The UK’s Top Inspirational LGBTQ+ Speakers & Hosts for Pride Month.
11th Apr 2023
Our Pride Month Speakers aim to educate and inspire, and have a resounding impact in helping businesses achieve LGBTQ+ inclusivity within the workplace. Our LGBTQ+ speaker’s share their inspirational anecdotes based on real-life scenarios, but that ultimately got them to where they are today!
Why Pride Month is Important (within the workplace & beyond)
Pride Month takes place every June and is such a significant event because it strengthens understanding and acknowledges a sign of positive change within the LGBTQ+ community. Despite LGBTQ+ being vastly more accepted than it was since the 1969 riots, LGBTQ+ injustice and inequality unfortunately still remains. Pride month offers and opportunity to show solidarity, encouragement and support for the Pride community
Here are just some of our LGBTQ+ Pride Month speakers, available to hire for talks on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion events.
LGBTQ+ speakers and partners Adele Roberts and Kate Holderness are proud members of the LGBTQ+ community and use their professional and personal time to advocate for those in the community who do not feel accepted. They are both strong campaigners for diversity, equality and inclusion in all areas, but particularly in the media.
“For me personally, I don’t think I had LGBTQ role models growing up, so I was frightened for a long time of coming out, because I thought I was weird, I didn’t realise I was ”normal.”
Kate Holderness
Both Kate and Adele can be booked separately or as a duo.
To book Kate Holderness & Adele Roberts contact us.
Ben has delivered over 400 talks reaching nearly 100,000 people since completing his 401 Challenge, so raise money for the LGBTQ+ anti-bullying charity, Stonewall. His teaching includes healing through support, achieving goals and above all, proving that with happiness and a strong foundation, anything is possible.
The 401 Foundation, which was set up in response to Ben’s accomplishments undertaking The401 Challenge, offers grants with the aim to help communities and individuals build confidence and self-esteem, and positively contribute to people’s mental wellbeing, especially to those within the LGBTQ+ community.
Matt is an inspiring and thought-provoking transgender speaker. His life experience as a trans man himself means those who hear Matt speak are inspired and encouraged to overcome any hurdles and tackle adversity in their own day-to-day lives.
Matt aims to educate his audience on topics such as medical interventions, social aspects of being transgender, safe practices and equality rights, as well the legal implications of the Gender Recognition Act.
TV personality, comedian and host, Sandi Toksvig OBE is an activist for gender equality. In 2014 she co-founded the Women’s Equality Party.
According to their 2017 statement;
(they) recognise that the binary words “woman” and “man” do not reflect the gender experience of everyone in our country and support the right of all to define their sex or gender or to reject gendered divisions as they choose/ WE are committed to addressing the very real oppression of trans people as well as the social structures that oppress and sometimes erase cis women and damage all genders. Cis inclusivity must never mean trans exclusivity, nor vice versa. There are huge and serious issues to address and it is vital that we find ways to discuss our experiences in an environment of mutual respect and tolerance if we are to progress to equality for all.
In 2020, it was announced that pro-Olympic female boxer Nicola Adams would join the line-up of Strictly Come Dancing (BBC). She, alongside her dance partner, professional dancer and choreographer Katya Jones would be part of the competition’s first same-sex couple.
I think it’s really important, it’s definitely time for a change. It will be nice for the LGBT community to be able to see there are same-sex couples on the show as well, it’s just breaking those boundaries and showing people that it’s OK.
Whilst ‘in the closet’, Matt shut out his inner feelings, but he fulfilled his ambition and finally qualified as a Fast Jet Pilot. Matt describes his journey and the impact on his mental health whilst hiding his true self and operating in a macho, intolerant work environment.
During this journey Matt had no one to turn to, his performance faltered, his stress levels became unmanageable and he failed his RAF ‘Top Gun’ course. Matt links his mental well-being, stress, reliance to performance and productivity.
He eventually moved to the Royal Squadron and met an inspirational leader who developed trust and inclusion. As a result when the law changed he eventually came out. His leader’s exemplary inclusive style changed his life, both personally and professionally.
Although Matt’s diversity talk has an LGBTQ+ theme, it holds relevance to wider issues of marginalisation, be it gender, working parents, or ethnic minorities.
As a member of the LGBT community Will also enjoys speaking about the importance of being comfortable with your sexuality and identity, overcoming adversity and taking care of your mental health.
Will’s passion for public speaking and expert delivery has led him to speak to some of the world’s leading businesses, including TikTok, The British Heart Foundation, MediaCom & LinkedIn. Will was also invited by MediaCom to deliver a talk on the importance of diversity in the workplace in 2019 and in 2021 TikTok invited Will to speak about the importance of authentic black representation on social media.
Will delivered a thorough and educational presentation about diversity and it left the whole company filled with knowledge and ideas on how to improve.
Jake and Hannah Graf are inspiring, compelling and engaging Pride Month speakers. They are widely known as the UK’s ‘Transgender Power Couple’ after being named as the ‘Most Influential LGBTQ+’ Couple by The Independent.
Jake and Hannah are passionate speakers on gender, equality and diversity and having become something of an inspiration to the wider transgender community, they work tirelessly to represent it both in the UK and internationally, seizing every opportunity to increase acceptance and understanding.
To book Jake and Hannah Graf as your Pride Month speakers contact us.
Gina Battye is an award-winning, world-renowned LGBTQ+ inclusion and psychological safety consultant, corporate trainer, author, and keynote speaker. With specific knowledge of psychological and LGBTQ+ safety, she is the creator of the Five Pillars of Psychological Safety, developed a corporate diagnostic tool to ensure psychological safety, and provides talks on the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion within the workplace.
Her mission? “To create work environments where people thrive, through creating safer, more open, inclusive workplaces where ALL employees feel safe to bring their whole self to work.”
With a passion for ensuring workplaces are environments where people feel safe and where people thrive, Gina is the perfect keynote speaker to educate your employees on inclusivity and LGBTQ+ concerns.
During Pride 2022 – Kelly shared her ‘relief at coming out as gay.’ During this time, she fronted the documentary Kelly Holmes: Being Me (2022) which discussed why she kept her sexuality hidden for over 30-years and her fears of being ‘outed’ during her time in the army.
Keeping her sexuality a secret for so long meant her “mental health suffered greatly”. When she was ill with COVID-19, she thought about her funeral and how few people would know the true her: “I need people to see that it hurts”.
Now, as well as being an inspirational athlete, proud military veteran and advocate for mental health provisions, she has also become a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and intends to help others in her position.
Looking for some light-hearted comedy, then perhaps consider the likes of chat-show host Graham Norton, TV presenter Anna Richardson or comedian Zoe Lyons, to bring something truly unique and memorable to your event.
And while these talents may not as strongly advertise their connection to the LGBTQ+ community as those listed above, they still have a true appreciation for the LGBTQ+ fight for inclusion and equality.
Hire an LGBTQ+ Pride Month Speaker or Event Host
When you’ve decided on your perfect LGBTQ+ Pride Month speaker or entertainer, then call +44 (0) 1753 439 289 or email us at bookings@greatbritishtalent.com.
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