GT announces updated event schedule for 2025: more moments to celebrate  LGBTQIA+ culture and community.

Across 2024, GAY TIMES has proudly celebrated its 40th Anniversary Year. 

From our special 40th Anniversary GAY TIMES Magazine issue, featuring some of the biggest LGBTQIA+ names on the planet, to uncovering parts of our archive for the very first time, to events in the United Kingdom, United States and Spain — the home of GT Español, it’s been a big year for GT.

This summer, we proudly displayed every cover of GAY TIMES Magazine for the very first time at a special 40th Anniversary exhibition in our home town, London.

@gaytimes For the first time ever, delve into GAY TIMES’ iconic archive! Head to Outernet, London between 6 June and 1 July to witness 40 Years of GAY TIMES: The Exhibition 🖼️ #londonlife #exhibition #londontiktok #londonhotspots #london #thingstodoinlondon #londonexhibitions #museum #gallery #outernetlondon #lgbtq #pridemonth ♬ original sound – GAY TIMES

We’ve loved marking and celebrating this important year with so many of you – our community. Across our events and celebrations in 2024, we’ve seen more of you, from more places than ever before, interact with the GT ecosystem.

GT40 Birthday Party 2024

As with any big birthday, as our celebrations draw to a close, it’s time for some life updates.

GAY TIMES Honours

Since its inception in 2017, we’ve celebrated GAY TIMES Honours in November each year. The event grew from humble beginnings into a multi-stage celebration and one of the biggest LGBTQIA+ nights of the year.

We’re excited to announce GAY TIMES Honours is moving to a new date earlier in the year, set apart from awards season to give it its own space in the calendar.

The new format will continue to celebrate those in our global community who trailblaze in their own arena. 

We’re looking forward to sharing more details in the coming months on the new-look GAY TIMES Honours.

New Music Event

We know many in our community are brought together through our love of music — and some of the biggest stars on the planet regularly grace the cover of GAY TIMES Magazine.

Music is in our DNA, so we’re excited to be developing a new music based event, bringing together our community and allies, in a brand new original format.

This event has been developed with the community in mind, so we’re excited to share more information about this extra special format in early 2025.

We are always looking for new ways to put our audience and community first, and as our 40th Anniversary Year draws to a close, we’re looking forward to these fresh and exciting additions to the world of GT across 2025. 

The post GAY TIMES Honours and exciting new live music event scheduled for 2025 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

To mark GAY TIMES Honours 2023, Jake Hall explores how LGBTQIA+ trailblazers have brought queer utopian stories to life in their activism and art. 

WORDS BY JAKE HALL
HEADER DESIGN BY YOSEF PHELAN

Imagine your dream world – what does it look like? Would you lean into your Willy Wonka fantasy and frolic through a tasty, saccharine wonderland? Perhaps you’d move your friends and loved ones into a mansion, laughing your way through life with your chosen family. You could go simpler and conjure up a world without work, in which you can binge-watch Real Housewives and eat Pringles to your heart’s content. Whatever the specifics, you’re probably envisioning a kinder and more accepting world than the hellscape we live in currently. It’s bleak, to put things lightly: the UK has been named one of the worst places in the world to be trans and we’re living in an ongoing climate crisis. In this context, utopian thinking isn’t apolitical; in fact, it’s deeply political, amongst the flames, to ask yourself: what would your perfect world look like?

The word utopia itself is an interesting one, which translates loosely from Greek to “no place,” and sounds extremely similar to the word for “good place.” Writers and philosophers have fused these definitions, conceptualising utopia as some mythical, paradise-like island; it’s a tease which represents a vision of perfection, one that remains ever so slightly out of grasp. In this sense, it helps to think of utopia as a motivating factor or driving force, something to actively strive towards.

More recently, queer academia has refashioned utopia into political praxis, a powerful tool in the arsenal of marginalised communities. Society feeds us the lie that today’s cruel world is fixed and unchangeable, that we should keep our heads down and just be realistic. We’re told to keep our heads down, to be happy with the crumbs we’re given. These lies are told tactically, to drill into us that there’s no point in imagining a better future. Thankfully, queer trailblazers have seen through these myths, especially over the last few decades.

Artists and scholars like Cuban-American José Esteban Muñoz have leaned into the possibilities of utopian thinking. Back in 2009, Muñoz released his game-changing book Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity, a wild ride through queer nightlife, performance and theory. Building on his past work on ‘queers of colour’ politics, Muñoz argued that queer theory had lost its bite; that the revolutionary politics of the ‘60s and ‘70s had been replaced by beige, capitalist thinking. No longer were we fighting to dismantle capitalism, fuck freely and abolish the police. Instead, we were campaigning for gay marriage and inclusion within lethal systems of injustice, like the military industrial complex. Muñoz’s core thesis was that the “utopian function” of queer theory had been lost, that we were being too pragmatic with our goals.

Cruising Utopia isn’t quite as horny as the name suggests, but it’s no coincidence that Muñoz looked to queer nightlife and culture for his source material. Already, we can – and do – build temporary havens, where we can briefly experience euphoria on sweaty, jam-packed dance floors. Culture and community can offer us the tools we need to build our own versions of utopia, complete with drag, dark-rooms and spaces to express ourselves without fear of judgement.

As well as nightlife, photography can be a tool for creating a queertopia. With nothing but a camera and a concept, artists can carve out images which embody their dream worlds. Even this process can be utopian. It’s a chance to gather queer friends and communities together, building temporary sets drenched in ethereal beauty, free from the chaos and the hatred of the outside world. There’s also the joy of being viewed through a queer lens. Too often, we’re reminded that mainstream society views us as an aberration, our identities as an affliction to be cured –– as exemplified by the government’s longstanding refusal to ban conversion therapy. 

Photography and visual arts can give us autonomy. They can create a safe space for us to express ourselves however we choose, and have the beauty in that expression drawn out. Sometimes, there’s no better feeling than looking yourself up and down, smiling broadly and knowing in that second that you are the moment. It’s a magical feeling to be truly understood, to be seen and uplifted. In these dreamy bubbles of queer arts and community, that utopian dream can be realised.

Filmmakers have similarly taken the idea of queertopia as a creative prompt. In Queer Utopia: Act I Cruising, director Lui Avallos creates scenes in which queer elders are listened to, honoured and cherished. These spiritual moments speak to the power of collective memory – and although it might not always feel like it, his work underlines that there’s actually something pretty special about queerness. We’re part of a wider lineage, one rooted in mutual aid and collective care.

It’s all well and good to think of your utopia, whatever that might be –– but what’s the point? To go back to Muñoz, it’s all about broadening our worlds and allowing ourselves to spell out what our versions of paradise look like. Because, let’s be real, the world is a shitshow. The cost of living crisis is never-ending, mental health support is still nigh-on impossible to access freely and we’re glued to our smartphones in horror watching endless violence unfold in real time. We all feel the impulse to do something, and we should – we can protest, form direct action groups, create mutual aid projects and tactically boycott companies enabling this mass violence. Utopian thinking doesn’t have to mean taking a blinkered view and imagining a world with no adversity. In some cases, it’s the act of working towards a better future that creates the utopia.

Being apolitical is a luxury. Plenty of queer people worldwide don’t have the privilege of resting on their laurels, because they’re continuously under attack. There’s a value and sanctity to existing queer spaces, but they don’t have to be sanitised or apolitical to be utopian. There’s even something cathartic about coming together in the face of adversity, falling in love with each other – whether platonic, romantic, sexual or a mixture – and creating our own support networks to collectively battle adversity. Queertopia can – and does – exist even in today’s world. The real utopian project is thinking of how to extend those moments of bliss, to let them trickle into other dimensions of our daily lives.

After all, even in the utopian imagination, a life without adversity would ultimately be boring. We need to experience life’s lows to appreciate its highs. There’s nuance needed here, obviously – in a utopian world, the ‘low’ might be feeling fed up and tired, not being legislated out of existence for the mere fact of your identity. Yet today’s definition of queertopia can be distilled into moments of queer joy. It’s the euphoric high that comes from being loved for who you are, of being surrounded by others who make you feel seen. It’s a feeling that’s sometimes organic, like nestling into the grass on a warm summer day. But it’s also a state that can be cultivated, as we’ve seen throughout this essay.

So, as events continue to unravel, this year’s GAY TIMES Honours will put some respect on the name of queer trailblazers bringing their visions of utopia to life and sharing them widely. We’ll showcase the change-makers keeping their eyes fixed firmly on a brighter future and building their own versions of paradise in the meantime. This process is ongoing – and it should be! The path towards utopia is ultimately never-ending, but by imagining the world we want to see, we can gradually create the conditions to make every step forward feel that little bit lighter.

This very sentiment is what inspired the motivation behind our five GAY TIMES covers paying homage to extraordinary LGBTQIA+ talent. Inspired by elemental themes, each cover spotlights a star and their unique identity. For this year, our round-up of names includes actor Jonathan Bailey, American artists Slayyyter and Dua Saleh, UK MP Nadia Whittome and our digital Honours host Nick Grimshaw. Our custom designs for each cover encapsulate their trailblazing mark on the community. Embossed with a Rorschach-inspired illustration, our honourees are a reminder that queertopia looks different for everyone.

Together, let’s raise a glass to the queers refusing to lower their expectations and uncritically accept today’s shitshow as the best we’ll ever get. By striving for a utopian future, we can make the present feel that little bit more bearable.

The post Welcome to queertopia appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Miss Major is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for International Community Trailblazer.

A visionary activist and Stonewall veteran, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (commonly referred to as just “Miss Major”) has been at the forefront of the transgender liberation movement and has dedicated her life’s work to improve the lives of her community.

Born in Chicago in the 1940s, her lived experience as a Black trans woman has both fuelled and informed her work to promote legislative freedoms and enhance the quality of life for LGBTQIA+ people – especially gender-diverse people facing social issues, such as police brutality and drug dependency.

Miss Major flourished through the city’s drag balls, before relocating to New York in the early 1960s, where she became a regular on the Stonewall roster of talent.

The activist, alongside Marsha P. Johnson, were present at the fateful night in 1969 when the Stonewall Riots broke out. This laid the foundation and sparked the inception of the contemporary LGBTQIA+ rights movement.

Miss Major later started her charitable endeavours, where she worked in food banks, set up one of America’s first needle exchange clinics and headed up a group of trans women who served as primary caregivers to gay men during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

In recent times, Miss Major has continued to scale-up her contribution to the LGBTQIA+ community. From 2010 to 2015, she served as the first Executive Director of the Transgender Gender-Variant Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP) – an organisation which aims to end human rights abuses against trans people of colour while incarcerated.

Today, her work has culminated in the creation of the House of gg (also known as The Griffin-Gracy Educational and Historical Center), which is a safe haven for trans and gender non-conforming women of colour living in the South of the United States. An invaluable and pioneering community hub, it provides the tools and access to help trans women of colour blossom.

You can read more about Griffin-Gracy’s life within the pages of her memoir Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary.

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES. 

The post Miss Major wins International Community Trailblazer at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Sasha Colby is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for Drag Hero.

Back in January, the Hawaiian queen finally – we repeat, finally! – graced the RuPaul’s Drag Race werkroom, where she became an instant frontrunner for the crown. One of the drag community’s most revered entertainers, Sasha memorably conquered Miss Continental and went viral on various occasions – most notably with her Beyoncé medley from 2014 and performance at Sasha Velour’s Nightgowns.

Sasha more than lived up to her name with four maxi-challenge wins – more than any other competitor – and was later crowned ‘America’s Next Drag Superstar, making herstory in the process as the first trans women of colour to win the series.

When Sasha covered GAY TIMES in March, she said: “I’m not trying to sound verbose or anything, but I think Drag Race needed someone like me. It was my responsibility to represent every trans girl that I look up to and the trans girls that aren’t here anymore. It was a level of, ‘Yes, I would love to be on the show’ but it was very much, ‘I need to do this for us.’”

Following her win, Sasha has continued to conquer. Over the past few months, she’s appeared in Vogue and covered publications such as i-D, Numero Netherlands and Billboard. 

Sasha’s also continued to use her platform to speak out against harmful anti-trans rhetoric and the onslaught of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in the US, in addition to raising awareness of the fires that ravaged Hawaii in an interview on KTLA Entertainment. 

“My life has changed completely and every day is different,” Sasha Colby tells GAY TIMES. “I’ve had a lot of new and exciting opportunities that have really allowed my dreams to come true.”

On winning Drag Hero, she adds: “It means the world,” she tells us. “I am honored to be a drag hero to many that feel that there isn’t a lot of hope or acceptance. Being able to be a beacon of light in dark times is quite a privilege.” 

While Sasha already boasts two decades in the industry, this year truly feels like the start of Sasha Colby. We’re in our “Sasha Colby era”, if you will – and we’re taking our front-row seats to see how she’s going to conquer the world next.

Whether that’s a number-one single, Academy Award-winning role or even a Nobel Peace Prize (the sky’s the limit, babes), Sasha is capable of doing it all.

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making a huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES.

The post Drag Race star Sasha Colby wins Drag Hero at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Jonathan Bailey has been named the recipient of this year’s GAY TIMES Honour for Changemaker.

In 2020, the Olivier Award-winning actor was catapulted to worldwide superstardom as a result of his role in Netflix’s regency era dramedy Bridgerton, which has become one of the streamer’s most series in history.

Recently, Bailey has received widespread critical acclaim for his role as Tim Laughlin, a young man brimming with idealism and religious faith, in Showtime’s period drama Fellow Travelers. 

Based on Thomas Mallon’s lauded novel of the same name, the eight-episode miniseries chronicles the toxic romance between Tim and State Department official Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer) in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington.

His first major LGBTQIA+ project, Bailey said in his GAY TIMES cover story that “you can’t get more queer than Fellow Travelers” and added that “it’s the gayest show I could find.”

“Someone asked me after Bridgerton, ‘What do you want to do next?’ and that is an amazing position to be in, having worked for so long to suddenly have real choice in what you do,” he explained.

“I knew that I wanted to do a sweeping gay love story because I hadn’t seen it, especially one that’s detailed over eight hours.”

As one of the world’s most high-profile LGBTQIA+ actors, Bailey is now using his platform to enact change via his new partnership with Just Like Us, the official LGBTQIA+ young person’s charity.

“I’ve worked with Albert Kennedy Trust before, and there’s so many different charities that I look forward to working with,” he said. “Just Like Us really hit something that I felt was important. One thing is, how can people describe what they’re feeling and experiencing if they don’t have the vocabulary and tools to do so?”

Just Like Us was founded in 2016. The charity has since collaborated with thousands of primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across the UK to improve the lives of queer youth with their annual, UK-wide celebration of LGBTQIA+ awareness, School Diversity Week.

Led by their Ambassador Programme, which trains LGBTQIA+ people aged 18-25 to speak about allyship and their own personal experiences with sexuality and/or gender identity, School Diversity Week sees thousands of schools take part with student talks and assemblies.

The partnership came to fruition after “extraordinary shift of years of opportunities and possibilities” for Bailey, which includes his television roles in Bridgerton and Fellow Travelers, as well as the upcoming movie adaptation of Wicked, where he will play Fiyero.

“I now have a platform by which I can help guide people towards different narratives and causes,” said Bailey. “You get a fanbase and it’s almost like a conga line, where you can then lead those people to other stories which feel really important to you. To be able to go from [Bridgerton] to Fellow Travelers and Just Like Us is something I’ll be proud of for the rest of my life.”

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making a huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES.

The post Fellow Travelers star Jonathan Bailey wins Changemaker at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Mawaan Rizwan is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for Comedy Hero.

The comedian, writer and actor has come into his own in 2023 with the release of BBC Three’s trippy comedy Juice. The former YouTuber has risen in notoriety through an array of telly gigs on Live at the Apollo and Taskmaster and as a writer for Netflix’s Sex Education.

Key to his success is the combination of laugh-out-loud comedy intersected with a multifaceted exploration of queer British-Pakistani identity.

In the critically-acclaimed comedy, praised for its slapstick humour and trippy visuals, Juice follows Jamma (Rizwan) as he navigates the millennial mundanities of finding the balance between his creative agency job, budding romantic relationship with Guy (Russell Tovey) and the complexities of fighting for attention in a busy family environment.

Quietly interwoven into the plot is an important layer of representation; views are presented with a key-protagonist who is queer, British-Pakistani and a member of a family that easily flip into speaking Urdu, without the entire storyline being hooked on identity.

Rizwan’s performance brought character depth, humanity and pushed against a rigid industry practice that often relies on discussion of representation and identity to become teachable moments to their audiences.

This bold, disruptive, nuanced portrayal of representation has quickly become a signature of Rizwan’s work. Speaking to GAY TIMES as part of his cover shoot, he explained: “I get to just make what I want to make. Representation is about giving more opportunities to more of us so that we get a fuller spectrum of stories.”

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES.

The post Juice star Mawaan Rizwan wins Comedy Hero at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Billy Porter is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for Outstanding Impact.

The multihyphenate star, who dropped his brand new album Black Mona Lisa today, has continued to have a stratospheric rise in his career.

After treading the floorboards of Broadway, Porter turned his attention to the screen by starring in Ryan Murphy’s trailblazing trans drama Pose as Pray Tell.

The critically-acclaimed drama saw Porter cement himself in history as the first openly gay Black man to win a Primetime Emmy Award.

Pose also provided a watershed moment for television, following the queer African-American and Latino communities of the outrageous and glamourous world of NYC’s Vogue scene in contrast to the tortuous realities of the HIV epidemic. It made history as the series with the most regular trans cast members.

Porter is acutely aware of his position in the LGBTQIA+ community he so proudly embodies and represents. He uses his platform to fiercely present his authentic self, previously telling GAY TIMES: “Everybody says ‘just be who you are!’ It’s easy to be who you are when who you are is what’s popular. I’ve always been queer; it’s always been a homophobic business. Period. The end.”

Porter is known for his use of fashion as a vehicle for his activism. His fits have subverted societal norms and paved the way for more gender-neutrality in fashion. “I am part of a revolution,” he said. “The tuxedo dress has changed the culture forever.”

Porter’s latest work for Black Mona Lisa pays homage to the freedom and sexual liberation of 1970s nightlife, played over disco-infused production. “Putting together this album after a life’s work has been really healing, inspiring and one of the things I am most proud of in my whole life,” he explained.

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES.

The post Pose star Billy Porter wins Outstanding Impact at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Switchboard is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for British Community Trailblazer.

The lifeline service has provided vital support and signposting help to the LGBTQIA+ community since their inception in 1974.

Across their five decade history, Switchboard has offered a listening ear to facilitate more than four million conversations. Key to their on-going success is their unique ability to pivot and move with the times.

This was further proven in 2023 through the release of a free 0800 number: a helpline which is open 365 days a year, from 10am until 10pm, for individuals to call free of charge.

The announcement of the new helpline, on top of the current online chat and email services, comes against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis. Although people across the country have directly felt the impact of this, the acute effects have especially been felt by the LGBTQIA+ community, who account for 24 per cent youth homelessness in the UK.

Speaking on the decision to make the helpline free, Switchboard CEO Stephanie Fuller said: “With the current cost of living crisis, it has never been more vital that the LGBTQIA+ community can access the Switchboard service at no charge to them.

“Moving the helpline to a free phone number ensures that no caller will have to consider the cost when deciding to pick up the phone to call Switchboard.”

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES.

The post Switchboard wins British Community Trailblazer at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Slayyyter is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for Excellence in Music

The singer has justifiably earned themselves the title of queer icon with the unique ability to reinvent herself with every album drop.

In her latest metamorphosis for her third album STARFUCKER, she has reimagined herself as a vampy neo-noir heroine. In doing so, the star has cultivated a passionate stan following.

The origins of her success come from her revered DIY, digital-first approach to releasing music, which was exemplified by the viral success of 2019 single ‘Mine’.

Unashamed to be pigeonholed into one specific genre, STARFUCKER is an 80s glamazon, exaggerated, hyper-feminine, manicured aesthetic coupled with climaxing trance beats, post-punk bass lines and dramatised pop-vocals.

Slayyyter discussed this evolution of her artistry in her GAY TIMES Honours cover interview, explaining: “I feel like I have just levelled up as an artist completely. I still love and appreciate all my past projects but this new album feels like I have finally hit my stride as an artist.”

On her relationship to her community, Slayyyter said LGBTQIA+ people have “saved my life and given me the confidence to express myself and find liberation through nightlife and music. I would hope that my music could help others feel the same.”

Her message to the community is: “Don’t ever feel like you have to be what people expect you to be.”

Her GAY TIMES Honour for Excellence in Music is her first-ever award: “It feels like such an honour,” she said. “Especially coming from a queer publication that I love!”

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES.

The post Slayyyter wins Excellence in Music at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Nadia Whittome is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for Future Fighter.

The 27-year-old has continued to define a new era of MP and brought a meaningful LGBTQIA+ representation to the hallowed halls of Westminster. At just 23, Whittome was elected to represent Nottingham East during the 2019 general election.

Since then, she has continued to be a stoic member and ally to the LGBTQIA+ community. But don’t be mistaken, she confides in her new GAY TIMES cover interview that “it’s not necessary to feel comfortable” to be an MP that fights for change.

Her political agenda consists of challenging social injustices, fighting for refugees to be treated with dignity, an all-inclusive ‘conversion-therapy’ ban and equal parity for trans people.

Intrinsic to her work is the “amplifying the voices of marginalised people and their demands”. This includes calling on the government to condemn rising hatred towards LGBTQIA+ people, urging those in power to reduce waiting times for gender-affirming healthcare and speaking out about the importance of defending the Equality Act.

Part of education for her Westminster colleagues was to host people “whose actual lives are being impacted by anti-trans rhetoric and by the policies that end up being spoken about in such an abstract way” – including youth climate strikers, sex workers and young trans people.

Unique to her arsenal is her ability to galvanise people through social media, to articulate key ideas and reach her constituents in a new way. She continues to represent a change of guard and provides hope for many who have grown a political apathy in the country’s current political climate.

Whittome recalled how “lovely getting messages from young queer people, especially Asian girls and people like me, who say that they feel represented by the work that we’re doing, not just by the fact that I’m a young queer woman of colour.”

Part of her pledge to her constituents includes retaining just £35,000 of her £86,000 yearly salary – a figure that keeps her in line with the national average – donating the rest to local causes and charity instead.

“I’m not just speaking as me, I’m representing my constituents, which is something much bigger than myself, and also movements that are much bigger than myself. So that also makes it easier to speak out because it’s not really about me,” she explained.

GAY TIMES Honours 2023 celebrates the individuals and organisations who have had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people over the past 12 months.

This year’s line-up of Honourees acknowledges people making huge impact in music, TV, film, community and drag.

The new digital edition of GAY TIMES Magazine spotlights this year’s winners and is available to read now on the GAY TIMES app, Apple News +, Readly and Flipster.

To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours 2023, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES. 

The post Labour MP Nadia Whittome wins Future Fighter at GAY TIMES Honours 2023 appeared first on GAY TIMES.