🎙️ Proudcast – Episode Title: How to be a cis ally
Hosted by: Catherine Goodall (she/her), Heather Paterson (she/her), Paige Hughes (she/her), and Luca Straker (they/them)
In this episode of Proudcast, we’re diving into what it really means to be a good cis ally to the trans and non-binary community. Whether you’re new to allyship or looking to deepen your activism, we share practical ways to stand in solidarity – from writing to your MP to showing up in your everyday life.
We also discuss the recent EHRC consultation, unpacking how it relates to the UK Supreme Court’s ruling and what it means for trans rights in the current political landscape.
Paige introduces her brilliant new t-shirt campaign Me&T, which is all about visibility, support, and funding vital trans-led work.
Heather shares some personal reflections on identity through her music and how creativity can be a powerful tool for connection and advocacy.
Catherine and Luca join the group in highlighting everyday ways cis people can show up – from calling out transphobia to amplifying trans voices.
🏳️⚧️ This is a must-listen for anyone who wants to do more than just say they’re an ally. Let’s move beyond performative gestures and into active, informed solidarity.
🔗 Links & Resources
Respond to the EHRC consultation - link
Support the Me&T campaign: link
Heather's Gladlaw fundraiser - link
Write to your MP: link
More about Proudcast: link
💬 Join the conversation on Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn – we’d love to hear what allyship means to you.
#Proudcast #TransRightsAreHumanRights #CisAlly #MeAndT #LGBTQIA #TransAllyship #EHRC #QueerPodcast
In this powerful and moving episode, we sit down with Vicky Laylor (she/her), a Black trans woman, as she shares her deeply personal journey of self-discovery, faith, and resilience.
Raised in a Christian household, Vicky opens up about the challenges of growing up in an environment where her true self didn’t feel visible or understood. She speaks candidly about coming to understand she was trans later in life, the emotional and social hurdles she faced, and the joy and liberation that came with embracing her identity.
This conversation, hosted by Fiona Moorcroft from SAYiT — a Sheffield-based LGBTQIA+ youth charity — explores themes of identity, religion, community, and the importance of living authentically.
💬 Expect thoughtful reflections, moments of humour, and an inspiring perspective on what it means to live as your full self — even when the journey takes time.
🔗 Links and Resources:
Learn more about SAYiT
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky, or visit our website
Subscribe and leave a review if you enjoy the episode!
Just a heads-up: the views shared by our podcast guests are their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Proud Changemakers.
If anything in the episode brings up something for you, feel free to check out our signposting page, where you’ll find a list of helpful support resources.
In this episode, we sit down with Khakan Qureshi, a trailblazing LGBTQ+ activist, writer and founder of Finding A Voice, a support group for South Asian LGBTQ+ individuals. Khakan has been a vocal advocate for intersectionality, visibility, and community support, particularly for older LGBTQ+ people and those from culturally diverse backgrounds.
We discuss his journey as an activist, the challenges of navigating identity within South Asian and Muslim communities, and the importance of creating safe spaces for queer people of colour. Khakan shares insights from his own experiences, the progress he’s seen over the years, and what still needs to change to make the world more inclusive for all.
Join us for this powerful conversation about resilience, representation, and the ongoing fight for equality.
Got a question or topic? get it touch at hello@proudchangemakers.org
Find out more about us at www.proudchangemakers.org
Is progress inevitable or is it something we have to fight for? In our latest LGBTQ+ History Month episode we look at the history of queer activism and the role played by trade unions. Plus we discuss how we can use this history to prepare us for the current climate of anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric that is growing in our society.
We are joined by our chair Heather Paterson (she/her) - who has marched for many an LGBTQIA+ right in her lifetime - and Dave Pike (he/him) - who is part of the National Education Union. Our host is Fiona Moorcroft (she/her).
This episode was produced in partnership with SAYiT - an LGBTQIA+ youth charity from South Yorkshire as part of their LGBTQ+ History Month activities.
Get in touch with us at Proud Changemakers through our website or by email.
In partnership with our supporter, SAYiT (an LGBTQ+ youth charity in South Yorkshire), we talked to Jennifer van Gessel, an Australian writer and producer, who is writing a gothic film about Anne Lister called 'Langton'.
The film is still in pre-production so instead we delved into her knowledge about Anne Lister's diaries - as she has done a lot of research for the film!
Whether you are an Anne Lister super nerd or just starting your Anne adventure, jump into this episode and hear about her many escapades and the types of timeframes that Jennifer is looking to for her upcoming film.
This episode was created as part of 2025's LGBTQ+ History Month and was hosted by Fiona Moorcroft (she/her) from SAYiT.
Got a question, theme or guest to suggest for the podcast? Get in touch at hello@proudchangemakers.org or head to our website www.proudchangemakers.org.
Want to connect with Jennifer van Gessel?
Interview with Dr. Surabhi Shukla on Intersex rights in India
In this bonus episode of Proud Changemakers, we sit down with Dr. Surabhi Shukla to discuss a groundbreaking case on intersex rights in India. Dr. Shukla is a legal scholar whose research examines the intersection of law, gender, and human rights.
Key Discussion Points
The Kerala High Court Case (2023):
Dr. Shukla breaks down the case where parents of a 7-year-old intersex child sought permission for genital reconstruction surgery. The court ruled against non-consensual surgeries, reinforcing the child’s right to self-determination.
Legal and medical context:
The Role of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019:
Judicial and policy gaps:
Why This Matters Intersex rights remain under-discussed, even within broader LGBTQIA+ advocacy. This case is a milestone in legal recognition of bodily autonomy for intersex individuals, yet much work remains in India and globally.
Tune in to hear Dr. Shukla’s insights on what this case means for intersex rights, legal protections, and the fight for gender justice in India.
And read her blog on this case at: lawandsexuality.com
Follow Proud Changemakers on Bluesky, LinkedIn and Instagram or visit our website proudchangemakers.org for more discussions on LGBTQIA+ history, representation, and activism.
If you would like to discuss this or any other topic for our podcast please contact us at hello@proudchangemakers.org
Come and say hi to our first ever Trustees! As we move towards registering as a charity, we have been busy finding and bringing together our Board of Trustees.
And we are so excited for you to meet them all because we have such an amazing bunch of talented humans who are all so passionate about our mission of celebrating and elevating LGBTQIA+ people and stories.
This episode is hosted by Suneet Sharma (he/him) our Deputy CEO of Governance. And Suneet talks to our four new trustees:
Heather Paterson (she/her) - our Chair Amy Walton (she/her) Carrie Lyell (they/them) Leah Milner-Campbell (she/her)And because we have now launched our brand new website - www.proudchangemakers.org - you can find our Trustees on there too.
If you would like to suggest a topic or guest to come on our podcast please email us at hello@proudchangemakers.org.
We gather together our leadership team - Luca Straker (they/them), Suneet Sharma (he/him), Graysen Whittaker (he/they), Catherine Goodall (she/her) and Paige Hughes (she/her) - to reflect on our first full year as a group and as a podcast.
We share our learnings, our highlights and what topics we'd like to cover in 2025!
Plus we've got our new intro music.
If you would like to suggest a topic, be on the pod talking about your passion or would like to send us your reflections on the year then you can reach us at proudchangemakers@gmail.com.
Thank you to you all for listening and we hope you've had a good year too.
We recorded a very interesting panel discussion on how to tackle homophobia in football at a conference by Rainbow Owls - Sheffield Wednesday's LGBTQIA+ supporters group.
The panel was hosted by Ollie Mitchell (he/him) – the head of sport at Forge Radio; and the panellists were Joe White (they/them), co-founder of Three Lions Pride – the LGBTQIA+ fans group for the England national football teams; Kian Ward (he/him), media coordinator for Dulwich Hamlet FC; Kirsty Tonner (she/her), Goalkeeper for Sheffield Wednesday Ladies and referee and influencer Mikey Connor (he/him).
This was all recorded in support of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign which runs every year and is a space to highlight and tackle queerphobia in sport, and it was funded by Fans for Diversity.
Museums are a way of recording us as human beings, our experiences and our surroundings. But they only capture what we ourselves record.
The history of the LGBTQIA+ community often go untold because many generations were too afraid to leave any trace of their queerness for fear of exposure, prosecution and violence.
In this episode, Fiona Moorcroft (she/her) from the LGBT youth charity SAYiT talks us through what we have learnt about queer history from the artefacts left behind and how we can preserve our current lives for future generations.
This was recorded at Weston Park Museum in Sheffield in front of a live audience therefore the sound quality is lessened from our usual recordings.
If you would like to join us on our podcast, suggest a topic, guest or theme, or just have a chat with us you can find us across the socials or our email at https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers.
Being queer and growing up within a religious environment has over the years led to many tragic situations. Both the LGBTQIA+ community and the religious community are extremely diverse, complex and have not always been supportive of each other - especially with one (religion) holding much more societal power and privilege throughout history than the other (LGBTQIA+).
So how does it feel to be both queer and of faith? What can we do to bring people closer together? To promote acceptance and create safe spaces? So that queer people can practice their faith safely and without judgement from both communities?
How do you navigate working environments where people's beliefs (ie Gender Critical) seemingly deny the existence of those within the LGBTQIA+ community (trans, non binary and intersex folk)? And how does the law act in those circumstances?
These are the questions this episode tackles. And the amazing humans that do this are SJ Cooper-Knock (they/them), Becky Emery (she/her) - both of whom are bringing their lived experience of being queer and within the religious community - and Surabhi Shukla (she/her), a lecturer from the Law School at the University of Sheffield bringing the legal perspective on faith and the LGBTQIA+ community. The episode is also hosted by Lucy Straker (she/they).
Trigger warning - there are discussions around statistical chances of people dying by suicide and lived experience of exclusion.
Proud Changemakers is explicitly trans and intersex inclusive. We honour and respect each others’ identities, experiences and insights. We will not tolerate any bigotry, hatred or questioning of others’ identities or experiences.
If you have questions about this or any other episode please contact us at proudchangemakers@gmail.com or through one of our social channels https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers
Proud Changemakers aims to elevate, advocate and support LGBTQIA+ people across civil society. We want to give our community a platform to share our voices and our challenges, and to celebrate our stories and our diversity. We want to provide insight and guidance to those wanting to support our community - because we won’t make change to the wider society all by ourselves. Find out more about us at https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers
We are joined by poet Tom Juniper (he/they) who has written a number of poems about Maurice Dobson and his partner Fred Halliday as a way to tell their many stories.
Maurice and Fred ran the local shop in the 1950s in Darfield, Barnsley and were open about their relationship at a time when it was illegal to be a gay man. They are now so revered in South Yorkshire that their shop has been transformed into a museum.
In this episode, we discuss what and how Maurice and Fred had to be in order to be accepted in the community, how this would have compared with other, more affluent areas of the country, how this affected their relationship and we share some of the stories (including a foul mouthed parrot and a chair with a wonky leg).
This interviewed was conducted by Fiona Moorcroft from SAYiT and was recorded at SAYiT's offices in Sheffield.
SAYiT is a charity in South Yorkshire that works with young people aged 8-25 and professionals to make real lives better. They provide practical support to LGBTQ+ young people, host a parent and carer group, and their training helps organisations improve knowledge and address discrimination.
Proud Changemakers is a voluntary group that celebrates and elevates LGBTQIA+ folks from across civil society and make noise about issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community today.
Follow, subscribe, get in touch with us at https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers
This forms part of our LGBT+ History Month series and was released in connection with National Poetry Day.
Trigger warning for this episode - examples of trans exclusion and discrimination are shared.
Huge thank you to Jo Kerr (she/her) from Marie Curie for sharing her story of transitioning at work. She tells us of how moving from a workplace that wasn't inclusive to trans people, to one that is (Marie Curie) has helped her feel better in herself, have a better relationships with her family and friends and ultimately become a better leader as a result.
Please listen to her story, share it with your networks and help make your workplace more inclusive for trans and non binary people.
Special mention to Anna Pashley, from Charity Retail Association who very kindly connected the Proud Changemakers team with Jo.
If you have an LGBTQIA+ story to share or any questions about this episode, please get in touch with us at proudchangemakers@gmail.com or via our socials. Details at https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers
The UK's General Election is happening on 4 July 2024 and in recent years LGBTQIA+ people's lives have been used as a political football - and in the past few weeks of the campaign this has ramped up even more.
So in this episode our Lucy Straker (she/they) and Catherine Goodall (she/her) walk us through the manifestos of the Conservatives, Labour, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats - to see what is and what isn't being proposed for LGBTQIA+ people.
The aim of this isn't to tell you who to vote for - but to help cut through the spin and bring the conversation of LGBTQIA+ people into the foreground. Because largely that has been absent in the past few weeks.
Below are the links to the full manifestos for the parties discussed:
In order to keep this episode to a reasonable length we only selected the main parties operating across most of the UK nations. We decided against covering Reform as they did not have any positive elements for LGBTQIA+ people in their manifesto.
If you are unsure of who to vote for we recommend using the Vote for Policies tool which shows you the various policies without the affiliations. You can see that here.
But most importantly on 4 July 2024 please go and vote, it really does matter, think of Emily Davison when you do and please remember you ID!
And if you want to chat about this or any other episode you can catch us at proudchangemakers@gmail.com or follow us at https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers
Please note that after this we are taking a break over the summer period and our next episode will be with you on 4 September 2024. Thank you for all your support.
What if the relationship model that is centred as the "norm" isn't right for everyone?
What parallels are there between the LGBTQIA+ community and the growing ethical non monogamy community?
And why as a society are we so keen to other people for their differences?
We tackle these questions and many more with our special guest comedian, write, speaker, actor and charity mental health advocate - Juliette Burton (she/her). In this episode, Juliette talks about her pathway into ethically non monogamous relationships and the parallels between the stigma of being queer, mental health and non monogamy - AND tells us why all of this feeds into her comedy.
TRIGGER WARNING - there is discussion of mental unwellness within the episode.
You can follow Juliette on socials - and go to her shows. Click here to see where she is performing next, and see her socials below.
The Proud Changemakers involved in bringing this podcast to you were your hosts Paige Hughes (she/her) and Graysen Whittaker (he/they), and the show was produced by Amy Whitelock-Gibbs (she/her).
If you would like to become a Proud Changemaker volunteer, check out our two volunteer roles:
Find out more about the work we do and who we are here.
If you would like to nominate someone to come onto the podcast, maybe you'd like to come on yourself or pose a question or topic - then get in touch with us at proudchangemakers@gmail.com. We'd love to chat with you.
Music was by Vitary Levkin.
Proud Changemakers is a group made up purely of volunteers. So when Pride month and Volunteers Week collided we knew we had to make an episode celebrating the queer volunteers in our group and across civil society.
Here we have our Lucy Straker (she/they) and Catherine Goodall (she/her) talking about the benefits volunteering has especially for LGBTQIA+ folks. Choice, community and a chance to develop skills - that's what good volunteering can give you when done right.
Lucy and Catherine have spent a lot of time working on improving the landscape for volunteering over the years in their day jobs - which is why they (and a bunch of other lovely folks) decided to set up a volunteer based group called Proud Changemakers. And here they talk us through some of that knowledge.
Also we take a moment to thank all LGBTQIA+ volunteers across civil society who are making a massive difference even if they don't always know it.
If you would like to volunteer with Proud Changemakers we currently have two volunteer roles open:
Find out more about the work we do and who we are here.
This episode was inspired by it being Volunteers Week. Find out more about that here.
Music was by Vitaliy Levkin from Pixabay
And how does it intersect with the queer community?
That's the challenge we set ourselves with this podcast. So join Graysen, Paige and Lucy as they discuss all the various terminology, the history of non monogamy, their personal experiences, the myths and assumptions, and finally how non monogamy sits within the LGBTQIA+ community.
If you have any questions for the team about this topic or anything else connected to the LGBTQIA+ community then get in touch. Our email is proudchangemakers@gmail.com or take a look at our socials and sign up to our newsletter at https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers
What do you know of Annie Hindle? Betsy Bonehill? Ella Shields and Hetty King? Maybe even Vesta Tilley?
Well they were all successful drag kings from history - or male impersonators as they were known then.
In this episode, SAYiT's Fiona Moorcroft (she/her) takes us through a brief history of these amazing humans and how they dominated the stage impersonating men of their eras - some more inclusively than others.
Photos of these drag kings will be shared on our socials so use this link to find your preferred social media outlet and take a look at these fabulous humans. Whilst you are there please do give us a follow.
This episode was recorded in front of a live audience as part of our LGBTQ+ History Month series in February 2024 at Weston Park Museum in Sheffield - which forms part of Sheffield Museums who are also a charity.
SAYiT, who researched and organised the talk, is an LGBTQIA+ youth charity in South Yorkshire.
If you enjoyed this episode why not rate, review and subscribe as this helps others find the podcast. Plus take a look at our other episodes - especially those from our LGBTQ+ History Month series. Thank you to Vitaly Levkin for the music and to all the Proud Changemakers out there.
To celebrate Lesbian Visibility Week 2024 (happening from 22-28 April), two of our Proud Changemakers - Paige Hughes (she/her) and Lucy Straker (she/they) are bringing to you an episode all about lesbians.
So that’s the word lesbian, how it came to be (looking at lesbian history from Sappho, to Anne Lister through to Ellen DeGeneres and beyond), what being gay/a lesbian means to us and what we've learnt and experienced along the way.
We aim to be educational, spicy and humorous - plus throw in a few mic drop moments too. We do discuss our personal experiences, different types of lesbian pop culture and the tensions within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Please note that Proud Changemakers is a trans inclusive organisation and always will be.
Trigger warning - there are a couple of references to a gender based attack but no details are shared.
"Lesbian identity is strong and activist orientated. At it's heart it’s inclusive, radical and anti-patriarchy. I think it’s pretty beautiful." Paige Hughes (she/her)
Paige is a strategist and consultant for charities, placemakers and small businesses. She has 10+ years of experience in business development, marketing and communications. Paige has a degree in Politics from the University of Leeds, and an MSc in Place Management and Leadership, delivered by the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University,
Until recently, Paige was the Head of Business Development and Engagement for national membership organisation, CharityComms and now works freelance with charities, place-makers and small business owners, balancing strategic consultancy, creative coaching and hands-on delivery. See her website here.
Paige has had multiple volunteering roles, including a Trustee for a charity that supports people with Autism, mentorship and coaching for young professionals, a group lead at an LGBTQ charity, and has been a national EDI lead.
"I have negative connotations with the word lesbian as it has regularly been used in a derogatory way towards me. So I have always had a stronger connection to the word gay so that’s the one I use to describe myself." Lucy Straker (she/they)
Lucy is the Campaigns Manager for Brake, the road safety charity. Here Lucy leads on the charity’s national campaigns which can include calling for new legislation to support all road users, raising public awareness of road dangers or advocating for road crash victims.
Lucy is also a public speaker and trainer on creating inclusive workplaces specifically regarding the LGBTQIA+ community. Lucy has co-founded and led a number of inclusion networks and activism groups across the voluntary sector during their 17 years of communications and campaigning work in the sector.
What are your thoughts around the word lesbian, its culture, identity etc? Reach out, get in touch - and you could be on our next lesbian pod! https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers
Music was by Vitaliy Levkin from Pixabay
This was recorded at the offices of SAYiT - an LGBTQIA+ youth charity in Sheffield and includes the expert knowledge of Dr Naomi Sutton (she/her), Liz Wilson (she/her) and Dr Jo Bassett (she/her) discussing why we need to remove the fear, stigma and general lack of understanding of HIV.
Dr Naomi Sutton - "My issue is the word AIDS. I really don't like that word because of the campaign. I think we really need to start saying people with HIV. Language is really important"
Liz Wilson - "There were two things going on that made it hard to tackle. The fear and stigma around HIV itself and the way that the government dealt with it, I think, encouraged that fear and stigma."
Dr Jo Bassett on taking Prep - "There's a lot of education around that really needs to get out there".
In this episode we talk about the how the UK responded in the 1980s when AIDS/HIV first came into our society, and then move onto how some of that misinformation remains even today when we now know so much more about it.
If you have any questions about topics raised in this episode, or you would like to join us for another episode on this topic or something else related to the LGBTQIA+ community then get in touch with us at https://linktr.ee/proudchangemakers. We always love to hear from you.
Please remember to rate, review and subscribe as it helps others find the podcast.
Please show your support to SAYiT who are a fabulous charity who have helped us tremendously in our first year. https://www.sayit.org.uk/
Music was by Vitaliy Levkin from Pixabay
Proud Changemakers exists to empower the LGBTQIA+ voluntary sector and civil society leaders of tomorrow. The community supports and champions LGBTQIA+ and other leaders and civil society organisations. Proud Changemakers is a community, a network and a group, organised and coordinated by volunteers. This is a new, emerging and developing community, which welcomes new members, connections, funders and supporters.
