Every year, when International Lesbian Day comes around, someone inevitably asks why we still need days like this. Surely, in 2026, we've achieved equality? We can marry, live openly, raise families and enjoy legal protections that previous generations could only have dreamed of. So why do we still need a day dedicated to lesbians? Because equality written into legislation is not the same as equality experienced in everyday life. And because, despite decades of progress, lesbian women are...

Last Sunday Bridget Phillipson the Women's & Equalities minister commented about not allowing trans women into women's refuges risk reducing an extraordinarily complex issue to a question about who can and cannot enter one particular type of building. I come to this debate with more than a passing interest. I spent many years of my career overseeing a national LGBT domestic abuse service. During that time, I saw the number of points of contact with the service grow from the low hundreds to...

Pride can be criticised. But criticism is increasingly becoming something much uglier. An article about Medway Pride caught my attention recently. Not simply because of what it said, but because it felt increasingly familiar. Throughout Pride season, and particularly in the days following Pride events, I have noticed article after article, Facebook post after Facebook post and comment after comment picking apart Pride. Some raise legitimate questions. Others are full of judgement and...