The Kaleidoscope Trust

Kaleidoscope Trust is a nonprofit organisation that campaigns for the human rights of LGBT+ people in countries where they are discriminated.[2] John Bercow is President of the Trust, and Sir Stephen Wall is the current Chair of the Trust Board.[3][4]

Kaleidoscope Trust
Formation13 September 2011 (2011-09-13)[1]
Legal statusNon-profit organisation
PurposeLGBT+ rights
HeadquartersLondon, E8
United Kingdom
Region served
Worldwide
Director
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah
WebsiteKaleidoscope Trust

History

Kaleidoscope Trust was founded in 2011, and launched with a reception held by then Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP. Kaleidoscope Trust has received support from former Prime Minister David Cameron, former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and former Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband. Elton John and George Michael were also supporters.[5][6][1]

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, widely known as Lady Phyll – partly due to her decision to reject an MBE to protest Britain’s role in formulating anti-LGBTQ penal codes across its empire – joined Kaleidoscope Trust as Executive Director in August 2019.[7] Opoku-Gyimah made history when she became the first black woman to head a leading LGBT+ organisation in the UK.[8] A community builder and organiser, with strong ties to emergent LGBT+ movements around the world, Opoku-Gyimah is also the co-founder and executive director of UK Black Pride, dedicated to promoting "unity and co-operation among all Black people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent, as well as their friends and families, who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender."[9]

Activities

The organisation works with existing groups campaigning for LGBT+ groups in other countries by using international lobbying in order to better enable groups to achieve their aims.[10] It is based in the UK, which places it ideally for campaigning for LGBT rights across all the commonwealth countries,[2] where (as at 2019) 34 of 53 states criminalise homosexual activity.[11]

In March 2012, the Trust was announced as the Official Charity Partner for World Pride 2012.[12]

References
  1. Jessica Geen, Speaker Launches New Gay Rights Group Kaleidoscope, Pink News, 14 September 2011
  2. About The Kaleidoscope Trust Accessed 11 September 2017
  3. Kaleidoscope's team (about us) kaleidoscopetrust.com, Accessed 11 September 2017
  4. Francis Batt, 9th March 2018: Elton John and David Furnish message to gay rights conference at Cumberland Lodge 'Sir Stephen Wall... chairman at the Kaleidoscope Trust', at windsorobserver.co.uk, accessed 30 March 2018
  5. Jessica Geen, David Cameron Backs new International Gay Rights Charity, Pink News, 12 September 2011
  6. Oliver Wright, Elton John Tells World Leaders: Stop Anti-Gay Discrimination, The Independent, 12 September 2011
  7. "Phyll Opoku-Gyimah Appointed Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Trust". Kaleidoscope Trust. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. "Lady Phyll makes history | The Voice Online". archive.voice-online.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  9. Phyll Opoku-Gyimah
  10. Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Africa and Middle East in spotlight as group launched to tackle homophobia, The Guardian, 12 September 2011
  11. Numbers of states quoted from The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN) at commonwealthequality.org Accessed 11 September 2017
  12. Kaleidoscope Trust selected as charity partner for World Pride 2012, kaleidoscopetrust.com, 8 March 2012
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