An Aigburth man has spoken of his pride as the LGBTQ+ awards night he helped create has become the biggest in Europe.
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Daniel Hughes felt there were no relatable LGBTQ+ people in the media which in turn made him feel "alone and isolated" at times. The 38-year-old explained how the universal feeling of loneliness before "coming out" was only worsened at the time by the "hangover of hostile government policies towards LGBT people."
He told the ECHO : “I know it is an experience many gay people face but the situation was worse then because of the lack of openly gay figures in the media. You'd feel like there was no one else like you. You also had the hangover of hostile government policies towards LGBT+ people in the early 1990s which contributed to the gay community being marginalised and discriminated against by certain parts of the media. You can look back now at some of the archive headlines about the community and they are horrific to read.”
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Daniel recalls the turning point - in terms of LGBTQ+ media representation - for him came in the late 1990s when there were “positive and significant” changes made by Tony Blair’s government such as the equalisation of the age of consent and the introduction of civil partnerships.
He said: “Representation in the media started to get better then too. It might seem inconsequential to others but moments like Brian Dowling winning Big Brother and TV programmes introducing gay characters were a big deal to teenagers like me who were carrying around a huge secret. Gay people started to be positively featured in the mainstream media around the dawn of the new millennium. That's when things started to get better but I still didn't actually 'come out' until I was 26 such was the stigma attached to being gay when I was a kid. It is different now. I took my nephew to see Lightyear last week and I was amazed to see a gay character in the film. It was brilliant and shows just how far we've come."
Wanting to continue the work of positive LGBTQ+ media representation Daniel helped create the British LGBT Awards, a platform which honours an array of influential and inspiring individuals. The awards evening, which takes place in London every June, dishes out accolades such as global media trailblazer, diversity hero and lifetime achievement on the night.
This year's awards, hosted by TV presenter Sue Perkins, saw the likes of LGBTQ+ charities such as Stonewall and Terrence Higgins Trust and high-profile celebrities including Vogue editor Edward Enniful and musician Alicia Keys recognised for their work. Other familiar faces in attendance ranged from Rylan Clark and Tom Daley to Steps and BBC Radio 1’s Adele Roberts.
Daniel, the brains behind North West PR firm, This Generation Communications (TGC), is celebrating the achievement of reaching an audience of 80 million people worldwide as part of the creative team and delivery partner of the British LGBT+ Awards. The 38-year-old has been involved with the awards since its inception back in 2014 after he saw a gap in the market for LGBTQ+ representation.
Daniel added: "We have worked on the event for a number of years but this was the best yet by a significant distance. This was a stunning effort from the entire team and we can believe we can surpass 80 million next year as the event goes from strength to strength.
“One of the key highlights of my involvement with the awards so far was being invited to Kensington Palace to record a video with Prince William about his award win. The funny thing was before we entered the palace, his aides asked us not to ask for photos but it was him who asked for photos with us. There have been many memorable occasions like that such as when my colleague Connor and I got to record a special video with Hillary Clinton for the event. Working with Kelly Osborne who hosted the event in 2018 was great fun too and it is always fantastic to see Liverpool role models receive recognition for their work such as P aul O'Grady and Holly Johnson who've both been recognised over the years."
Despite the tremendous success so far, the team believe the awards and subsequently, LGBTQ+ representation will only continue to grow moving forward. TGC’s Connor Dunn said: "Without question, the team behind the British LGBT Awards are phenomenal and work tirelessly to make sure the event takes a more prominent place on the world stage each year in order to highlight the efforts of those in the public eye striving to advance the rights of this incredible community.
“The global icons, LGBT+ legends and rising stars that have already been recognised are testaments to the place the ceremony is at while the interest from pro-LGBT+ brands to get involved and the record time tables at the event are now selling out all point to a fantastic, bold and bright future for the ceremony.
"There stands little reason, then, to think the British LGBT Awards won’t reach yet more unbelievable heights and it’s fantastic to see because it all simply means LGBT+ people and their allies will be celebrated on a bigger and better stage at a not-for-profit event that unequivocally supports the community.”
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