In Discussion with current and former members of the LGBT+ Labour executive, including Ian Dylan Thomas, Vice-President of Rainbow Rose, and Sarah Kerton, Director of the University College Birmingham Guild of Students.
Join us for this exciting panel discussion where we discuss how LGBT+ Labour can influence the Labour Party, and where what our collective can achieve going forward.
A little on our speakers:
Ian Dylan Thomas, Rainbow Rose Vice-President
Ian joined the Labour Party in 2005. Between 2006 and 2011, he was employed by the Labour Party as an organiser, in his home region of North Wales. Since 2011 he has worked for four Labour Members of Parliament, having worked for his current MP since 2020. Between 2015 and 2018, he was also Co-Chair of LGBT+ Labour.
After standing down as co-chair in 2018, Ian was then invited to join the Board of Rainbow Rose as an associate member. In October 2019 he was elected as Vice President of Rainbow Rose, and re-elected in 2021.
Sarah Kerton, Director of University College Birmingham Guild of Students
Sarah is the Director of University College Birmingham Guild of Students, and is a Non-Executive Director of the National Union of Students.
A former LGBT Labour Co-Chair, she is the bass player of the all-lesbian hip hop band Ajah UK, and an active member of Proud Baggies, West Bromwich Albion’s LGBT+ supporters’ group.
Katie Hanson, LGBT+ Labour Non-Portfolio Officer
Katie has been a Labour Party member for 35 years and a member of LGBT Labour for nearly as long. She was co-chair of the Campaign at the time of the high-profile campaign around banning discrimination in the provision of goods and services, during which we successfully saw off a proposal to have exemptions for Catholic adoption agencies.
Katie has worked as a charity lobbyist and currently works in the public sector in a social policy role. At NUS conference she once knitted finger puppets for the delegation, which made votes by show of hand way more fun.
The event will be chaired by Evie Brooks, LGBT+ Labour National Co-Chair and Rhys Lawton, LGBT+ Labour Non-Portfolio Officer (Chair), with further contributions from Matthew Lloyd, LGBT+ Labour National Co-Chair.