The co-founder and CEO of UK Black Pride spoke at the recent Kaleidoscope Trust’s Annual Parliamentary Reception
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY KOFI PAINTSIL
Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, co-founder and CEO of UK Black Pride, urged the UK government to “go further and go faster” to stand up for LGBTQIA rights across the world. Giving a rousing speech at the Kaleidoscope Trust’s Annual Parliamentary Reception, the iconic activist emphasised the need for the UK to help queer communities being persecuted globally.
While she addressed recent wins for LGBTQIA people in the Cook Islands and Mauritius, Attitude magazine reported that she highlighted that the fight is not over. “There is still a long way to go,” she said.
“The time for waiting is over. People’s lives are at risk,” she continued. “We have seen firsthand all too often what happens to our partners in the global south and east.”
Drawing particular attention to Uganda and the anti-LGBTQIA laws passed earlier this year, Lady Phyll spoke candidly about the reality for the Kaleidoscope Trust’s partners in the country. Due to laws made by the Ugandan government to criminalise same-sex activity this year, some of the Trust’s partners have been forcefully evicted from their homes and have been threatened with violence.
Alongside this news, however, Lady Phyll gave a poignant reminder that there is hope. She pointed to the power of the work that organisations like the Kaleidoscope Trust do to “change policies and legislation as well as hearts and minds.”
She concluded by stressing the importance of the UK government standing up for LGBTQIA rights globally. “We need to make sure that the UK is a leader in this movement. There is no time for waiting because this is about free, safe, and equal lives for LGBTIA people around the world.”
Lady Phyll will be stepping down from the Kaleidoscope Trust at the end of this year to become the CEO of UK Black Pride.
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