This month is Pride Month, and there are many reasons why we acknowledge and celebrate it. Taking place in June, it commemorates the Stonewall riots that took place in 1969. This turbulent time in US history changed gay rights across the globe.
We celebrate the month to acknowledge how far LGBTQ+ rights have come. But we also mark the month to see how much further they need to go. Especially when we can see rights being gradually eroded away in certain countries.
At our charity, we are committed to treating everyone equally, with dignity, and respect. Words that Tonia lives by. And that leads us to today’s profile; Tonia Redvers!
Tonia is Director of Business and Development at The YOU Trust. This means managing many teams, many of whom are part of the LGBTQ+ community. She’s also run PARAGON and STAR. We spoke to her about her experiences of being in a same sex marriage.
Tonia’s experience
Being in a same sex relationship came later in my life. It was at a time when I knew who I was and was confident in my life choices. I had the love of my family and friends. The gender of who I was with did not seem to matter to them.
I have always felt very supported in my life choices. I did not experience the same discriminations that my wife did, as she came out at a much earlier age.
When I first started working at The YOU Trust, my line manager was a gay woman. In fact, so was her line manager! I soon found that the LGBTQ+ community was very well represented within our teams. Because of this, working at YOU feels so very normal. I have always felt welcomed and supported. And have never been ‘othered’ here.
As a white woman, I am aware that my culture offers me certain protections that others may not experience, and being gay has never impacted on my progression in the organisation. But, still in 2024, sexual orientation remains a ‘thing’, a topic of discussion, where sex and sexual orientation remains a right of reporters and people to guess and discuss. It makes me so happy knowing that these are not topics that are whispered about in YOU. We are free to be who we want to be. I hope that would be the case everywhere.
If you’d like to hear more about Tonia and her experiences, listen to her Podcast.
