Older Queer Voices E35 KAT PARSONS

Our Founder and host, Raga D'silva sits with Dr Paul Taylor Pitt to talk about everything Queer.In this powerful episode of Older Queer Voices, Dr. Paul (an organizational development consultant, coach, researcher, activist, and podcaster) joins Raga to unpack the journey of queer midlife and aging. Together, they explore what it means to belong to ourselves, challenge heteronormative relationship scripts, reclaim language, and navigate life as “emerging elders” shaping our own futures.Book: Dr. Paul’s practical biblio coaching book explores growing older as LGBTQ+ individuals: Still Here, Still Queer. Now What? (Available now in bookshops, on Kindle, and as an audiobook)Connect and Tour Dates: Find upcoming book tour events and workshop details at:https://stillherestillqueernowwhat.comFollow Dr. Paul Taylor Pitt: Instagram / Socials: @showingwholeOlder Queer Voices is dedicated to amplifying the stories, wisdom, and visibility of our older LGBTQ+ community.Please like, comment, and subscribe to support the channel. Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Our host, Raga D'silva sat down with Claire Harvey, Founder of Not in our Name (NION), and Hilary Stephenson, Digital leader with a focus on social impact and inclusion.In this insightful conversation, Claire Harvey and Hilary Stephenson discuss the origins and purpose of the "Not in our Name" movement. They dive into why cisgender women across the UK are coming together to reject anti-trans rhetoric, address the real systemic root causes of violence against women, and stand in firm solidarity with the trans+ community.✍️ Sign and share the open letter here: https://notinourname.org.uk/petition/not-in-our-name-women-in-support-of-the-trans-community/Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Our host, Raga D'silva, sat down with Kat Parsons, CEO of Diversity Umbrella, for a candid conversation about coming out, finding her voice and building a life on her own terms.Kat shares how changing her surname and career became a fresh start, why being handed a paternity policy as a mum pushed her to challenge workplace practices, and what it took for her and her wife Fiona to renovate their home with an all female design and build team.They talk about motherhood, co-parenting, reclaiming the word lesbian and the confidence people see in public that can feel quite different in private.From construction sites to leading Diversity Umbrella, Kat reflects on recognising the work of others and bringing employee networks together through the Network Collective.More details on the Global Inclusivity Membership: Network Collective, a connected community for organisations leading the way on inclusion. https://www.diversityumbrella.co.uk/the-network-collectiveWhat helped you find your voice? Watch the conversation and share your thoughts in the comments.Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Our host and Co-founder of Older Queer Voices, Raga D’Silva, spoke with HIV activist, campaigner and actor Matthew Hodson about a life shaped by activism, survival, visibility and extraordinary change.Born just days after the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, Matthew takes us from discovering London’s gay scene at just 15, through the fear of the AIDS crisis and the fight against Section 28, to direct action, protest and decades of HIV advocacy. He reflects on his own HIV diagnosis, the stigma and secrecy that followed, and the extraordinary transformation in treatment that means people living with HIV on effective treatment can now have the same life expectancy as those without HIV.Matthew also speaks powerfully about why today’s attacks on trans people remind him of battles the LGBTQ+ community has fought before, and why solidarity, visibility and organising still matter.Now approaching 60, he has returned to acting, the career he stepped away from after his HIV diagnosis, and reflects beautifully on ageing, purpose and legacy.Perhaps the most powerful reminder from this conversation is a simple one: legacy does not have to mean being remembered forever. Sometimes changing one person's life is enough.And Matthew leaves us with a message that still needs to be heard:When someone living with HIV is on effective treatment, there is zero risk of sexual transmission. U=UA conversation about how far we have come, what we must never forget, and why our stories still matter.Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Raga D'Silva, host of Older Queer Voices, sat down with Matthew Page for a deeply moving conversation about identity, belonging and what it means to finally feel whole.Growing up in foster care from the age of three, Matthew shares his journey through rejection, discovering he was gay in 1970s Britain, becoming a foster carer himself, and later finding his birth family through DNA testing.Together, they explore race, sexuality, chosen family, the lifelong search for where we belong, and why hope remains one of the most powerful things we can hold onto.This is a conversation about more than foster care. It is about finding yourself, understanding your story, and discovering that belonging can change everything.Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Raga D'Silva talks to Heather Paterson in a brilliantly powerful conversation on tattoos, identity, visibility and the stories we carry on our skin in this episode of The Human Scrapbook.Heather describes herself as a "human scrapbook". With more than 100 tattoos and a life dedicated to LGBTQIA+ activism and community leadership, she shares what it means to carry memories, meaning and identity on your skin.What starts as a conversation about tattoos becomes a deeper exploration of belonging, judgement, self expression, visibility and navigating a world that often makes assumptions before we speak.A fascinating and thought provoking conversation about being unapologetically yourself.Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Bridging Generations | Older Queer Voices Festival SpecialWhat happens when queer generations come together?In this special live edition of Older Queer Voices, host Raga D'silva is joined by four remarkable guests for an inspiring conversation about visibility, resilience, allyship, representation and the power of shared stories across generations.Guests include:Professor Sue Sanders;  Educator, activist, co-founder of LGBT+ History Month and one of the UK's most influential voices in LGBTQ+ education, history, and visibility.Dan Porter; Chair of Tesco's LGBTQ+ Network, Head of Employer Brand and Recruitment Marketing at Tesco, inclusion champion and recipient of the British LGBT Inspirational Leader Award 2026, Finalist - Rainbow Honours 2026.Rosie Jones; Award-winning comedian, writer, broadcaster, and actor. Rosie has fronted her own Comedy Central series Out of Order, starred in Channel 4's documentary Am I A R*tard, led the BAFTA-nominated Trip Hazard and Mission: Accessible, and is the creator and star of the BAFTA-nominated comedy-drama Pushers. She is also a familiar face on shows including Taskmaster, Live at the Apollo, QI, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and The Last Leg.Jason Patel; One of the UK's most exciting emerging queer creatives. A double BIFA-nominated actor, Screen International Star of Tomorrow, British LGBT Awards Rising Star nominee and Rainbow Honours Musician of the Year nominee. Best known for his acclaimed performance in Unicorns, Jason champions authentic LGBTQIA+ storytelling across film, theatre, and music, and can next be heard in Russell Tovey's Audible Original Starlings alongside Andrew Scott and George MacKayTogether, they explore what older and younger queer generations can learn from one another, the importance of visibility and representation, and why building stronger connections across generations has never been more important.Older Queer Voices celebrates older LGBTQ+ lives, stories, and experiences, creating conversations that ensure nobody feels unseen, unheard, or forgotten.Hosted by Raga D'silva; award-winning speaker, activist, and founder of Older Queer Voices.Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Host, Raga D'silva, sits down with activist, writer and lifelong campaigner Savitri Hensman for a powerful conversation on identity, faith, race, ageing and LGBTQ+ inclusion.From growing up as a queer woman of colour in 1970s Britain to co-founding the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre and advocating for justice across communities, Savitri reflects on decades of activism, resilience and hope. Together, they explore faith, belonging, ageing, care, social justice and the work still needed to build a more inclusive world.A thoughtful and inspiring episode from the Older Queer Voices Podcast.Recorded for the Older Queer Voices Podcast. Hosted by Raga D'silva. Co-founder: Nicola Fenton.Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Sridhar Rangayan shares his coming out story with Raga D'silvaComing Out Stories from India Series one  Episode  Six A Views Room PresentationCurated and produced by Nicola FentonHosted by Raga D’silvaFollow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]

Raga D’silva, host of the Older Queer Voices Podcast, sits down with trailblazing activist Femi Otitoju, current Chair of Queerwell, the UK’s community-led LGBTQ+ mental health and wellness charity focused on providing accessible, affirming support including therapy, coaching and wellbeing services for LGBTQ+ people.Femi is also one of the UK’s most influential Black LGBTQ+ voices, a diversity specialist, former Chair of Switchboard, and among the first out Black lesbians to speak openly about being gay on UK television in the early 1980s.In this powerful conversation, Femi reflects on growing up as a Black lesbian in Britain, finding community in the 1970s, activism through Section 28 and the AIDS crisis, intersectionality before the term existed, ageing in the LGBTQ+ community, and why hope, resilience and collective action still matter today.A moving and deeply important conversation on identity, survival, community and queer history.Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroomInstagram @[email protected]