Meet the gamechangers blazing a trail for LGBTQIA women and non-binary people
Eight years ago, when DIVA Magazine first launched the DIVA Power List we struggled to find 100 out-and-proud women and non-binary people to make up the numbers. Today we are in the enviable position of having a host of high achievers to choose from, giving us the very difficult task of selecting just 100 for the list. It’s hard knowing that so many have missed out, but what a testament that is to the wealth of talent within our community. DIVA is also delighted to support others in celebrating and elevating LGBTQIA women and non-binary visibility, including Jacqui Rhule-Dagher’s Legally Lesbian 2024 series and UK Black Pride’s incredible CEO Phyll Opoku-Gyimah’s inaugural Black Lesbian List.
The DIVA Power List has become a fundamental part of Lesbian Visibility Week, the time of the year when we can all stand that little bit taller and prouder. Even now, when in the UK we enjoy equality in law for the most part, the achievements of LGBTQIA women and non-binary people are often airbrushed from history. While society quite rightly acknowledges the tireless work of gay men over the past 50 years to banish prejudice, very few women are similarly celebrated. Of course, this has been the case for all women in history, whatever their sexuality, and it’s high time it stopped! So let’s all take the opportunity afforded by Lesbian Visibility Week to celebrate who we are and the trailblazers who came before us.
One of the reasons I founded Lesbian Visibility Week was because I realised that more and more, the L in LGBTQIA was becoming marginalised. I am a proud cis lesbian and a proud trans ally. But many in the LGBTQIA community were beginning to equate cis lesbians with transphobes, which is fundamentally untrue. I want to help create a narrative that shows once and for all that the vast majority of cis lesbians are inclusive. We are intersectional. We want to remove any negative connotations associated with lesbians. This is why, during Lesbian Visibility Week, we celebrate and centre all lesbians, both cis and trans, while also showing solidarity with all LGBTQIA women and non-binary people.
When I became Publisher of DIVA in 2016, I had a vision of DIVA being more than a magazine. I wanted it to be a brand which is the voice of the LGBTQIA community. And while it’s been an incredible eight years of intense work building up “brand DIVA”, I believe, and hope, that I’ve been successful. In the last decade I have launched the DIVA Music Festival, with the iconic Heather Peace, the DIVA Literary Festival, PodDIVA hosted by the L Word’s Rachel Shelley, the DIVA Awards, and finally Lesbian Visibility Week, which has become a global phenomenon! And throughout this time DIVA Magazine has continued to go from strength to strength, championing and celebrating LGBTQIA women and non-binary people, in the UK and beyond. I have some big news on the future of DIVA, which I shall be announcing at the DIVA Awards on 26 April. It’s huge, and it’s going to ensure that DIVA, and the DIVA Power List, is around for another 30 years!
– Linda Riley, DIVA publisher, on the importance of Lesbian Visibility
Find out more about Lesbian Visibility Week at lesbianvisibilityweek.com
CAMPAIGNER
Eva Echo
Activist, writer & public speaker
Eva is a transgender rights and awareness, and mental health activist, as well as a writer and public speaker. She draws on her own experiences as an East Asian trans woman. Eva has given a TEDx talk, titled Exposing Unwritten Rules With Nipples And Pizza Toppings. She is known for taking legal action against NHS England in the High Court, challenging the unlawful waiting times for trans patients. Eva is also director of innovation at both Birmingham Pride and Trans In The City. Eva has previously won a DIVA Award and been recognised by Trans In The City’s awards. She sits on the Crown Prosecution Service’s hate crime panel, and is passionate about workplace allyship, intersectionality and mental health.
Dr Rebecca Crowther
CEO, The Equality Network
Rebecca was appointed chief executive of The Equality Network in January 2024. Dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQIA people across Scotland, she is working towards an inclusive future that creates real and lasting change. She holds degrees from both The University of Edinburgh and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Hannah Bardell MP
Member of Parliament for Livingstone
Hannah has served as the Scottish National Party MP for her hometown of Livingston since 2015. An openly proud lesbian, she currently undertakes the roles of Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Foreign Affairs Team Member) and Shadow SNP Spokesperson (International Development Team Member).
Jayne Ozanne
Chair, UK Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition
Jayne is a gay evangelical who works to ensure full inclusion of all LGBTQIA people, particularly LGBTQIA people of faith. She is the founder and chair of the UK’s Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition, which brings together over 100 organisations which are campaigning for a full ban on “conversion therapy”.
Kate Osborne MP
Member of Parliament for Jarrow
The Labour MP for Jarrow, Kate also serves on the Women and Equalities Committee, the Backbench Business Committee, and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross. An LGBTQIA activist and campaigner, in 2023 Kate made headlines for challenging Kemi Badenoch on her views about transgender children.
Lady Phyll
LGBTQIA political activist
Lady Phyll is the nucleus of the celebration and protest that is UK Black Pride where she serves as Chief Executive Officer. She is a force within UK politics, campaigning publicly as a lesbian and highlighting the importance of intersectionality. Phyll was honoured with the Outstanding Commitment to Diversity Award at the 2023 British Diversity Awards.
Mhairi Black MP
SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Elected in 2015, Mhairi is currently the SNP Deputy Westminster Leader. In 2023, she announced her intention to step down at the next general election, blaming the “toxic” Commons environment. A staunch trans ally, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2023 she spoke about how trans people deserve to live with dignity and happiness. Her debut comedy show will appear at this year’s festival.
Munroe Bergdorf
Model and activist
Munroe is an outspoken model, writer and trans and queer activist who came to the public eye as L’Oreal’s first transgender model in their UK campaign. She co-founded the clubnight Pxssy Palace and her memoir, Transitional, was published in February 2023.
Nadia Whittome MP
Member of Parliament for Nottingham East
Having previously been a care worker and hate crime worker, in 2019 Nadia became the youngest member of the House of Commons, representing her home city as the Labour MP for Nottingham East. She is a socialist and a passionate campaigner against poverty and injustice.
Sue Sanders
LGBTQIA activist & founder, Schools OUT UK
For over 50 years, British LGBTQIA rights activist Sue has challenged all forms of oppression. She is chair of Schools OUT UK, which aims to visibilise LGBTQIA people in all their Diversity. Sue also co-founded LGBT+ History Month and The Classroom, a website which provides resources on LGBTQIA issues for use across the curriculum.
COMMUNITY
Stephanie Fuller
CEO, Switchboard LGBT+
Stephanie (Steph) is the CEO of Switchboard, the National LGBTQIA+ support line, one of the UK’s longest-running charities serving the LGBTQIA+ communities. Steph has led Switchboard through a period of change as the organisation became fully digital, and is now recognised as a nationwide service. Under Steph’s leadership, Switchboard is changing to meet the growing need for its service. It has launched a free phone number and now produces an impact report, Listen Up!, which is a go-to resource for policy- and decision-makers. The charity has launched a new brand identity and website. It celebrated 50 years of community support, with events that included alumni from across the five decades. Steph founded Proud And Palace, the LGBTQIA supporters group of Crystal Palace FC, and chaired Pride In Football, the network of over 50 LGBTQIA football supporters groups across the UK. Steph is also a board trustee of the Palace For Life Foundation, the community foundation for Crystal Palace Football Club.
Danielle St James
Founder, Not A Phase
Danielle founded Not A Phase to support the lives of trans+ adults across the UK. The charity’s Misfits programme helps trans people to build confidence through fitness, wellness and self-defence. Alongside her charity work, she is a content creator and public speaker, and runs Zoah, an underwear business for trans women.
Jax Effiong
Deputy chair of trustees, LGBT Foundation
Jax started her career as a youth and community worker, and over the past 40 years, has volunteered and worked across Greater Manchester to give a voice to the invisible. She joined the fire service in 2011 as a community safety manager, later developing the LGBT+ staff and allies network in 2016.
Lisa Power MBE
LGBTQIA rights campaigner
A co-founder of both The Pink Paper and Stonewall, Lisa has dedicated her life to campaigning for LGBTQIA rights. She was the first LGBTQIA person to speak at the United Nations, was a volunteer at the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, and secretary general of the International Lesbian and Gay Association.
Marty Davies
Joint CEO, Outvertising
Marty is the joint CEO of Outvertising. They are an award-winning creative strategist, campaigner, writer, advertising industry thought-leader and changemaker. They were Campaign’s first transgender columnist and have written extensively on the state of trans+ representation in advertising. Marty is also the founder of Smarty Pants Consultancy and Trans+ History Week.
Moud Goba
National director, Micro Rainbow
Moud has been part of MicroRainbow’s fabric for almost a decade. Drawing on her experiences of being a lesbian asylum seeker, she has consistently worked to advocate for LGBTQIA asylum seekers and refugees. She is also a founding member of UK Black Pride and continues to serve on the board of trustees.
Rania Vamvaka
Co-chair, Glitter Cymru
Rania is dedicated to fighting for representation for LGBTQIA minorities in Wales. She is the co-chair of Glitter Cymru, as well as the founder and chair of Glitter Sisters, the women and non-binary people’s branch of Glitter. Rania is also part of the Welsh Government’s expert panel on the LGBTQIA Action Plan.
Lucy Clarke
Co-founder, TRUK United FC
Appointed to Sutton United’s women’s team in January 2024, Lucy is the first transgender football manager in English football history, and in 2018 became the world’s first transgender football referee. She is also co-founder of TRUK United FC, the first football team in the world consisting solely of trans women.
Valentino Vecchietti
Intersex consultant, writer, creative & founder of Intersex Equality Rights UK
Writer and artist Valentino created the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag in 2021. She is the founder of Intersex Equality Rights UK, an intersex-led organisation working to create systemic change for support and Inclusion in schools, universities and workplaces. She is also a Diversity speaker and consultant advocating for intersex visibility and representation.
Yasmin Benoit
Asexual campaigner & founder of #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike
Yasmin is a British model, asexual activist, writer and speaker. Described as the “unlikely face of asexuality” by Cosmopolitan, she launched the UK’s first asexual rights initiative with Stonewall, started the #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike movement, and co-founded International Asexuality Day (6 April).
DIVERSITY CHAMPION
Deborah Proud
International operations director, WHSmith
Deborah has worked her way up the WHSmith ranks from sales assistant to international operations director, so knows the importance and impact of senior support and visibility to drive change to improve Inclusion and value Diversity. In January 2023 she collaborated on a proposal to establish several employee-led networks to improve Inclusion and the overall lived experience of WHSmith’s people. She was nominated to be the executive sponsor of the LGBTQIA network, which was formalised in April 2023. Deborah is also an active member of WHSmith’s gender network, participating in awareness activities, sharing her personal experience of barriers faced, and the commitments made to actively remove potential barriers for others. She continuously self-educates to understand different experiences and the challenges people face. She is committed to questioning the business’s behaviours and practices, influencing policy and procedures to ensure equitable treatment and opportunity for all.
Arlene McDermott
Head of business management, London Stock Exchange
Arlene is head of business management at London Stock Exchange Group, as well as co-chairing its LGBTQIA network, LSEG Pride, which garners support from the most senior levels of the organisation. She has participated in several panels and supports Lesbian Visibility Week and Transgender Awareness Week.
Cathryn Wright
Managing director, Sedulo Group
Cathryn heads up award-winning national advisory firm and investment house Sedulo’s London office. Prior to this, Cathryn was managing director of human rights charity Stonewall. She is also a trustee of Manchester International Festival and Factory International, and is committed to building inclusive working cultures.
Jacqui Lloyd
Global head of apprenticeships & DEI execution, Citi
Jacqui leads on apprenticeships and Diversity programmes. She was the co-chair of Citi’s LGBTQIA network, Pride, for over five years and continues to be an active and visible lesbian role model. She is involved in extensive advocacy and Inclusion work, helping to drive LGBTQIA Equality within financial services.
Jacqui Rhule-Dagher
Litigation lawyer & founder of Legally Lesbians
Jacqui is a trailblazer in the legal industry. She is dedicated to promoting LGBTQIA Inclusion and raising awareness surrounding intersectionality. In April 2023, Jacqui founded Legally Lesbians. This initiative involved 25 lesbian lawyers writing about their careers and the importance of lesbian visibility.
Kit Morey
Commissioning editor, Paramount
Kit has worked in television since the late 1990s and is currently commissioning editor at Paramount. Onscreen, Kit strives to make each programme they commission have inclusive casting and storytelling, giving voices to those too often underrepresented. Offscreen, Kit is executive champion for the Proud employee resource group, advocating for the LGBTQIA community.
Maria Patsalos
Partner, Mishcon de Reya
Maria is a partner at Mishcon de Reya and sits on the firm’s management board as Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) partner, responsible for the setting and delivery of the EDI strategy across all strands. Maria founded the immigration element of Pink Law, a free legal advice service for LGBTQIA individuals.
Mélissa Brette Ogée
Director of human resources, Hyatt
As an advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Mélissa boasts over a decade of service with Hyatt, constantly striving to be a catalyst for change. Her unwavering commitment to LGBTQIA Inclusion and visibility, coupled with her HR expertise, positions her as a driving force behind Hyatt’s inclusive workplace initiatives.
Nicola Butler
Owner, NoteWorthy
Nicola is the owner and managing director of NoteWorthy, an exquisite travel experiences company, specialising in travel experiences for the ultra-high net worth US leisure visitor to the UK, Ireland, Paris and Normandy. Nicola works closely with charities and generates £500,000 per year to various causes with the visits from her clientele.
Sarah Fennell
Head of EMEA DEI, Macquarie Group
Sarah brings passion and action to her role at Macquarie, and inspires it in others. She tailors the strategy and programming to meet the real needs of the company and its people, with employee listening at its heart. Her initiatives are designed to be fully intersectional in order to promote Equity.
ROLE MODEL
Emma Riley
Programme, governance & operations manager, RX
Thrown out of the Royal Navy in 1993 for being gay, Emma took the UK to the European Court of Human Rights and helped change the UK law in 2000 to allow gay people to serve in the military. It took another 23 years of campaigning and pressure – by Emma, the Fighting With Pride charity and fellow LGBTQIA veterans – before, on 19 July 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak finally made an historic apology in parliament to all the veterans who were affected by the military ban on LGBTQIA people serving. Emma now spends her time using her voice to champion Inclusion and Diversity at work and in the wider community, including through her voluntary work with Diversity Role Models, speaking openly in schools about her lived experiences and building young people’s empathy in the hope that no one will have to face the same discrimination she suffered.
Amanda Elwen
Chair and co-founder, The Emily Davison Centre
Amanda has been designing and delivering support services to victims of domestic abuse for over 25 years. She is co-founder of The Emily Davison Centre, the first Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Hub in the UK.
Bobbi Pickard
CEO, Trans In The City
Bobbi is a patron of FFLAG, ambassador for MindOUT, champion for Stonewall Housing, and a Diversity Role Model. Through Trans In The City, she has positively influenced how trans and non-binary people are viewed in business, having given over 60 training sessions around the world.
Daisy Reeves
Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Daisy is one of the world’s most senior lesbian lawyers. She is a longstanding partner at international law firm BCLP and is a trailblazer in her industry and beyond. In 2022 Daisy was ranked as the fifth most influential LGBTQIA executive in the world, in the globally recognised Outstanding LGBT+ Role Models List.
Dawn Airey
Chair, Barclays FA Women’s Super League & Championship Board
A veteran of the media industry, Dawn held senior positions at ITV, Channel 5 and BSKYB. Previously CEO of Getty Images, she now chairs the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and Championship, Digital Theatre and National Youth Theatre, and is a non-executive director for Channel 4, Grosvenor Estates and Blackbird.
Julia Hoggett
CEO, London Stock Exchange
Julia joined the London Stock Exchange in 2021 and is its first openly gay CEO. Before this, she held roles at the FCA, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, DEPFA and JPMorgan. Julia led Outstanding’s 2023 Top 100 LGBTQ+ Executives List, and has advocated for Diversity and Inclusion for two decades.
Leah Buckman
Graphic design lead, Pandora
Leah is graphic design lead at Pandora, having started as a creative artworker. Leah is the founder of Pandora’s first Pride network, which campaigns for the LGBTQIA community. Leah champions acceptance, Equality and Equity.
Hannah Collins
Associate, Browne Jacobson LLP
Hannah is passionate about LGBTQIA visibility and Inclusion in the legal sector, and wider society, wanting to show that there is a welcome place for members of our community in both. Hannah is one of the leads for Browne Jacobson’s Pride network, and a co-founder of the Alliance Network East Midlands.
Tamara Littleton
Founder & CEO, The Social Element
Tamara is founder and CEO of The Social Element, a consultancy-led social media agency advising some of the world’s biggest brands on how to use social media to solve business challenges; she also co-founded Polpeo, a social media crisis simulation company. Tamara is a champion of Diversity, LGBTQIA Inclusion, female entrepreneurship and keeping children safe online.
Tolu Osinubi
Director, Deloitte
Tolu is the co-chair of Proud at Deloitte. She successfully implemented her vision on scaling cross-network initiatives, providing members opportunities to build community and connection. Tolu is a sought-after keynote speaker and guest panellist on the Black experience in the UK, representing her multiple intersections as a Black LGBTQIA role model working in technology.
MEDIA
Ro Frimpong & Nana Duncan
Hosts of the Two Twos Podcast
Hosts Ro Frimpong and Nana Duncan created the Two Twos Podcast in 2019, a platform that highlights the queer experience through the lens of two Black lesbians from Hackney. The aim of the podcast was to bridge the gap between the cishet and queer communities, but has ended up doing and being so much more. Through their and their guests’ varying identity stories, Two Twos Podcast has been able to capture the attention of all types of listeners around the world. Two Twos Podcast has also been able to capture the hearts of their listeners – not only is it a podcast but it is also a safe space, a place where listeners feel at home. According to the listeners, Two Twos Podcast has changed lives. From validating people by being visible, to speaking on panels at places like Spotify, Apple and Google, and hosting at UK Black Pride on the main stage, Two Twos Podcast has achieved so much more than what Ro and Nana anticipated.
Adele Roberts
Broadcaster, DJ & reality TV personality
Broadcaster Adele was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2021. She has since consistently raised awareness of the condition, appearing on Celebrity Bake Off in 2023 for Stand Up To Cancer. A staunch advocate for LGBTQIA rights, she ran the 2023 London Marathon in support of the Attitude Magazine Foundation.
Jen Brister
Stand-up comedian, writer and actor
Jen is known for her appearances on QI and Mock The Week. She incorporates LGBTQIA themes into her work, and in 2018, her TEDx talk titled Changing The Way We Bring Up Our Boys confronted the cultural and gender norms taught to children.
Harriet Rose
Presenter & DJ
Harriet is a presenter, DJ and broadcaster across TV, radio and digital. You will have seen her recently hosting the red carpet for the BRITS 2024 and on her brand new show on KISS FM The Up.
Sue Perkins
Broadcaster, comedian and writer
Sue is a broadcaster, comedian and writer, well known as having been one half of comedy act, Mel and Sue. She co-hosted The Great British Bake Off, has presented multiple travel documentaries, and is the host of Radio 4’s Just A Minute. Her Netflix show, Perfectly Legal, was nominated for a BAFTA in 2023.
Miriam Margolyes OBE
Actor
Internationally acclaimed actor Miriam is known for her roles in The Age Of Innocence, Harry Potter, Babe and more. Appointed an OBE in the 2002 New Year Honours, she is also a passionate political activist, having been a member of the Workers Revolutionary Party and a signatory of Jews for Justice for Palestinians.
Natasha Devon MBE
Writer, campaigner and broadcaster
A writer, broadcaster and activist, Natasha delivers talks and conducts research on mental health, body image, gender and Equality. The founder of the Mental Health Media Charter, she also co-founded Where’s Your Head At, a project which aims to improve mental health in British workplaces.
Sandi Toksvig OBE
Writer, comedian and broadcaster
Sandi is a Danish-British broadcaster with a career spanning 40 years. She has published several books, written plays and presented countless radio and TV shows, including QI, The News Quiz, Extraordinary Escapes and The Great British Bake Off. She is a political activist and co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party.
Sarah Keyworth
Stand-up comedian
Sarah began their career in comedy in 2012, and after being nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, decided to go full-time. Known for exploring LGBTQIA themes in their work, in 2022 Sarah’s show, Lost Boy, debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to critical acclaim.
Suzi Ruffell
Comedian, writer and actor
Suzi is a critically acclaimed comedian, boasting five sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and an award-nominated 2021 tour show, Dance Like Everyone’s Watching. Her hit podcast series, Out With Suzi Ruffell, celebrates the lives of LGBTQIA people and coming out through interviews with star-studded guests.
ACTOR
Pearl Mackie
Actor
Pearl is an actor, dancer and singer who gained international recognition for her portrayal of Bill Potts, the first openly gay companion of the Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who. Onstage, she has performed in numerous productions, including the National Theatre’s The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time, as well as the poignant Grenfell: In The Words Of Survivors, and The Birthday Party. She has also featured in Friday Night Dinner and The Long Call, and films Greed, Tyger, The Deal, Horizon Line and Svengali. In 2023, she appeared in television series The Diplomat as Alysse. She has captivated audiences with her performances and uses her platform to fight for and raise awareness of LGBTQIA rights.
Abigail Thorn
Actor & writer
Actor, playwright and creator of Philosophy Tube, Abigail stars in Sky’s Django and BBC’s Ladhood. She wrote and starred in her debut play The Prince in 2022, winning an Off West End Award and three Broadway World Awards, including Best New Play and Best Lead Actor.
Bella Ramsey
Actor
Known for their roles in Game Of Thrones and The Last Of Us, Bella came out as non-binary in January 2023. Discussing gender identity in an interview with The New York Times, Bella described being gendered as something they don’t “particularly like”.
Emma D’Arcy
Actor
Known for their roles in Wanderlust, Truth Seekers and House Of The Dragon, Emma is also renowned for their commitment to LGBTQIA rights. They use their platform to champion trans rights, and in an interview with Vogue in 2023, slammed the state of transphobia in the UK.
Genesis Lynea
Actor, dancer & singer
Having starred in the likes of Six The Musical, Casualty and Silent Witness, Genesis is an actor, singer and dancer. Identifying as queer, she’s also known for short film Love Is A Hand Grenade, winner of Best LGBT at the Bristol Independent Film Festival, and Cost Of Living, selected for BFI Flare film festival.
Golda Rosheuvel
Actor & singer
Known for her roles in Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Golda famously played a lesbian version of Othello in 2018. After she was warned by a director early in her career that she should be quiet about her sexuality, she refused, and has been a champion for LGBTQIA rights ever since.
Heather Peace
Actor, musician & LGBTQIA rights activist
Heather is an actor, musician and LGBTQIA rights activist. She joined the cast of EastEnders in 2021 as openly gay character Eve Unwin. A patron of Manchester Pride, she is also a supporter of LGBTQIA charities Diversity Role Models and akt.
Jade Anouka
Actor
In 2020, Jade wrote, directed and performed her BBC-commissioned short film, Her And Her, alongside her wife, Grace Savage. Her debut play, Heart, showed at Brixton House from December 2023 to January 2024, narrating the story of a proud Black LGBTQIA woman, told through a powerful blend of poetry and music.
Lucia Keskin
Comedian, actor, writer & YouTuber
Also known as Chi With A C, Lucia is a comedian, actor, writer, YouTuber and internet personality. She began her career posting skits and videos online, and later appeared in comedy series Big Boys and Sneakerhead. Her new BBC Three show, Things You Should Have Done, was released earlier this year.
Yasmin Finney
Actor & internet personality
Yasmin is fast becoming one of the most influential actors within the transgender community. Best known for her breakout role as Elle in Netflix’s hit LGBTQIA series, Heartstopper, she starred in the highly anticipated 60th anniversary special of the BBC’s Doctor Who in 2023.
MUSICIAN
Lucy Spraggan
Singer-songwriter
Lucy was the first contestant in The X Factor’s history to score a Top 40 single and album before the live shows aired. Since her appearance on The X Factor, she has sold over 140,000 albums and reached over 150 million streams on Spotify alone, with over 555,000 monthly listeners. She is proudly an independent artist, in control of her career and has released seven studio albums. Last year saw Lucy release her memoir, Process, an instant Sunday Times bestseller that entered the chart at number two. The book saw her reflect on her life, opening up about some of the biggest and most raw moments she’s experienced and detailing her journey from childhood to The X Factor to finding her balance in her 30s.
Arlo Parks
Singer-songwriter
Arlo is a British singer and songwriter whose debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams, debuted in 2021 to critical acclaim. It peaked at number three on the UK Album Chart, earning her nominations for the BRIT Awards, including Best New Artist. Her latest album, My Soft Machine, was released in May 2023.
girli
Singer-songwriter
Navigating feminism, sexuality, queer culture and mental health through her music, girli was inspired to pursue a career in music after she attended a Tegan and Sara concert at the age of 14. She is pansexual, and her sophomore album, Matriarchy, is out this May.
Cat Burns
Singer-songwriter
Double-platinum singer-songwriter Cat was the biggest-selling British female artist of 2022 and gave a superb performance of her viral smash Go at the 2023 BRIT Awards, where she was nominated for three gongs. Her debut album, Early Twenties, is due for release in July 2024.
Grace Petrie
Singer-songwriter & guitarist
Grace exploded onto the scene in 2010 with the emotive Farewell To Welfare, an anti-austerity anthem that gained her a reputation as the “voice of a generation”. Since then she has toured internationally and amassed an army of fans. Her 2022 album Connectivity reached number one in the UK Download Chart.
Horse
Singer-songwriter
One of Scotland’s most celebrated singers, Horse is a unique and iconic singer-songwriter. She has been writing, recording and performing for over 30 years.
Q magazine described her as owning “one of the finest voices of modern times, soul and intelligence combined”.
Jazmin Bean
Singer-songwriter & makeup artist
Jazmin first attracted attention online for their unique looks. They released their first EP in 2019 when they were just 16, and their debut album, Traumatic Livelihood, was released in February 2024. Describing themselves as a “genderless monster”, they also run cruelty-free, vegan makeup brand Cult Candy Cosmetics.
Emeli Sandé
Singer-songwriter
Known for her hits Read All About It and Diamond Rings, Emeli came out as queer in 2022. Ever since, she has been a vocal advocate of LGBTQIA rights, attending her first Pride In London that same year. Her latest album, How Were We To Know, arrived in 2023.
Romy
Musician
A member of The xx, Romy released her first solo album, Mid Air, in 2023 and was nominated for Best British Dance Act at the 2024 BRIT Awards. Her queer identity has been front-and-centre in her work, and she has spoken honestly about no longer feeling “afraid” to write LGBTQIA love songs.
Towa Bird
Singer
Kickstarting her music career on TikTok, Towa went viral during the pandemic. She was later asked by Olivia Rodrigo to be part of her Disney+ documentary, Driving Home 2 U (A Sour Film). Her latest track, B.I.L.L.S, was released in February 2024, and she opened for Renée Rapp on her most recent tour.
WRITER
Liv Little
Writer
Liv is a writer of Jamaican and Guyanese descent via South London who tells stories with heart about the people and places that matter to her. Her work spans journalism, audio, TV and curatorial projects for which she’s received various accolades, including LGBTQI+ Broadcaster of The Year and Rising Star at Wow. Her debut novel, Rosewater, was published in 2023 by Dialogue Books in the UK, and John Legend’s imprint Get Lifted in the US. Liv’s first short film, BUMPED, was picked up and made by BBC Film. She also has a TV show and feature film in development. Liv is currently hosting the podcast Why I… Move, in collaboration with ELLE and Nike. She has recently worked in writers’ rooms for See Saw, Left Bank and 42. As a BBC writer-in-residence in 2021, Liv developed an original pilot for a queer conspiracy thriller. Liv is most at peace in nature, and she now lives by the sea.
Alice Oseman
Author
Since securing her first publishing deal aged 17, Alice has penned the likes of Solitaire, Loveless, and the now-acclaimed Netflix series, Heartstopper. The franchise explores themes including friendship, LGBTQIA relationships, eating disorders and mental health. In 2023, she took home accolades at the Hay Festival and the TikTok Book Awards.
Joelle Taylor
Poet, playwright & author
Having penned four poetry collections, Joelle won the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBTQIA authors. She is a co-curator and host of Out-Spoken Live at the Southbank Centre, as well as being a Poetry Fellow at the University of East Anglia.
Juno Dawson
Author
Juno is a British author specialising in young adult fiction and non-fiction, whose works often feature LGBTQIA themes. As a transgender woman, she represents the LGBTQIA charity Stonewall as their School Role Model.
Her forthcoming novel, Queen B, arrives in July 2024.
Laura Kay
Author & journalist
Based in East London, Laura is the author of Tell Me Everything, Wild Things and The Split. Her work explores LGBTQIA identity, specifically through a queer rom-com style. She’s written for Stylist, Guardian, Metro and more. Her forthcoming novel, Making It, is due for release in July 2024.
Lotte Jeffs
Author, journalist, creative consultant & podcaster
The former acting editor-in-chief and deputy editor of ELLE magazine, Lotte has written for the likes of The Times, Guardian and The Telegraph. She is the host of LGBTQIA parenting podcast, Some Families, and an author whose books include new novel, This Love.
Sophie Ward
Actor & author
Sophie is an actor and author. Her first book was A Marriage Proposal (2014). Her novel, Love And Other Thought Experiments (2020) was then longlisted for the Booker Prize. Her latest novel, The Schoolhouse, was described by The Times as “stylish, pacy, and genuinely frightening”.
Sanah Ahsan
Poet, writer, clinical psychologist & educator
An award-winning poet, writer, clinical psychologist and educator, Sanah researches the deconstruction of whiteness within UK clinical psychology. They have written for the Guardian, and previously presented a Channel 4 documentary on the over-medicalisation of distress. Their debut poetry collection was published by Bloomsbury in March 2024.
Tanya Byrne
Author
After the release of her debut novel, Heart-shaped Bruise, Tanya was nominated for New Writer of the Year at the National Book Awards. She’s since written five more books, including Waterstones and Amazon bestseller Afterlove. Her newest novel, In The Shallows, is a slow-burn sapphic romance.
Val McDermid
Scottish crime writer
Val is a Scottish author best known for her crime novels. She was the first student to be admitted into St Hilda’s College, Oxford, from a Scottish state school. In recognition of her achievements she has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sunderland.
SPORTING WORLD
Charlie Martin
British racing car driver
Charlie represents a paradigm shift in motorsport that has never been seen before. In 2020 she made LGBTQIA history in the ADAC TOTAL 24 Nürburgring-Rennen, one of motor racing’s toughest endurance races. Both a racing car driver and LGBTQIA activist, Charlie has consistently spoken up for trans rights since she transitioned midway through her career. Her ambition is to make history as the first transgender driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest and greatest endurance race. Guinness World Records have confirmed that it will classify this as a World Record due to the cultural significance of such an achievement. After she successfully asked all the drivers in the 2018 British GT Championship to include Pride stickers on their cars at Silverstone, Charlie received a Motorsport Marketing Award. Charlie has also worked with LGBTQIA charities, including Stonewall, Mermaids, Athlete Ally and Racing Pride. She is actively working to improve the acceptance and Inclusion of trans people in sport, and occupies a unique position both within her spot and the LGBTQIA community.
Alex Scott MBE
Author & presenter
A former professional footballer and sports pundit for the BBC and Sky Sports, Alex mostly played as a right-back for Arsenal. She made an impressive 140 appearances for England and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. In 2019, she was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
Bethany England
Professional footballer
Bethany is the captain of Tottenham Hotspur, and previously played for Doncaster Rovers Belles, Liverpool and Chelsea. She represents England on the national team and was part of the Euros 2022 winning squad. She appeared in the BBC documentary, Gay Marriage And Me.
Dame Kelly Holmes DBE OLY
Olympic champion, author & speaker
Receiving an MBE in 1998, Col Dame Kelly is a military veteran and retired international athlete. She won two gold medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and was awarded a DBE in 2005. She is a global inspirational speaker and a trusted voice for the LGBTQIA community.
Anita Asante
Professional footballer & coach
Anita is a former England football international and the first-team coach at Bristol City. Openly lesbian, Anita is a proud advocate for the LGBTQIA community and for anti-discrimination. She is passionate about shaping a better future for LGBTQIA and female sport participants.
Lianne Sanderson
Professional footballer & presenter
Lianne is an openly gay former professional football player who debuted for England in 2006 as part of the England squad for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Lianne began training with Arsenal in 1997 as part of their youth programme and is now a sports broadcaster.
Jess Carter
Professional footballer
Jess plays as a defender for Chelsea and the England national team, having started her senior career at Birmingham City. Campaigning for women’s and girls’ access to sport, she is an ambassador for an all-female football academy run by Judan Ali, a former Arsenal youth player.
Jude Hamer
Paralympian
Jude first became acquainted with wheelchair basketball at her local British Paralympic Association’s Paralympic Potential Day. She joined the Exeter Otters in 2007 and made her international debut at the 2009 BT Paralympic World Cup. In 2013, she took home bronze at the European Championships and in 2015, another bronze.
Lauren Rowles MBE
British parasport rower & former wheelchair athlete
Lauren began her professional career at the age of 14. She went on to win gold at Rio in 2016, and was appointed an MBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours List. She is the first woman to become World, European and Paralympic Champion in the Mixed Double event.
Sarah Stirk
Sky Sports presenter
Sarah began her career at MUTV, Manchester United’s TV channel. She went on to present for BBC East Midlands Today, as well as the BBC News Channel, BBC World News and Sky News. She writes for publications including Golf International and A Place In The Sun, and in 2021, she came out as a lesbian.
INFLUENCER
Jude Guaitamacchi
Speaker & trans rights campaigner
Jude is a trans non-binary advocate, TEDx speaker, campaigner and model who made history as the first non-binary person to represent Harrods for a beauty campaign. As an advocate for Equality, Jude works with schools, brands and businesses, and delivers talks and training worldwide. Jude has a background in campaigning for trans rights – they were an organiser of the #LwiththeT campaign and the creator of global trans solidarity campaign #TransPeopleAreLoved. They co-founded the campaign designed to amplify trans-positive messaging from allies around the world. They have been featured in a range of publications, including Vogue, Forbes and Cosmopolitan. Jude hopes to be the role model they needed growing up so that future generations may see themselves represented, feel empowered and celebrate who they truly are.
Ben Pechey
Non-binary writer, presenter & fashion icon
A writer, presenter and all-round fashion icon, Ben’s work focuses on non-binary identity. They have written for the likes of the Guardian, Cosmopolitan and Refinery29. Their debut novel, The Book Of Non-Binary Joy, looked to improve awareness of trans issues. In 2023 their second book, Your Gender Book: Helping You Be You!, was published.
Demi Sims
Actor & internet personality
Demi is known for her appearances on The Only Way Is Essex, House Of Sims, and CelebAbility. She has been a visible role model for the LGBTQIA community, having come out when she was 19. She’s previously opened up about struggling with her sexuality for 10 years.
Megan Jayne Crabbe
Body-positive influencer, writer, speaker & presenter
Megan is a bestselling author, presenter and host with over a million followers across her social media. Her book, Body Positive Power, is a call to arms for anyone who has struggled with their image. She has worked with major broadcasters, including the BBC, Universal Studios and Channel 4.
Rose & Rosie
Comedy & entertainment duo
Rose and Rosie are a British comedy and entertainment duo, who have over three million followers across their social platforms. They gained popularity through their open and honest YouTube videos. Rose started her platform in 2010, uploading her first video for a university assignment, while Rosie followed in 2011 before collaborating the following year.
Sarah O’Connell
Internet personality
The host of The Sarah O’Connell Show, Sarah has interviewed the likes of Dawn French, Miriam Margolyes and Margaret Atwood. A constant trailblazer for trans rights, she has hosted events and film festivals, featured on BBC television and radio, judged comedy competitions, and worked as a film critic and caricature artist.
Char Bailey
Coach & director of people, Birmingham Pride
Char is an award-winning facilitator, a director at Birmingham Pride, an autism advocate within the LGBTQIA community and a board member at Neurodiversity In Business. She is also involved with organising UK Black Pride.
Caitlin & Leah
TikTok & YouTube content creators
Caitlin and Leah are leading advocates for LGBTQIA rights and mental health. Their TikTok and YouTube content covers all things from fashion, beauty and lifestyle to pranks, challenges and an insight into their relationship, including their fertility journey and life with their son.
Travis Alabanza
Writer, performer & theatre-maker
Writer and performer Travis has been using art to highlight the LGBTQIA community for many years. Bristol-raised, their theatre shows Burgerz, Overflow and Sound Of The Underground have toured internationally, bringing the questions of trans safety and rights to many stages.
Whitney & Megan Bacon-Evans
LGBTQIA+ fertility Equality activists
Known collectively as Wegan, couple and social media influencer duo, Whitney and Megan run a successful YouTube channel, TikTok and Instagram accounts. They cover a variety of subjects, ranging from luxury lifestyle to LGBTQIA issues, travel and LGBTQIA fertility Equality.
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