For this Pride month we thought we'd celebrate by giving you a very special one-off episode!! In this episode we speak to a previous guest from way back in Season 1 and speak to Che Stephenson-Hunter, Sarah's wife who has recently come out as non-binary. In this episode Che talks openly about some of the challenges they've faced coming out later on in life and why they believe this time is the right time for them to embrace their authentic self. It may only be a short episod...
Back after the traditional (or soon to be) August break, Pk and Sarah discuss their thoughts on Equity and Equality, their understandings of the concepts, language and why Simply Equality is called Simply Equality.
Hello dear listeners. On this episode Sarah talks to Ebony Rose Dark (any pronouns) about her experience of being a V.I.P visually impaired cabaret and dance performance artist, the intersections of disability and LGBTQIA+ identity and race. There were unfortunately some issues with the audio while we weer recording and while we've tried to fix as much as possible, we know it's not perfect.However, we hope that won't detract from the brilliant conversation with Ebony and their wonderful thoug...
Hello dear listeners! Apologies for the long and unintended break, but we're back. And in time for Pride month. This is the first episode of the season and a very special episode in the life of Simply Equality. I'm joined by my business partner, Pk Kulasegram and while we briefly touch being a limited company, mostly this episode is a discussion of what it means to be queer and disabled and what Pride means to us.The handle for the tiktok account we discuss is: @madeline_pendletonD...
With apologies for the unexpected break I'm pleased to be back with a very special new episode discussing issues around mental health in the LGBTQ+ community.According to recent government data, an estimated 3.1% of Britons over the age of 16 now identify as LGBTQ+, with the number of young people under 16 doubling over the last 4 years.However, statistics alone only tell us part of the story. Whilst there have been many advances in equality for LGBTQ+ people over recent years, there is ...
A new year, the perfect time to launch season 2 of my podcast!! I know it's been some time coming but hopefully you'll agree it's worth the wait!!For the first episode of this new season I speak to Jennie Williams, the CEO of a UK based disability led organisation called EnhancetheUK.I first met Jennie when we were on a panel together last year and what can I say, we hit it off immediately!!! Join me as I talk with her about the work of EnhancetheUK and her own experiences of havi...
Welcome to the final episode of this first series. Yes that's right the sad news is that this is the last episode in the current series...the great news is that I have a fantastic guest to finish the series with!!Join me as I speak to Daniel Lol, , one of the founding members of ParaPride, an organisation that very much embodies what this podcast is about, exploring the intersection of disability and LGBTQ+ issues. I met Daniel a few months ago when we worked on a couple of projec...
Welcome to part 2 of my focus on what it means to be neurodiverse and LGBT. Join me as I speak with Sam Hope, a non binary trans person with a combination of impairments.I've known Sam pretty much from the early days of my own gender journey and I continue to be challenged and inspired by what they have to say on what it means to be LGBT and disabled. Sam talks about their own experiences of being trans, non-binary and being diagnosed as being autistic and having ADHD. They ...
Join me as I talk with a fellow podcaster, fantasy writer, cat lover and all round fabulous person Aym Madement. I met Aym through my work at the University of Oxford and thought they would be a perfect person to have on the podcast. I talk with them about their experiences of having a range of invisible disabilities, being non-binary and how this has impacted them in everyday life and the world of work. As you'll hear we discuss a range of issues including spoon theory, exp...
In this latest episode it is my great pleasure to speak to Robin Edwards, a good friend of mine from Nottingham. Robin talks openly and honestly about his experiences of being diagnosed as autistic and how he feels this did / didn't impact on his life, love and transition. We also talk about the apparent prevalence of people who are both LGBT+ and neurodiverse and why this might be along with comments on the specific challenges of being a trans man in the current social and politi...
One of the great things about doing this podcast is that I get to meet other disabled & LGBT+ people. One such person is the lovely Aletea Sellers, a blind woman originally from North Wales who got in touch after listening to a recent episode. It soon became clear that Aletea had a story to tell and so here she is on her very own episode!!! Join me as I talk to Aletea about growing up in Wales as a young blind woman, coming out as gay at university and her life and...
In this latest episode I talk to Natalyia Dell. I first met Natalyia in 2009 when working at the University of Birmingham and I’m lucky to have her as a friend. She talks candidly about her own experiences of being sensory, physically and neurologically impaired and the impact this has had on her education, career and everyday life. She has much to say on a range of issues including her experiences of disablism in the LGBT community when she first came out as well as the prevalenc...
Welcome to another episode of The Simply Equality Podcast, the podcast that seeks to foreground the lived experience of both LGBT+ and disabled people. In this episode we talk to Emily Brothers, a blind trans woman who is probably best known for being the first openly trans person to stand for parliament from one of the major parties.Emily talks openly and honestly about her early childhood in working class Liverpool, losing the majority of her sight aged 10 and the challenges of naviga...
In this episode I speak to the irrepressible Morgan Martins who is a non-binary deaf person originally from Portugal but living in London. They talk to us about coming out as non-binary, how this was handled at work, waking up one morning and having lost their hearing and the subsequent difficult issue of having to give up surfing and riding their motorbike!!! They talk frankly about their top surgery and dealing with prejudice at work. They also talk about being part of the...
In this latest episode I talk to the real Mrs. Stephenson-Hunter...yes that's right my wonderful wife Clare!!Clare is one of my most fervent supporters, allies and overall strength behind a lot of the work I do. I'm often the one who gets the public recognition but it's no lie to say that without her support I wouldn't be anything like the woman I am now and am yet to become.Join me as Clare tells of her own struggles with her sexuality and gender and her lived experience of fluct...
In this first full length episode we talk to Abigail and Lilith who are better known as 'Gears for Queers'. They talk about their new book, detailing their first ever long distance cycle tour and more generally about their gender identity, sexuality, mental ill health and neurodiversity.There's even some discussion about toilets, but not in the way you may think!!Its a really honest and open discussion and I hope you enjoy.You can find out more about'Gears for Queers' and how to buy their boo...
Hi and welcome to this brand new podcast focusing on the lived experiences of disabled and LGBT+ people. Listen as the host, Sarah Stephenson-Hunter, talks about the reason why it’s called “Simply Equality” and shares a little of her own story of being blind and trans. You can find out more about Sarah and the work she does as a disability and LGBT+ speaker, activist and trainer at www.simplyequality.com and contact her via info@simplyequality.com - sit back, listen and make...
As I've spoken to more and more people who are both disabled and LGBT+ there is a theme that's arisen i.e. that of the prevalence of those who are neurodivergent and LGBT+. I've already touched on this in a few previous episodes but for the next two I thought I'd take a more detailed look at the issues around this.In this first of two episodes focusing on this I speak to Jorik Mol, an autistic gay man who speaks very openly and honestly about his experiences of being both queer an...
Greetings and welcome to the first episode of 2021!! The past few months have been incredibly challenging for us all within the disabled and LGBT+ community and I've had my own share of personal loss which I explain here.The main focus of this episode is an interview with the fabulous Vikki Walton-Cole, a social worker and LGBT and disability campaigner from Surrey who I met through a shared intrest in another passion of mine, music!!!!Join me as I talk to Vikki about her ow...
Jenny Gladstone
Currently my favourite podcast. Calm, light, and humorous, Sarah and her guests explore LGBTI+ and disability issues sensitively, using the guest's personal experience to highlight the effects of inequity on people. I love it!