel i aros, ac wrth gwrs aros yn fyw, er mwyn cadw’r paraseit ei hun yn ddiogel. Tydi’r gwesteiwr ddim fel arfer yn ymwybodol fod ganddynt paraseit, ond mae yna symptomau annweledig, er engrhaifft, poen yn y stumog, blinder, poenau yn y corff a chyhyrau, dioddef o ddiffyg maeth, trafferth cysgu, clensio dannedd yn y nos. Ydi’r symptomau yma’n swnio’n gyfarwydd? Os felly, efallai eich bod yn dioddef o dan baraseit.

Wrth gwrs, nid yw’r paraseit yn gweld ei hun fel dihiryn. Just angen byw ydw i, dyna fysa paraseit yn ei ddweud, wrth iddo dyllu’n ddyfnach i fewn i gorff ei westeiwr. Ond nid oes gan rai baraseitiau ddewis. Mae llyngyr yn llyngyr. Byw o fewn cyrff pobl ac anifeiliaid yw’r unig opsiwn sydd ganddynt. Be am y paraseitiau sydd gydag opsiynau eraill? Be am y landlords, a’r cyflogwyr, a’r system gyfalafol ei hun. Be am y bobl sy’n byw oddi ar y ddaear, y blaned yn westeiwr, ninnau’n arfilyddion.

Y darnau man sy’n casglu
yn y bowlen bren,
arian, pres, copr, nicel
fflachlwch yn y ddysgl
wrth iddo deithio o law i law.
Y powdr man sy’n casglu
yn yr ysgyfaint
glo, llechi, ithfaen, llwydni
lludw yn suddo
i’r meinwe, i’r pibellau, i’r alfeoli.
Y geiriau, brawddegau, a pharagraffau
yn yr erthygl ffeithiol-greadigol,
ysgyfaint, ithfaen, chwarelwyr,
silicosis, mwyn, tik tok,
pwy sy’n llnau y tŷ?
Mae yma gasgliad
ond dim casgliad.

‘Queer’ has many meanings: some negative, some positive, some offensive, some quite loaded and some of great importance to people’s identities. That is partly the point of the term ‘Queer.’ There is no one definition, which is central to the idea of queerness – to defy definition. To consider the ‘Queer rural’ is to of course consider LGBTQ+ people in rural spaces but also the thin line between what is rural and what is urban; what is queer in rural areas and what is queer in urban areas. This too can be applied to the idea of Welshness.

Queer is currently used as an umbrella term for LGBTQ+ and/or a personal label of someone’s sexuality, to mean not heterosexual, or sometimes instead of bisexual or pansexual. ‘Genderqueer’ also shows how queer can be applied to gender as well as sexuality. Of course, each individual who identifies with the term queer will have their own individual reasons – sometimes they may simply find it easier to use than to explain their whole sexuality and/or gender to someone. Queer is a reclaimed slur, meaning it used to be weaponised against the LGBTQ+ community, who now reclaim it to use in an attempt to dispel its negative power. Of course, some people who could use the term ‘queer’ (who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community) choose not to due to its harmful history, or due to their own experiences with the term, especially if it has personally been used against them. This choice is usually respected, in a community where someone’s right to define themselves is all important. 

In Welsh, cwiar is used but with many possible different spellings (like cwiyr or cwïr), and there have been discussions on whether there could be other terms that aren’t a loan word from English. There have also been discussions around many other LGBTQ+ terms, which can be very interesting (and queer) when realising that we can create and adjust these terms ourselves, especially in languages like Welsh, where these terms are still emerging. Both new and historical LGBTQ+ terminology is explored by Luke Blaidd and the Prosiect Llyfr Enfys, while Queering Glamorgan, a research guide by Norena Shopland for Glamorgan Archives, also explores historical terms both in English and Welsh.

Some people don’t like the term ‘queer’ as they see links to ‘queer theory,’ which some people are against (usually through lack of understanding), though in actuality there is not a direct link between the personal use of queer and the academic practice of queer theory. Certainly not everybody in the LGBTQ+ community, and not everybody who specifically identifies as ‘queer’, has read queer theory or has any or much interest in academic writing on queerness. If someone identifies as a part of the LGBTQ+ community it certainly doesn’t mean they’ve studied Michel Foucault. They may be aware of queer theory at its most loose definition, which is to study things through a queer lens (which I myself have applied to Welsh history – or ‘Queer Welsh’ history). Others, of course, are against queer theory and the term queer because they are homophobic and/or transphobic.

Therefore, the ‘queer rural’ means simply to look at the rural world through a queer lens and, for me, to look at LGBTQ+ history in rural areas in Wales. The history I’ll look at will reach the modern day, partly to compare and contrast, and also as I believe that history is being made every day, moment by moment. That certainly applies to Welsh history and LGBTQ+ history, from the Ladies of Llangollen to more recent LGBTQ+ people who’ve moved from urban areas back to rural areas.

The issue of whether to stay in the countryside or move to urban places, either in Wales or outside, to England or further afield, is explored extensively in Welsh culture. It’s also a powerful issue for LGBTQ+ people, who have the additional draw to urban places because of the of gay culture there, and perhaps the additional push away from rural areas due to the lack of acceptance often found there, and in extreme cases, homophobia and transphobia.

Someone who explores this issue well for me, in a way that feels especially similar to my own experiences, is Serenity in ‘Mwy Na Daffs a Taffs’. In this episode, Serenity and the presenter, Miriam Isaac, meet the Northern Irish and non-binary drag queen Blu Hydrangea, who won RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Vs the World, and show her the queer community in Ceredigion. Serenity (aka Chris Jones) hails from a farm near Lampeter, in Dihewyd, performing drag there and all around Wales. Miriam emphasises the contradiction of Serenity, Cwin Ceredigion, the Queen of Ceredigion, being from this farm, as does the footage of her walking through this landscape in drag, and sees her as an ‘arwr go iawn’ – a real hero. Though Serenity has performed in Cardiff, she chooses to stay close to home and push for more events and representation – being ‘the only drag queen in the village.’ The choice to stay and be LGBTQ+ is certainly relatable, despite its difficulties, as both Blu Hydrangea and Meilir Rhys Williams were familiar with that upbringing, being from a rural area of Gwynedd. Through the visits to Lampeter’s Mind’s Eye Venue and rugby club, and to Aberystwyth, Blu Hydrangea sees that the community is welcomed and perhaps that’s possible back home in Northern Ireland.

What Serenity uncovers in Mwy Na Daffs a Taffs is the LGBTQ+ community in Aberystwyth and the more rural town of Lampeter in Ceredigion, and of course shows that someone from a farm like Serenity has not only found an LGBTQ+ community but has helped create their own. However, recently the venue shown in Lampeter where Serenity often performed, Mind’s Eye Venue, has had to close down. Lampeter campus too is having its undergraduate courses moved to Carmarthen, leaving a bleak future ahead for what was formerly Lampeter University. Where there used to be an LGBTQ+ society on campus, there won’t be now. Serenity has also run Drag Collective events from the town community centre, but other than that, there will be little opportunity for LGBTQ+ events to exist without suitable venues. 

I asked Serenity how she feels now about this, and the closing of the venue that is so central to that episode as a place she performs (with Blu, Miriam and Meilir). 

“Since I’ve started doing drag locally I’ve seen such a positive response…and it’s truly made me realise that queer spaces/events are needed in rural West Wales – it’s such a shame to see these venues close but on a positive note I truly believe positivity is key and that we as a queer community will always find a way to create something new to aid each other. The growth I’ve seen within the queer spaces in rural West Wales has been amazing…and I hope it continues to grow, which I’m sure it will.”

Aberration in Aberystwyth is also an excellent example of a rural LGBTQ+ community, who have put on LGBTQ+ events in the town since 2014 (over a decade now), including annual LGBTQ+ History Month events in February. However, this means that LGBTQ+ people in the area have to travel to the largest town nearby (albeit a very LGBTQ+ friendly town) and deal with often limited public transport. This certainly leads to difficulties and a lack of accessibility for some people, and of course makes it easier for those who live in the town to attend the event, as well as for those who can afford to perhaps stay in the town overnight, as often there wouldn’t be much choice for late night travel. Later LGBTQ+ events that occur in some pubs and clubs, such as drag events often starring Serenity, at the White Horse and Yoko’s, would be impossible for some LGBTQ+ people to get to from out of town, or at least very difficult, especially when avoiding drunk driving. 

It is often asked why there is no LGBTQ+ venue in Aberystwyth, the ‘gay capital of Wales’ – a quote penned by Mike Parker, which was apparently ‘confirmed’ by the recent census (and indeed a ‘significant increase’ in Wales as a whole). The difficulties that all venues are facing right now might partly be to blame for the lack of gay venues in Aber. Would LGBTQ+ venues be able to survive in this climate? If they did, it would still leave rural queers with the same issues, but improved transport, in theory, would make it possible for these rural queers to more easily commute to these towns for LGBTQ+ socialising, as well as work, without having to move out of their rural areas. The difficult transport to, from and around Aberystwyth has long been an issue, which will more than likely continue for some time. (Note that Dafydd Gwylon also discusses being gay in Ceredigion, in the 1970s, in Mes Bach a Gwreiddiau.)

What does exist in Aberystwyth is Gayberystwyth Books, an LGBTQ+ bookshop, and Queer Little Space hopes to open in Wales, ran by Ren Williams who has had a Queer Little Shop stall in town and has organised the Pride / Balchder in Aberystwyth for the last couple of years, as well as Aberration’s now more regular, nearly monthly, events around Aberystwyth.

There are also several LGBTQ+ groups that exist in Aberystwyth, such as Aberystwyth Frontrunners, a trans social group, and various Facebook groups. Wrecked was a former social for lesbians and bisexual women in particular. All of these welcome people from the whole Ceredigion area, reaching beyond Machynlleth and across Wales. And of course there’s the Aberystwyth University Pride society, and other societies that are welcoming to LGBTQ+ people. A budding LGBTQ+ community can exist with LGBTQ+ events, nights, groups, and so on, but a safe space is still the ultimate goal. The events can feel few and far between for some, at times, which is especially an issue for mental health, as well as the lack of trans healthcare, with mental health support long being an issue in Ceredigion. In fact, it shines a light on how poor the mental health services are when students who come from other areas note how scant the provisions are – certainly not enough to support the whole local and student population. Additionally, the lack of general understanding around LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people, from health professionals continues to be an issue. (It’s important to mention that Transgender Mid Wales does hold weekly meetings for trans people in Aberystwyth.)

In 2022, S4C made a series of short videos with Pride Cymru of various LGBTQ+ experiences, titled Chwedloni: Pride Cymru. One was Elin Haf’s, who speaks about being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in Aberystwyth, which includes her Nain (grandmother) and her cariad. 

“Dwi’n dod o Aberystwyth. Rhywle hyfryd, man hyfryd yn y byd, sydd yn hwyl a hapus – a hoyw, i fod yn onest.”

“I come from Aberystwyth. Somewhere wonderful, a wonderful part of the world, which is fun and happy – and gay, to be honest.”

This certainly shows the budding LGBTQ+ community there is for those who live in Aberystwyth, though whether that’s accessible to those who travel from Ceredigion and further afield is another question. 

Presenter Owain Williams, from Carmarthenshire, in another ‘Chwedloni: Pride Cymru’ speaks of presenting Pride events, emotionally saying: 

“Os oes crwtyn cefn gwlad, fel o ni, ddim yn siwr le i edrych, bod e’n gallu gweld rhywun, a bod e’n mynd i fod yn oce. I unrhyw blentyn sy’n perthyn y unrhyw adain o’r ymbarel amryliw, bod nhw’n gallu gweld bod pobl LHDTC+ – pobl LHDCT+ Cymreig! – yn bodoli a’n byw bywydau iachus, hapus heddychlon, jyst cymer dy amser, dal yn dynn, mae na fyd o falchder o dy flaen di.”

This emphasises that the representation that exists in cities, like Pride Cymru in Cardiff, is still important to rural LGBTQ+ people. To see themselves in Wales at all is encouraging, even if it’s not always in rural areas. 

The singer and photographer Betsan Haf Evans, who’s created LGBTQ+ Welsh anthems, also speaks of her experiences being from Ceredigion, having her first date with her now wife in Llansteffan (a small Carmarthenshire village), to now championing Welsh-language lesbian representation, like with her song ‘Eleri’ (to her wife) sang at Can i Gymru. Her ‘Chwedloni: Pride Cymru’ also shows her photographing farmers around Wales, one who turned out to be a fan of ‘Eleri’, showing again that there is a thinner line than expected between rural Wales and LGBTQ+ Wales, despite the latter community most often being represented in the city. But perhaps now it’s not a necessity to exist only in an urban environment. As Betsan says: “Be’ sy’n bwysig i fi yw, bod fi’n teimlo nawr, merch o cefn glad i fi, bod dim rhaid i fi rhedeg bant o gartref rhagor.” 

To also consider other counties of Wales, Powys is certainly lacking in LGBTQ spaces, though they had their first Powys Pride in 2022. Since then, there has not been another one, though the group of Powys Pride still exists. A similar story for Pembrokeshire, where I often meet LGBTQ+ people from there outside of the county, in Carmarthenshire or Swansea, but there is now a Pembrokeshire LGBTQ+ group. And what of Ynys Môn, Anglesey? More can be seen of each county specifically, from the historical to today, in the timelines by Norena Shopland (where I also worked on the Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion timelines).

Mike Parker, who has emcee’d for some Aberration events, explores the ‘queer rural’ in On the Red Hill. He draws from his experience of moving to Wales with his partner, specifically to Rhiw Goch (Red Hill) in the countryside outside Machynlleth, as well as the story of Reg and George, an older gay couple who lived in the same area from the 1970s. Their experiences are of escaping the urban gay life, where Reg and George had been illegal; where Mike Parker had more access to gay life, but instead chose to move to rural Wales. Despite there being much less of an obvious LGBTQ+ presence in rural Wales, this book explores how queer life was discovered and embodied by these characters. It therefore portrays a welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community.

He writes, “If the countryside appears at all in gay histories, it is usually only as a place to escape from, and as swiftly as possible. For many of us, that is a pattern that never fitted. Since childhood, the green places have called us the loudest, and although we did the urban thing to burst from the closet, the lure of the rural soon overwhelmed the anonymity of the city.”

However, many other examples of Queer Welsh history shows queer individuals moving from Wales altogether, or to Cardiff and occasionally other Welsh cities like Swansea. This would suggest their experiences of being LGBTQ+ in rural Wales was less than accepting, though there is also the draw of much more queer socialising being available in cities, if not with gay venues, then LGBTQ+ nights, clubs and groups, which are more rare or nonexistent in smaller villages or towns. 

Mike also mentions Illtud Evans, who was expelled from Lampeter University in 1934 for his admitted homosexuality. A decade earlier, Prosser Rhys, from Mynydd Bach, Ceredigion, won the Crown in the Eisteddfod with an explicitly bisexual poem, ‘Atgof’ (Memory), which seems shockingly accepting for the time, but he did experience homophobia from the judges of the Crown who didn’t want his poem to win. Prosser Rhys is discussed in one programme on Clip Cymru thirty years after his death. The queerness is not necessarily mentioned here in 1978 but fellow poet BT Hopkins shares his experiences with Prosser, saying: “Oedd e’n gweud pethau go blaen ac yn ymdrin a rhyw a oedd hynny tipyn bach yn dramgwyddus i lawer.” Interestingly, two sonnets of the poem are performed by a woman, Catherine Gwyn, as is another of his poems, maybe to make the content more palatable coming from a woman, or maybe to make up for the fact that all the speakers in the programme were men.

Of course, this was at a time when homosexuality was illegal in all of the UK, so have things changed now in rural Wales? For example, there has been homophobic hate crime in Lampeter. There are similar crimes in cities of course, and occur more frequently, but the ability to live as openly and freely LGBTQ+ outweighs that risk. Of course, there are also the other draws of cities which exist for everybody else, such as more work opportunities. 

I asked Mike Parker if he had any additional comments he’d make today, five years since the publishing of On the Red Hill. He answered: 

“When OTRH came out in 2019, I remember often presenting it at readings and saying that one of the main reasons for putting out a book that is such a clear record of queer progress was that what goes forward can also stall, or even go backwards, and we were in danger of that happening.  Even as I said it, back in 2019, a little voice in my head would whisper to me that I was perhaps over-stating the problem. Six years on, I know that I really wasn’t. If anything, I was under-stating it.

That said, the growth of queer identities in non-metropolitan Wales since 2019 has been staggering. There have been a stack of local Pride festivals taking place in the last couple of years, including here in Machynlleth. To see Heol Maengwyn, the town’s wide main street, bedecked in Pride flags, and so many of the town’s shops too, was astonishingly moving, and I thought about all the young people in town seeing that, it being normalised, and how for many of them it would be such a positive thing on a deeply personal level, a sign that all might be well for them. How powerful is that?

The staggering growth in queer visibility here has two components: people who were already in the area feeling more comfortable to come out, and those who have latterly moved here, including very many LGBTQ+ people.  There has been a tiny amount of pushback – I’m not on Facebook but I gather there are sporadic grumbles there about Mach’s rainbow nature, but they never amount to much. As well as the town’s Pride festival, which will definitely be back this year, there have been occasional queer nights of entertainment and socialising, even a queer yoga group (how Mach is that?) Reg and George would be absolutely amazed!”

Mike Parker also appears in several clips on Clip Cymru. In ‘Codi Pac,’ a travel show on S4C, he was asked to share some history of Machynlleth, where he concludes that he’s “falch iawn o’r dref ‘ma unigryw, ar ei ben ei hun, lle mae Gwynedd, Ceredigion a Powys yn cyfarfod.” He sees Mach as outside of the county borders – which to me, does sound quite queer in itself, and though I write of LGBTQ+ experiences in different areas and counties in the article, what is indeed needed is less of a border between the different areas, both physically and mentally or culturally. There does not necessarily have to be a choice, for anyone, to live in rural or urban areas, or a specific county or other place. Perhaps queer people especially understand this.

In 1995, ‘O Flaen dy Lygaid: Pum Dyddiadur’ explored lesbians’ experiences, through four women’s stories represented by actors, and one filmed as the diary of an actor herself. The actors included Sue Jones Davies and Iola Gregory – well-known Welsh names – dramatising these experiences, presumably making them appeal more to the average viewer at the time. In the first story, ‘Datblygu’n Hwyr’ (Developing Late), a ‘merch o’r wlad,’ or girl from the country, admits she was possibly naive and didn’t think of her sexuality until her twenties. The actor is shown walking in the countryside as she shares that she always preferred the company of other girls growing up. Despite having a ‘companion,’ she always hid her sexuality but has since learned how she wasted all that time, and the most important thing to her now is being true to herself. She then speaks of the reason behind her fear and secrets – living in a society that is so narrow-minded, so close that everybody knows each other or is related, and in a Welsh society which has old-fashioned views, narrow religious views and tendency to both condemn people and ‘busnesa,’ or gossip. 

The second story perhaps focuses on this point even more, titled ‘Byw yn y Wlad’ (Living in the Country) and starring Sue Jones Davies as an older lesbian living in a rural society. Unlike the first story, she knew she was gay from a young age but didn’t share that with anyone in her small secondary school. She suffered from depression in college, when societal expectations especially weighed on her, and she sought treatment. Despite the possibility of electroconvulsive therapy, a psychiatrist then told her that she should instead live her life, move away to London, Liverpool or Manchester to be able to live as herself. However, she decided to stay and after decades, people stopped asking her when she was getting married, or if there was a man in her life, and understood without her having to say anything. At one point, the word ‘lesbians’ was painted on the road on the way to her house, which she didn’t notice until young men from the village told her. Though she said she didn’t care, she admitted it would be better for her family if it was hidden, and the next day those boys washed it away. Though not everybody accepts her, she learns that by living in a place for a long time, acceptance does come round eventually, and she regrets nothing. In the end, she just wants to be seen as a person, not an issue or a problem, to be embraced as a diverse part of life.

She, and also the lesbian from the third story, ‘Pethau’n Gwaethygu’ (Things Worsening) also mention the condemnation by Welsh society, seemingly of a religious nature. In this story, she passionately criticises this society, even being glad that her friends don’t understand Welsh to hear the shameful things said on Radio Cymru or in the letters to magazines. She doesn’t want to move to England, which is often seen as the only alternative choice, but considers moving to Germany or the Netherlands, where she feels like things are getting better for gay and lesbian people, while things are getting worse in Wales. What could be described as a rant is actually quite a damning indictment on how homophobic Welsh society (particularly Welsh-language society) was at this time. 

“Mae’r gymdeithas Cymraeg mor geidwadol, mor gyntefig, o ran agweddau tuag at ryw a rhywioldeb. A dwi’n ‘i chael hi’n anodd iawn i esbonio i ffrindiau di-Gymraeg, yn enwedig rheiny sydd yn methu deall pam bod cymaint ohono ni lesbiaid Cymraeg ei hiaith heb dod allan.Ond y peth ydy pan i ti’n clywed beth sy’n cael ei ddweud ar Radio Cymru neu mewn llythyron at gylchgronnau Cymraeg ac ati, wel mae’n wneud i ti cywilyddio. A diolch i’r drefn bod mwyafrif pobl Cymraeg a pobl dy’n byw tu allan i Gymru ddim yn deall Cymraeg achos bydden nhw jest yn rhyfeddu. Mae gen i nifer o ffrindiau sydd yn lesbiaid ac yn dynion hoyw sydd jyst wedi torri’u calonnau a symud i fyw i Fanceinion neu i Lundain achos bod yn teimlo bod nhw’n methu byw eu bywyd naturiol yn fan hyn…

Ond wrth bod fi’n mynd yn hŷn ac yn gweld agweddau’n mynd ar eu nol yn hytrach na er eu mlaen yma’n nghymru, mae’r syniad o dorri pob cysylltiad a mynd i byw mewn gymdeithas cwbl wahanol fel Yr Almaen neu’r Iseldiroedd yn apelio fwyfwy ata i. Ac dwi erioed wedi teimlo fel hyn o’r blaen. Achos mae gwreiddiau a pharhad a pherthyn i ddiwylliant a thraddodiad neilltuol wedi bod yn bwysig iawn i fi. Ond mae na bwynt yn dod lle wyt ti’n gorfod cwestiynu’r diwylliant hynny a gofyn a ydy o’n diwylliant gormesol?”

There is also mention of not feeling the need to have children (‘i blanta dros yr iaith’ – to procreate for the language) but recognised this was a concern for Welsh-speaking women, who felt a pressure to have children in order to teach them Welsh. This was therefore an added issue for these rural Welsh lesbians in the 1990s, on top of the already unique issue lesbians were dealing with in the UK, of the threat of their children being taken away if they came out as lesbian or bisexual.

The date of ‘Pum Dyddiadur’ is interesting: two years before the first lesbian kiss on pre-watershed UK TV on Brookside, and shortly afterwards in Pobol y Cwm in 1997. Pobol y Cwm has had many more LGBTQ+ characters, civil partnerships and gay weddings – it is one of the only consistent representations of LGBTQ+ people to Welsh-speaking people, including those in rural places who may not interact that often with the community. It’s also interesting to me that things were getting worse at this point, before the scandal surrounding Ron Davies, which certainly brought out a lot of homophobia and biphobia (Ron Davies later came out as bisexual) in Welsh society, leading to the historian John Davies who came out as gay (or bisexual) to speak against that Welsh homophobia. He had been a warden at Pantycelyn, the Welsh language accommodation of Aberystwyth University, and wished he had come out sooner to be able to speak more honestly to students struggling with their sexuality. 

Norena Shopland, who’s written essential texts on Welsh LGBTQ+ history like ‘Forbidden Lives: LGBT Histories from Wales’, has written a recent chapter for the book ‘Woman’s Wales?’ that explores lesbian experiences since devolution, including of course Section 28. She also highlights historical queer women like Marged ferch Ifan and Cranogwen. In ‘Y Dydd,’ a news programme, Cranogwen is mentioned in 1966 as ‘un o ferched rhyfeddaf yn hanes Cymru’ and though there has been a lot of focus in her history on her being a mariner, this programme does note that that was ‘yn naturiol ddigon’ (natural enough) for a woman from Llangrannog at the time. (I also learned from this clip that though she was famously a temperance activist, she still drank ginger brandy.) Cranogwen’s mentioned in another programme ‘Ar Olwg’ from 1989, featuring historians talking about ‘eccentrics’ of Wales. In what is a gem of a clip to me, the historian John Davies notes Cranogwen as an eccentric in her time;  “Byswn i’n dadlau bod eccentric y genhedlaeth diwethaf efallai yn arweinydd y genhedlaeth hon.” And most significantly, an episode of Mamwlad (which explores Welsh women’s history) focused on Cranogwen, giving more time to her multilayered and fascinating history. Jane Aaron is asked about Cranogwen’s lesbian history (and though there are a lot of LGBTQ+ clips in the archive, they don’t all speak so explicitly about historical figures’ queerness) who speaks of Jane Thomas as ‘cymar bywyd’ Cranogwen, her life partner, who was a ‘cefn iddi,’ supportive to her, while Jane Aaron also speaks of romantic friendship and lesbianism at the time. A statue was unveiled of Cranogwen in Llangrannog in 2023 and of course there was more programming on her history then, focusing on how she still inspires people today.

Also in the 1990s, there was the National Eisteddfod which was held in Aberystwyth in 1992, where there was a gay and lesbian stall for the first time. This was run by CYLCH (Cymdeithas Lesbiaid a Hoywon Cymraeg eu Hiaith – Society of Welsh Speaking Gays and Lesbians), who created ‘Y Ddraig Binc’ magazine, tried to create Welsh language gay spaces and protested over Section 28. However, they faced opposition from local Evangelicals and their stall was vandalised and defecated in. 

Since then, Mas ar y Maes has brought LGBTQ+ experiences to various places in Wales through the National Eisteddfod for some years, including to rural areas that otherwise have no LGBTQ+ events. This has opened up Welsh LGBTQ+ spaces again, sparking invaluable discussions on these issues of being LGBTQ+ in the Welsh language, in rural and urban areas, as well as in Welsh literature. Other efforts for Welsh language LGBTQ+ spaces have come from Llyfrau Lliwgar in Bangor and Cardiff and Paned o Ge and Queer Emporium in Cardiff. But these spaces are still inherently lacking.

Meilir Rhys Williams, mentioned earlier, emphasizes in ‘Mas ar y Maes’ what a difference it is in 2022 when he can appear on the main Pafiliwn stage in a dress and heels, performing with Cabarela. Elin Haf Gruffydd too – who was in CYLCH and just 24 years old in Eisteddfod Aberystwyth, but in 2022 was the chair of the Mas ar y Maes committee – said it’s been ‘trawsnewidiad anhygoel’, a complete transformation. Her friends are now proud to be on the maes and share their love, an experience I can vouch for as I was working on the Paned o Ge stall throughout the Eisteddfod in Tregaron (returning to Ceredigion) in 2022 and did an event there with Aberration. Also shown are comedians Priya Hall and Leila Navabi, who speak of how important this representation is, and the Welsh Ballroom Community who performed on the Pafiliwn too for the ‘Parti Pinc’. Conversations around queer Welsh literature also occurred, led by Gareth Evans-Jones of Llyfrau Lliwgar, music performances, with Lloyd Steele performing a Welsh version of ‘What a Wonderful World’ (‘Mor Hyfryd Yw’r Byd’) and drag story time by drag artist Anniben, reading Seren Orau’r Ser. The episode finishes with presenter Mirian Iwerydd reciting ‘Tyfu Adennyd’ by Megan Angharad Hunter over Lloyd Steele’s music. Certainly a transformation in the representation at the Eisteddfod, and groundbreaking to bring this to rural areas like Tregaron.

Trans representation in rural Wales is increasing too. Historically, Jan Morris and April Ashley have been significant trans figures and pioneers, who lived in rural Wales and were accepted in their rural communities, having positive experiences (April Ashley as the ‘First Lady’ of Hay-on-Wye and Jan Morris being an important Welsh figure). But there is also the isolation and lack of healthcare, especially for those who are less well-off and can’t afford the transition as easily as Jan and April could, making it difficult to stay and live in rural Wales.

Jan Morris of course wrote Conundrum about her transition in the 1970s and lived in Trefan Morys, near Criccieth, feeling a deep affinity to Wales as her father was Welsh, though she was raised in England. In ‘Jan Morris at 80’ she discusses this, her ‘hiraeth’ to live as a woman, and that her most proud moments were being in the Gorsedd and her son, Twm Morys, winning the Chair in the Eisteddfod. April Ashley is included in the archive in clips about Hay-on-Wye, as she moved there after a heart attack in the 1980s, of course after she’d been outed as trans in the 1960s and then had her marriage annulled in 1970, leading to the landmark Corbett vs Corbett case. She too had an Affinity for Wales which she discusses. In the clips of Hay-on-Wye, around the time of the publicity stunt declaring it an independent kingdom, April is shown as the ‘First Lady’ with her tongue-in-cheek quote, ‘If I can change, why can’t Hay?’ Of course, she contrasts greatly with the farmers around Hay in these clips, but is shown as an accepted part of the community. I was fortunate to be given a tour of the recent ‘First Lady of Hay’ exhibition in Hay Castle which explored more of her life and the queer rural, alongside drag queen Billie Charity. 

Lily Jones’ story is told through three documentaries by BBC Wales: ‘Swansea Sparkle: A Transgender Story’, ‘Sweet Sixteen: A Transgender Story’ and ‘Lily: A Transgender Story’. Lily is a young trans woman from near Aberystwyth, with a Welsh-speaking farmer father, and has some of her transition journey shown in this series. Her community and family were supportive, though occasionally misgendered her (using male pronouns when adjusting) or deadnamed, but that shows that some in rural Wales have difficulty adjusting to LGBTQ+ language if they’re unfamiliar with it, especially in their second-language. Her father Huw says, “When I first became aware of it, it was very difficult to take in and I believe that we as a family will now be ridiculed a bit and laughed at quite a bit, I imagine. But [Lily] has our support a hundred percent ‘cause if you can’t support your kids, you’re a very sad person I feel.” ‘Swansea Sparkle’ shows Lily finding a community, though she has to travel from Mid to South Wales to win the ‘Miss Sparkle’ pageant. Lily moves from Wales to Birmingham, as is shown in ‘Lily: A Transgender Story’, as many young people haven’t much choice but to move to somewhere with more opportunities, which is often a more urban area. She finds herself and finds love, and who can begrudge her that? When seeing the face of the lonely, bullied teenager she once was, the transformation to how happy she is now is what is most striking, not the transition itself, though this happiness is because of her transition and the amazing support she received throughout it, with her mother Diane at her side for every appointment. Though there are tears from all of them when Lily moves, Huw knows that it’s “essential for her to leave her previous life behind”. For Lily, “In Aber, a lot of people couldn’t see past my transition. I was this, I was that, I was in a box.” But in Birmingham, “People just see me as a woman walking down the street.” Sometimes, it still is a necessity for LGBTQ+ people to move away to live their lives, though this may be especially true for trans people, with increasing transphobia (including anti-trans stickers around Aberystwyth). At the end of the series, Lily is “very proud of the person I’ve become.”

“Jay-Harley Rees, 28, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, said there were not enough spaces where trans and non-binary people felt safe in small towns and rural areas.” This was posted on Facebook and other social media sites, with the focus on Jay’s comments about rural safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people, though the title on the page is “Trans man says he locked himself away period.” This is possibly to get clickbait views from the hostile discourses about trans people that are common on social media. This article certainly achieved that sort of outrage in its comments, maybe in itself proving that there are not rural safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people (or they are few and far between), and there is a lack of understanding of the need for this all over Wales and indeed the UK. The more progression there is, the more backlash comes with that as well.

Despite the difficulty of staying here, people still do return to Wales or choose to move here. Historically that includes the Ladies of Llangollen, Frances Power Cobbe and Mary Charlotte Lloyd, those who followed the Ladies of Llangollen in Plas Newydd, Cranogwen, Jan Morris to an extent, April Ashley’s temporary ‘escape’ to rural Wales, and Mike Parker. There was also GRAIN i.e. the Gay Rural and Information Network  which, as reported in Gay News (vol. 102), was for gay people living in the country, or who wanted to, and they started around 1976 and lasted about a decade. Of course, Wales was included in this rural network, showing that the desire to return to rural areas is not a recent development.

There is a risk of romanticising rural Wales when talking of returning here, so what about the difficult experiences of LGBTQ+ farmers, who have to come out despite very traditional, heterosexual and cisgender expectations of them? An episode of New Voices from Wales entitled ‘Sharing the Load’ tells Gethin Bickerton’s story as a gay farmer and actor from North/Mid Wales (Dyffryn Tanat) who had struggled with his mental health due to his sexuality. Though he moved to Cardiff to study drama, and found that as a haven, he moved back to the farm during COVID. He came out in Cardiff to friends and family so returned home as an out gay man. Home was a place where he had no gay role models, not even seeing any other gay people exist, and so he decided that he could be that role model to other people. This is also an experience of Welsh queer people, and those who stay in Welsh and rural areas, who then become the role models in the absence of any others. It also shows how when there is no queer representation, we can create it ourselves. Gethin later works with the DPJ Foundation to support mentally ill and struggling farmers. Kate Miles, the charity commissioner, speaks of the importance of farmers’ identity, in that when they lose their work, they also lose their identity. She also says that there is no typical farmer, so of course there are gay farmers and less masculine farmers, those who do not fit into the very heterosexual, masculine standards. This could also be stretched to include the standards of masculinity in rural areas, in Wales and of gender roles altogether.

Today, there are also political tensions between farmers and other communities over funding cuts, inheritance taxes, and continuing issues around farming and funding. Then there is the tension between farmers and environmental and eco spaces in Wales, with more people now having vegan diets. However, farming is vital in Wales and for a sustainable future, especially compared to factory farming, which is what would inevitably replace farms when the land has to be sold over funding issues. These communities need to coexist, working together on the land in different ways. 

Nigel Owens, the rugby referee, is now a farmer who has those discussions. He speaks of his experiences in ‘Nigel Owns: True to Myself’ where his struggle to come out as gay, being from a rural area in Carmarthenshire where he also had no LGBTQ+ representation, led to an attempt at suicide, depression, bulimia and steroid use, before he eventually came out to his family and then publicly. 

“At 18-19 years of age, I was becoming different, I was starting to have feelings for somebody of the same sex as me and this was all alien to me, this was not the way I had been brought up , this is now what I know. And then, that was a very difficult time in my life. I remember doing something for the first time with another guy and I felt sick and physically sick ashamed afterwards of what I’d done. I wasn’t doing well with accepting who I was, you know, I was brought up in a small community in Mynyddcerrig, not really knowing what being gay and not knowing what gay people was, and you’re going back now 20 – 25 years ago, and all of this suddenly was making me depressed, was making me ill.

Everybody knows that Nigel Owens has suffered from depression and tried to kill himself and has been hooked on steroids and has been bulimic and been bullied in school. When everybody knows these personal things, you know, it makes it okay really, because it’s helping people.”

I have worked with the Wales Broadcast Archive to co-host workshops watching LGBTQ+ clips, where I gave people an opportunity to explore the LGBTQ+ content in the archive in workshops in Carmarthen and Swansea. People’s reactions to them were positive, to see experiences they hadn’t seen before, like with ‘Sharing the Load’, and to again watch and discuss LGBTQ+ TV shows they already knew, such as work by Russell T. Davies or the film Pride (which certainly represents a struggle between rural Wales and urban gay community, but ultimately unity and solidarity). For myself, I was surprised by how many LGBTQ+ clips there are in the archive, and how many are also in the Welsh language and representing many LGBTQ+ groups, like trans people, which overall was more than was possible to include in the workshops or in this article. Those who came to the workshops were also asked what was missing and what they would like to see more of. The immediate response was that they wanted to see more of Black people and people of the Global Majority in Wales. The clips that were included and shown in a screening in Swansea were ‘Colonial Gods’ by Dee Rees (for Iris Prize), a Black American lesbian filmmaker, and her documentary on the making Colonial Gods, ‘An American Eye on Butetown.’ They are fascinating and vital watches but of course very urban as well as being an outsider’s view of Wales. While still valuable, these clips show that representation on TV and film is still lacking, and therefore representation is lacking in Clip Cymru and the Wales Broadcast Archive.

Many of the clips featuring LGBTQ+ People of Colour in Wales have also been broadcast after 2017, such as more of Leila Navabi and Priya Hall and their comedy – such as ‘Funny, Gay and Welsh’ about Leila Navabi or ‘Taith i Gaeredin’ (Trip to Edinburgh) which followed Priya, Leila and Melanie Hall on their journey to Edinburgh Comedy Festival. When these stories are shown in the Welsh language, it gives another layer of representation. These kinds of under-represented stories have appeared in recent years on Hansh, though that is often online, so perhaps gets fewer viewers. This however appeals more to younger viewers – which is maybe especially important that these younger under-represented people see themselves on screen, and even in the Welsh language. I hope that continues and also that it will be reflected by the Welsh Broadcast Archive and on Clip Cymru in years to come. 

Also more support is needed in rural areas, from LGBTQ+ charities who are very much focussed in urban areas. When there are vulnerabilities for LGBTQ+ people in rural areas, they can contact those charities, like Galop, Stonewall Cymru, trans charities like Mermaids, but is there enough outreach to rural areas so that all people know of those charities and are able to get that support? Obviously trans people have to travel far for full healthcare and support. Trans Aid Cymru supports trans people in Wales and Glitter Cymru is a group for the Global Majority in Wales, who organise a Glitter Pride every year. These experiences should also be shown in the Wales Broadcast Archive.

‘The Land is Queer’ is an exhibition that highlights the current efforts of finding queerness and queer community in rural areas – alongside a workshop by Skye Kember – at Elysium Gallery & Bar, Swansea, in collaboration with On Your Face Collective. Online workshops are also a way of finding community now when rural, and social media, though then the meetings and exhibitions like this often still have to happen in a city or metropolitan area that is nearby, central or has LGBTQ+ social spaces (or LGBTQ+ friendly spaces, at least).  Elysium has an interesting history as it once was a gay bar, called Champers and OMG!, which now is LGBTQ+ friendly, with many LGBTQ+ events occurring there like by Queer Book Club Swansea, Queertawe and Swanscene. Explicitly LGBTQ+ venues like Main Stage in Swansea have still been short-lived and struggle to exist outside of Cardiff, showing that the focus of gay clubs and venues in Wales very much remains in Cardiff, where they struggle even in other urban areas of Wales, which casts even more doubts on them being able to exist in rural Wales.

What I’ve discussed here is the LGBTQ+ clips in the Wales Broadcast Archive and Clip Cymru, as well as some online, which I feel encapsulate the experience of being LGBTQ+ in Wales – and specifically the queer rural experience in Wales. But there of course exist many more that I haven’t mentioned. Which is great, (a ‘gwd thing’ as we’d say in rural West Wales). As I’ve said, there is still room for more representation, in the Welsh language, of trans people and of the Global Majority in Wales. But what I have seen and discussed certainly represents the experience of growing up in rural Wales while queer, the difficulty of feeling accepted there, of needing to move away, or the struggle to stay.  The clips have shown issues around the Welsh language which compound that dilemma, while also showing people moving to Wales, or back to Wales from gay urban communities. 

It’s become less difficult to be accepted as Welsh LGBTQ+ people in rural areas, and to therefore make a life (or stay in) rural Wales (though there are still barriers with lack of jobs, queer spaces and transport). The pattern may continue of young LGBTQ+ people moving to Cardiff or out of Wales entirely to other urban places where there is work, easier transport and community that is easier to find, with some moving back to Wales later in life to try to make a life there. There is an aspect of self sacrifice for young people who do stay in rural areas, who don’t want to see their communities and language diminish but who are missing out on a community they could be a part of if they stayed. There is also a sacrifice of wanting to live but having to move to the city – so there is no winning for some people, who may always feel torn between the two areas and communities and therefore between different aspects of their own selves. Some of these issues could be fixed with more work, better transport etc. I hope these experiences, and more, continue to be represented in Welsh media, and saved for more to see, now and in our future history, in the Wales Broadcast Archive. With Clip Corners popping up around Wales, you can use them to see yourself represented, or to research further into the issues I’ve brought up here – or simply go watch, or rewatch, some Welsh TV in a quiet corner! 

This audio piece brings together the Welsh bard and enchanter Merlin and his oak in Carmarthen, Wales, and Ramakrishna, a 19^thC cross-dressing saint from Kolkata, whose Kalpataru wish-fulfilling tree granted enlightenment at a time of turmoil under British Imperialism.

Through immersive sound, drama, reportage and interviews, the episode travels through Welsh oak woods and a Ganges temple garden. It also features Lord Byron, Frida Kahlo and German and Italian witches’ oaks. Ghosh is joined by experts Luke Turner, Peter Fiennes, Sabina Stent and UCLA philosopher Swami Medhananda, in a story where the oak tree meets masculinity, empire and spirituality. Listen to the piece here.

This is a pilot episode for Branched Out, a podcast exploring the multicultural history of trees and how they’ve shaped who we are. It reveals unexpected intersections between trees and LGBTQ gender, sexuality and race.