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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 1d

Day 11 of Black History Story. Marc Thompson has spent 30+ years fighting HIV stigma and building visibility for Black queer men. Through Prepster and Blackout UK, he turns advocacy into action, and action into change.
#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 2d

It’s World Mental Health Day.
Caring for our mental health - and for each other - shouldn’t happen only once a year.
If it feels heavy, reach out. You’re not alone in this.

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 2d

Day 10 of Black History Story. Hope Powell (she/her) redefined leadership in football, becoming the first woman and first Black coach of an England team. She pairs results with responsibility, pushing inclusion across the game. #BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 3d

Day 9 of Black History Story. Monica Roberts (she/her) changed the way media speaks about trans people. Through her blog TransGriot, she gave Black trans women the visibility and dignity they deserved.
#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 4d

Day 8 of Black History Story. Munroe Bergdorf (she/her) stands at the intersection of trans and racial justice. Her voice challenges inequality with honesty and hope, turning visibility into lasting change.
#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 5d

Day 11 of Black History Story. Brighton’s Suchitra ‘Suchi’ Dorothy Chatterjee turns art into activism and community into care. Through creativity and courage, she builds spaces where every voice matters.
#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 6d

Day 6 of Black History Story. Audre Lorde taught that silence never protects. A Black lesbian feminist who spoke truth to power, she showed how language, poetry and anger can be tools for change.
#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 7d

Day 5 of Black History Story. MNEK stands proud as a Black queer artist reshaping pop. His voice, his lyrics, his visibility, all push the industry toward real inclusion.
#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 8d

Day 4 of Black History Story. Kaia Allen-Bevan is a Brighton-based racial justice advocate and YouthTheGap founder. Her work centres equity in education and lifts young Black voices, turning protest energy into daily practice. #BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 9d

All through October, Switchboard is highlighting Black History Stories nominated by our staff. Each day we share the life and legacy of someone whose impact should be remembered beyond this month.

Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 9d

Their reign reminds us that drag is also about resistance, heritage, and creating new ways for communities to see themselves.

Today, we celebrate their artistry, their courage, and the space they have opened for Black voices in drag.

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 9d

They challenge stereotypes, shift expectations, and show drag as something bigger than imitation - drag as liberation.

By standing firm in their truth, King Molasses gives visibility to Black performers who might otherwise remain unseen.

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 9d

As a non-binary Black performer with Nigerian roots, they have carved out space where drag kings are rarely recognised.

In a scene that often overlooks kings in favour of queens, King Molasses insists that Black artistry and drag in all its forms deserve the spotlight.

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 9d

Day 3 of Black History Story: King Molasses puts Black drag kings centre stage.

King Molasses (@kingmolasses) made history by winning King of Drag Season 1. But their impact goes far beyond a crown.

#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 9d

✨ Meet local organisations including The Clare Project, Lunch Positive, MindOut, BLAGSS, The Sussex Beacon, Switchboard, and many more!

☕ Enjoy a friendly space to connect, learn, and celebrate community.
💜 All welcome!

#LGBTQCommunity #Over50s #Brighton #AgeingWellFestival #YouBelong
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 9d

🌈 LGBTQ+ 50+ Services Showcase 🌈

Are you LGBTQ+ and over 50? Come and discover local support, services, and social opportunities across Brighton & Hove!

📅 Wednesday 8th October
🕚 11am–1pm
📍 Community Base Conference Room, 113 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG
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Poster for the “LGBTQ+ 50+ Services Showcase”. A stylish older person with short white hair, red lipstick, sunglasses, and a bright red leather jacket leans on a post. Text reads: “Discover local support, services, and social opportunities for LGBTQ+ people over 50. Wednesday 8th October, 11am–1pm, Community Base Conference Room, 113 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG. All welcome.” Logos of Switchboard and the Brighton & Hove Ageing Well Festival are at the bottom.

Graphic with the heading “Exhibitors include…”. Logos displayed are: The Clare Project, Rainbow Chorus, Lunch Positive, BLAGSS (Brighton LGBTQ+ Sports Society), The Sussex Beacon, and Switchboard services (Older People, International Rainbow Inclusion Service, Grief Project). Text at the bottom reads “…and …”.

Graphic with logos of more exhibitors: Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, Conversation Over Borders, Older & Out, The Village Metropolitan Community Church, MindOut (LGBTQ mental health service), and Switchboard services (Dementia Support, Domestic Abuse, Trans, non-binary and intersex Social Prescribing). Text at the bottom reads “…plus more to be announced soon!”.

Poster titled “LGBTQ+ 50+ Services Showcase”. Details: Wednesday 8th October, 11am–1pm, Community Base Conference Room, 113 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG. Invitation text reads: “Are you an LGBTQ+ organisation that serves the over 50 community in Brighton & Hove? Please get in touch. We’d love you to have a table at the event and bring some members to connect with others and all the providers there.” At the bottom is an email icon with the contact: chris.baker@switchboard.org.uk
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 10d

Lady Phyll, co-founder of UK Black Pride, a fearless voice for Black LGBTQ+ lives.

She created spaces of joy and visibility, reminding us that courage and persistence opens doors for others to feel seen & celebrated.

Our campaign celebrates those whose impact should be remembered beyond the month.

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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

We wanted to showcase Bert’s unwavering dedication to Black history, so we are proud to begin our Black History Story campaign with his legacy.

#BlackHistoryStory #BHM2025 #BlackHistoryMonth
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

In recognition of his lifelong dedication to community history and racial equality, Bert was awarded an MBE and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Brighton.

Bert and his wife, Shirley, are well-known in the community.
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

He challenged the idea that “there is no Black history in Brighton” by documenting stories from the Windrush generation to African royalty, and even international figures like Haile Selassie on Brighton Pier.
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

Through walking tours, school visits and exhibitions, Bert made sure these histories were no longer overlooked. He also brought this work into prisons and community centres, showing people that their heritage mattered and had shaped the city they lived in.
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

Bert was born in Jamaica and moved to the UK in 1960, serving in the RAF and later working in the NHS. In 2002, he co-founded Brighton & Hove Black History, a grassroots project that uncovered and preserved the hidden stories of Black communities across Sussex.
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

The theme for this year is ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’ and it felt only right to begin the campaign with Bert Williams MBE as our honorary, community living legend.
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

Throughout the month we will highlight local, national and international figures whose contributions have shaped communities and inspired change.
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Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard @lgbtswitchboard.bsky.social · 11d

This October, Switchboard is proud to launch our Black History Story campaign - a month of daily posts nominated by our staff, celebrating the histories and legacies of people whose stories deserve to be honoured all year round, not just during October.
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