LGBT Foundation

Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and included in public life. A person’s identity – who they are, where they are from, or who they love -should never determine how they are judged or act as a barrier to standing for election or participating in democracy.

Too many LGBTQ+ people and allies are hesitant to step into public roles due to fear of host...

Nikki (she/her) shares how friendships carried her through her darkest moments — and how those connections continue to shape how she supports others today.

“I’m still here — because people showed up for me.”

Nikki grew up in Chadderton and came out in her early twenties. After years of working in engineering, her life took a ...

Jane (she/her) tells her story without fuss. No big declarations – just a steady sense of what matters. 

“I just want to live my life as I would do,” she says. “That’s it, really.”

She’s always been independent, someone who enjoys her own company and the freedom to go where she wants – whether that’s travelling somewhere new or just heading...

Mindy (She/Her)

Coming Out and Proving Them Wrong

When I first told my mum I was leaving my husband because I am a lesbian, her reaction was immediate denial.

“No, you are not,” she told me. “If you were, I would know. You are just trying to be one. You will be lonely — you can’t go to discos all your life.”

Decades later,...

LGBT Foundation welcomes the long-overdue draft Bill to ban conversion practices in England and Wales, protecting LGBTQ+ people from physical and psychological harm.

Conversion practices have no place in 2026. We are pleased to see legal protections that will help keep people safe, alongside protections for people overseas. We hope that the proposed...