Baroness Barker is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. 

Her full bio is here

Laila El-Metoui is Stonewall Lesbian Role Model of the Year (2020) and a Pride 365 Champion . She set up and chairs Proud London Councils, the Pan London Forum for LGBT + staff network in local authorities. She is a member of DiversED.

Samantha Renke

Actress / Presenter / Disability Consultant / Key Note Speaker / Powerlist 100 Most Influential Disabled People UK

Sara Kedge

Sara is on a mission to help everyone celebrate the superpowers of the ND brain. In her private consultancy practice she helps professional workspaces usualise neurodiversity inclusion. On a 1:1 coaching basis she empowers neurodivergent professionals to realise their ideal career.

Proudly and profoundly Dyspraxic and ADHD she leads the How 2 Entrepreneuro online community. The group is dedicated to supporting neurodiverse entrepreneurs to establish and grow their businesses.

Sara is also an Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University. She has taught on both their undergraduate and masters business and management programmes. 

sarakedge.com

Mzz Kimberley 

As a cabaret artist with a powerful voice and broad vocal range, she entertains her audiences with jazz, soul, musical theatre, and gospel. Kim has performed in London’s supperclub, The Glory, The Ivy club, Shadow Lounge, The RVT, Club Wotever, L’Escargot restaurant, Home House, The Brompton Club, Shoreditch House, The Cellar Door, Arcola Theatre, Café De Paris, National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, and the Edinburgh festival.

For full bio and other activities please click here

Norena Shopland has a Master’s degree in heritage studies. She has worked for the British Museum, National Museums Scotland, the Museum of London and other leading heritage organisations.

Now specialising in LGBT+ studies, women’s and Welsh histories, she is responsible for several ground-breaking projects including Welsh Pride. Her book Forbidden Lives: LGBT stories from Wales is the first completely historical work on Welsh sexual orientation and gender identity.

Other publications include The Veronal Mystery which examines a real-life gay crime; Women in Men's clothes: from cross-dressing to empowerment (Pen and Sword Books) is forthcoming June 2021. Norena's groundbreaking book A Practical Guide to Searching LGBTQIA Historical Records (Routledge) provides a toolkit for researching and recognising LGBT+ content in historical records.

Andreena Leeanne  is a Self-Employed Inspirational Speaker, Poet & Author of CHARRED: A survivor speaks her truth to inspire, a collection of poems published by Team Angelica in October 2020. 

Andreena writes and performs poetry to come to terms with and speak out about her personal experiences with homelessness, mental health, childhood sexual abuse and the many other challenges she has faced in her life. By speaking her truth, she hopes to inspire and empower others to speak their truth. 

She delivers writing workshops, performs her poetry at various events and facilitates two virtual open mic events specifically for the LGBT community (@PoetryLGBT) and adult survivors of abuse (@AdultSurvivorsOpenMic). 

In 2020 Andreena was shortlisted for a National Diversity Award for Positive LGBT Role Model. The ceremony is due to take place in September 2021. 

In 2021 Andreena became a trustee of Action Breaks Silence which is a charity focussed on ending violence against women and girls.

Free to Be Me

Refugee Stories from the Lesbian Immigration Support Group Edited by Jane Traies

A new collection of interviews with lesbian and bi women seeking asylum in the UK and the campaigners working with them. Here in their own words are their stories of love, trauma, struggle and friendship, courage and solidarity.

Published in trade paperback by Tollington Press on 8 March 2020 for International Women’s Day

Price £11.99 / 224pages / ISBN 978-1-909347-19-9

'This book's spirit is huge, its heart is huge, and its urgency and importance are as big as both of these.Voice after voice, it comes together to make a courageous communality.What a great book!’

Ali Smith, Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction

‘This book raises awareness of the plight of women seeking asylum based on their sexual orientation. Telling their stories is incredibly important. A must read!’

Aderonke Apata, LGBT rights activist, founder of African Rainbow Family

Contact JaneTraies at: [email protected]

Order your copy from her direct or from your local bookshop.

Juno Roche, writer. Queer Sex, Trans Power and Gender Explorers. Currently writing next book, ‘A Working Class Family Ages Badly’ out 2022.