In alphabetical order
This category celebrates influencers, activists, campaigners or trailblazers in the lgbt+ community, who have made an impact either on a grass roots level as part of a larger organisation, from youtubers, to social media influencers, artists, founder of lgbt+ focused initiatives, writers, bloggers, charity workers or campaigners.
This category will be judged on merit.
DJ RITU
Founder Club Kali
The Club Kali Network is the ‘World’s biggest LGBT+ community celebrating our East to West diversity with unity and pride’ since 1995. Started by DJ Ritu and Rita, Club Kali brings people together across boundaries in a safe and caring space, with great music too!
HELEN JONES
CEO MIND OUT
CEO of Mind Out Helen Jones has been working with the organisation for 20 years, helping to support the LGBT+ communities in Brighton and Hove and nationally. With a background in mental health advocacy, Helen has great experience in both counselling and as a psychotherapist, and has deservedly received an honorary MA from the University of Brighton for her services to the community.
HOLESTAR
PIONEERING AFAB DRAG QUEEN
Trailblazer Holestar is a living legend in London’s drag scene, being one of the pioneers in the female drag movement, and has been an outspoken proponent of drag being open to EVERYONE. Holestar has featured on the cover of QX, and the fabulous DJ and entertainer has been providing exposure to the scene with her avant-garde approach
JIM MACSWEENEY
Gay’s The Word
Meet Jim MacSweeney – the manager of Gays the Word, London’s only LGBT+ bookshop. While the shop has been around since the 1970s, and has been through it’s fair share of difficulties, having been raided by Customer and Excise in 1984, prosecuting the staff. But the shop prevailed under the watchful eye of Jim, who acts as a great point of access to members of the community, and is a resource for education and exposure.
REVD MOTHER JIDE MACAULAY
Founder and CEO of House of Rainbow
Jide is the founder of the House Of Rainbow Fellowship, an inclusive and affirming religious community open to all people including sexual minorities. He is an Anglican, British-Nigerian born in London. Jide has been a Christian minister since 1998 and is an inspirational speaker, author, poet, pastor and preacher. He holds a degree in Law, Master’s in Theology and Post-Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Theology. Jide has served as Executive Board/Co-Chair of Pan Africa ILGA and is currently Vice Chair of the Global Interfaith Network.
LENI MORRIS
Galop
Chief Executive Officer at Galop, Lent Morris has previously been spotlighted by the British LGBT+ awards for their dedication to Galop and its work to support the LGBT+ victims of abuse. Galop has recently expanded to include a helpline which can be reached Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. Galop also provides support to the community, and is working to help ban conversion therapy, working with around 8,000 LGBT+ people directly every year through their varied services.
LOU ENGELFIELD
Pride Sports
Lou Englefield is a Director of Pride Sports and has been a leading voice on LGBTI inclusion in sport for over 10 years, working both in the UK and further afield. She has worked on the Football v Homophobia campaign since 2010. Lou is a terrible footballer, coached grassroots junior football for over ten years, and now just supports her team, Manchester City, mainly from the comfort of her sofa!
MATTHEW MAHMOOD-OGSTON
NazandMatt Foundation
Matthew is founder and chair of the NazandMatt Foundation, a charity that works to address homophobia which has been triggered by religious and cultural beliefs. The organisation began in the aftermath of Dr Nazim Mahmood’s death in 2014, Matthew’s fiancé. The organisation has been featured frequently in the media, and provides invaluable programme across schools in the UK, and works hard to push for a ban on conversion therapy.
PAUL MARTIN OBE
Chief Executive LGBT Foundation
Chief Executive of the LGBT Foundation, Paul Martin has worked hard to promote and support the LGBT+ community in a variety of ways. As of 2019 the LGBT Foundation is the largest LGBT+ health charity in the UK, helping over 600,00 people online yearly. Paul Martin OBE himself founded HGM (Healthy Gay Men) in 1994, before unifying the charity with the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Switchboard Services in 2000.
DR S CHELVAN
Immigration Lawyer Fighting for Queer Refugees
Legal expert on refugee and human rights, Dr Chelvan has been present int he field of LGBT+ asylum specifically for 20 years, consulting for the UN, national government departments and NGOs. His PhD in Law culminated with a thesis titled ‘At the End of the Rainbow: Where Next for the Queer Refuee?’ Chelvan’s work has illuminated issues on the experience of LGBT+ asylum seekers, and the difficulties they go through in order to receive asylum.