For International Lesbian Day Marie-Helene Tyack takes a look at DIVA’s past, present and future
BY MARIE-HELENE TYACK, IMAGES BY JONATHAN PHANG
Like many people, I remember buying my first copy of DIVA. Standing on my tiptoes, tucking it inside a very heterosexual magazine (something like Tennis Magazine…) as I walked out of WH Smith’s in deepest, darkest Somerset. It is no exaggeration to say that DIVA changed my life – this was in 1994, peak Section 28. I was creeping out of the closet and had absolutely no representation of people like me until I discovered DIVA. For me, and so many others, DIVA introduced me to a whole community of people like me.
This sense of community is still very strong today. Last year former DIVA publisher Linda Riley announced that she was taking a step back and giving DIVA to the community, creating DIVA Charitable Trust. Now, as a charity, the concept of community is front and centre of what we do.
But who are we? Let me introduce our amazing team – I am hugely privileged to be the chair, Abi Shapiro is our treasurer and we have an incredible band of trustees: Leanne MacMillan, Kit Morey, Saba Ali and Stella Smith. All of us come from very different walks of life but we are united in one very clear way: our lifelong passion and dedication to DIVA and making DIVA Charitable Trust the leading charity for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people in the world!
What does that mean, exactly? DIVA Charitable Trust is committed to elevating, celebrating and supporting LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people everywhere through:
- Commissioning more LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary writers and creatives to tell the stories that matter
- Increasing the visibility of LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people in the community, in the media and in business
- Championing LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people during Lesbian Visibility Week
- Celebrating our amazing community and the trailblazers creating space for future generations during the DIVA Awards
- Influencing policy change that affects LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people (eg fertility policies)
We are also hugely honoured to be supported by patrons like activist and co-founder and CEO of UK Black Pride Lady Phyll, who has been a supporter of DIVA for many years. Phyll shared some powerful words: “As a Black African lesbian woman, I know that visibility is not just a matter of being seen – it is a matter of survival, of affirmation, of joy. Too often our voices and stories are erased or pushed to the margins, but DIVA has been a space that insists we are here, that our lives and loves matter.
The work of the DIVA Charitable Trust is deeply important because it reaches beyond the pages of a magazine – it nurtures community, challenges stereotypes, and creates platforms where lesbians and queer women can thrive. That commitment to representation and to shaping a culture of belonging is what drew me to become a patron. I wanted to lend my voice, my experience, and my support to an organisation that has consistently stood up for us, celebrated us, and made sure that our futures are brighter than our past struggles. For me, being a patron is about responsibility and hope – a responsibility to honour the struggles of those who came before us, and a hope to inspire those still finding their way. On International Lesbian Day, I celebrate all the ways we continue to rise, resist and reimagine a world that embraces us fully”.
We also have the wonderful support of another great patron, crime writer Val McDermid who is: “proud to be associated with the DIVA Charitable Trust and excited at the prospect of what it can do to support lesbian and trans lives. Whether it’s offering a helping hand out of isolation, providing a lifeline to community, supporting fresh initiatives when people need a helping hand, DIVA has a long-established tradition of being there for us. That’s a need that hasn’t diminished, and in some respects, is even more necessary now. Supporting DIVA means supporting all of us; we never know when we might need it.”
Finally we would not be who we are without our last patron, Linda Riley. “DIVA has always been more than a magazine – it is the voice of LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people in a community where, for too long, we lacked one. When I stepped down as publisher and founded the DIVA Charitable Trust, I was delighted to continue my journey as a patron. Through this role, I hope to amplify the incredible work of DIVA and champion initiatives such as Lesbian Visibility Week, ensuring our voices are heard, celebrated, and represented. And I wish the new board all the best and thank them for all their hard and dedicated voluntary work!”
On this International Lesbian Day I want to take a moment to recognise the amazing community of lesbians, queer women and non-binary people created by DIVA, and the power in our collective storytelling. DIVA Charitable Trust will harness this power and magnify it, to infinity and beyond!
Here’s how you can get involved
Amplify our work by following DIVA (@divamagazine on Instagram, X and Facebook, @divamag on TikTok) and DIVA Charitable Trust on social media (@divacharitabletrust on Instagram and LinkedIn).
Let us know the causes that matter to you most by emailing us on editorial@diva-magazine.com.
Pledge your support by donating here: divacharitabletrust.com/pledge-now.
Love media made by and for LGBTQIA+ women and gender diverse people? Then you’ll love DIVA. We’ve been spotlighting the community for over 30 years. Here’s how you can get behind queer media and keep us going for another generation: ✨linkin.bio/ig-divamagazine ✨
