This year for the first time the Liverpool ECHO are creating and publishing our very own Rainbow List.
Every year in July, thousands of people at Pride flood the streets of Liverpool and with all the laughter and dancing, it's easy to think that the fight for equality is over but sadly every day we are reminded this is not the case.
That’s why this year we have put together the Liverpool ECHO Rainbow List. Although we have written about members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have shaken things up in the city before, this is the first time we have opened submissions to the general public.
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The LGBTQIA+ community is a vital part of Liverpool's community and the ECHO is committed to celebrating the success of the community and reporting on the issues important to LGBTQIA+ people who live here.
READ MORE: Tragedy that sparked Liverpool's Pride celebrations
Coinciding with the city’s weekend of Pride celebrations, the list recognises some of the LGBTQIA+ people who have made a difference in the community. This is not an exhaustive list but the people below have represented the community, campaigned for equal rights, used their public profile to improve lives and or lived their lives unapologetically.
In no particular order:
Rory McGill
Rory is a public health consultant who uses his role and his platform to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. The 36-year-old, who lives in Bootle, talks about his own personal experience to educate others and raise awareness of the importance of inclusive health. He has recently been elected to the national board of directors for an LGBTQ+ health and well-being charity and is dedicated to improving access to healthcare for his community.
Rachael Mutch
Rachael has worked to improve the lives of young people in Liverpool for years. She worked as a learning support assistant for decades before going back to university to study Visual Theatre at Edge Hill, where her peers benefitted greatly from her motivation and support.
The 40-year-old then went on to teach acting to scores of young adults across Merseyside and has been involved with football and sports coaching via Liverpool Feds throughout this time. More recently, she became involved with the FA to support the over 40s in sport via Walking Football. As well as coaching the WFA England Women's Walking Football over 50s national squad, she has established a Liverpool Feds Women's walking football team and the over 50s have just won the plate in their first tournament. This is an inclusive team which encourages anyone and everyone who is interested to attend.
Rachael, originally from Bootle, also founded ‘Kick Some Balls’, a sportswear label that distributes the "Just in Casey" pack, which has reduced period stigma in football across the country and is currently the focus of a research study by the LJMU Sport Science department.
Richie Swan
Richie Swan is an out and proud personal trainer. Originally from Maghull, he has built up a massive celebrity clientele including Emma Bunton, Melanie B, Mylene Class, and Alexandra Burke.
Richie is also a fundraiser for Radio City's Cash for Kids and has completed various physical challenges. His achievements include running 5km a day every day throughout March 2022 and climbing the Yorkshire Three Peaks to raise money for disadvantaged young children across Liverpool. In 2021, Richie Swan and his team raised over £6,000 for the charity.
Described as a “positive role model” for children, Richie gave a helping hand to LGBTQ+ youth suffering from anxiety and depression as a result of coming to terms with their sexuality.
Paul McGowan
Paul McGowan has “tirelessly protested and organised events” which benefit the LGBTQ+ community here in Merseyside. They are heavily involved in LGBT+ rights and racial justice activism, including being a team member of Merseyside’s BLM Alliance. Paul is also the national chairperson of the LGBT+ Socialists organisation, which is a national group of LGBT+ people, who since their founding in 2018 have been building collective solidarity between workers, working with the trade unions, supporting workers on picket lines and raising money for their strike funds.
Last summer in the wake of the increase of homophobic and transphobic attacks, Paul was a speaker at the huge summer protest in the city centre. Since then, they have organised educational resources on LGBT+ and trans rights, and have been a prominent voice during the protests against the government dropping trans people from the conversion therapy ban.
Josh Parry
Former ECHO journalist and current LGBT+ producer at the BBC, Josh has closely covered the issue of conversion therapy, a campaign to ban the practice and the government's decision not to include transgender people in the legislation. Josh has also recently produced a documentary highlighting the experiences of gay and transgender refugees who were evacuated from Afghanistan in a top-secret mission when the Taliban took control of the country.
Jacqui De La Maziere
Jacqui was one of the thousands of veterans interrogated and dismissed from HM Forces for being gay. The 51-year-old from John Moores University took the British Government to the European Court of Human Rights. Her case, and others, led to the law being changed and the military ban being lifted.
After losing her home, friends, career and pension, she overcame unemployment and came back to Liverpool and studied at John Moores University to try to rebuild a career whilst battling “poverty, disadvantages and discriminations”. She campaigned for justice for years afterwards, organising petitions and writing articles. This year the government announced a review of the impact of the ban on these veterans, 22 years after it was lifted. Jacqui also donated some of the few naval belongings she was allowed to take, to the women at sea exhibition at the Maritime Museum.
Linda Gold
Linda Gold owns the largest drag collective in Europe called FunnyBoyz and gives LGBTQ+ people the chance to kickstart their drag careers. Since opening the FunnyBoyz venue on Blundell Street, Liverpool, three years ago, she has created an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
The 48-year-old, who was born in Whiston, has a very important policy that anyone needing a safe space can enjoy her events and visit her venues at prices they can afford - a policy which she has said will always be in place no matter how big they grow. Twenty-five out of the 27 venues where FunnyBoyz events take place previously had no LGBT acts so this created new safe spaces for the LGBTQI+ community.
Daniel Hughes
Daniel is an inspirational LGBTQI+ business leader, bringing a wealth of public relations experience to leading events, including the Rainbow Honours and the British LGBT Awards. These events exist to highlight and celebrate the work of those advancing rights and standing up for the community.
The 38-year-old, from Aigburth, also launched - and continues to drive forward - the social mobility charity Football For Change. It is a momentous initiative that sees Premier League football stars and business leaders work together to help to give disadvantaged young people opportunities in education and employment.
Peter Johnson-Treherne
Peter is a prominent business leader, operating as a director for Heritage Great Britain and helping to run incredible tourist attractions like RLB360. The 51-year-old from Woolton advocates for diversity in employment and encourages staff members to be themselves on a daily basis. He is also a supporter of the British LGBT Awards - the biggest annual celebration of members of this community in the country.
Steven Benson
Steven has run Merseyside LGBT social group (described as the “pinnacle” of LGBTQ+ meet-up groups in Liverpool by nominator Leona Day) for the past decade. He also runs an LGBT+ book group and a separate writing group. With nearly 80 monthly attendees, Steven dedicates his time and money to ensure those who are new to the area or finding their way with their sexuality have a place they can go to and friends they can rely on. The 62-year-old who lives in Canning has also been an activist since the 80s and was part of the Liverpool Anti Clause 28 campaign.
Dys Alexia
As a professional drag queen, Dys Alexia is said to be the “epitome of someone who is truly themselves” according to their nominator Connor Dunn. The 21-year-old has faced adversity at every turn in their life but has continued to be their authentic self and encourages others to do the same.
The city centre performer experienced a tough childhood in Romania, being spat at, pushed and insulted after coming out at 12-years-old. However, wanting to make the best of their story, the entertainer rebuilt their life here in Liverpool and can be found on your TV screen as they landed a cameo role in Sky's Original series, Funny Girl.
Gary Everett
Gary Everett was the brains behind Homotopia, the UK's longest-running LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival, which prides itself on delivering “queer art for queer people”.
The 53-year-old founded the Liverpool-based arts and social justice organisation in 2004 and has helped artists make a cultural impact through their work and activism. Originally from Allerton, Gary also curated the critically acclaimed exhibition on the late Liverpool born trans pioneer April Ashley MBE at the Museum of Liverpool, which attracted over 950,000 visitors and had to be extended twice due to its popularity. As a result of his work, Gary was given an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Edge Hill University. He has now handed over the reins of Homotopia.
Bill Elms
Bill is the artistic director of the Liverpool Theatre Festival whose productions have always championed LGBT issues. The Ruby Slippers, Epstein - The Man who made the Beatles and the forthcoming Masquerade all have the community at their core. The 52-year-old, who grew up in Tuebrook, has worked in the theatre industry both locally and nationally for over 35 years. During that time he has been at the forefront of ensuring that LGBTQ+ voices are heard and equal opportunities are being provided.
Emma Cuerden
Emma has been helping LGBT people for the past six years having set up Over the Ransom, a group for young people. Through the group, the 40-year-old held a rainbow picnic in the park to bring the community together and more recently has played an integral part in organising St Helens Pride. The health improvement practitioner has worked hard across St Helens, teaching school staff, hospitals and businesses to be more inclusive. This year she launched Over the Rainbow parents, a support group for parents of Trans kids and is said to be the “go-to person” for LGBT+ related queries across St Helens.
Erika Tranfield
Erika has used her own personal experience to help others navigate the world of sperm donation. The 41-year-old is the brains behind Pride Angel, a leading worldwide donor connection website with more than 90,000 registered members. Originally from Heswall, Wirral, the microbiologist has helped create over 1,000 families through her online website, one of which was the Archbold family.
Kelly Archbold said: “I’ve always known I wanted to be a mum more than anything, however, secretly inside I’ve always had the fear that it would never happen because of my sexuality. I know some would say that it’s much easier in today’s day and age, however, the reality of it is as a single female with the fear stories you hear about the expense of fertility clinics or the horror of sexual predators that falsely portray themselves as sperm donors on Facebook groups. I didn’t see an easy solution to what I so passionately wanted. Then I met one of the most incredible women, Erika. She spoke to me about my worries in a way only someone who has been through the same could understand and knows how it feels. She offered me a safe space to speak to her about my fears and showed me that there was another way.”
Drew Cockton
Drew founded the first ever North West LGBTQ+ Business Awards last year and works tirelessly to promote business from the community. The 36-year-old shone a light on local trailblazers and plans to do the same again this year. When Drew, who lives on the Wirral, isn’t helping other businesses, he runs his own, Owen Drew Candles, which received a £50,000 investment from Dragon Touker Suleyman for a 30% stake.
Marzena Zukowska
Marzena’s activist-based work hasn’t gone unnoticed in the last 12 months. The non-binary Polish person co-founded Polish Migrants Organise for Change, a group which is led by migrants, women and gender nonconforming people, who are getting Polish people in the UK organised. To date, they have supported and mobilised thousands of Polish people across the UK.
With Marzena’s direction, the group organised vigils and donations in solidarity with Ukraine, campaigned to expand the voting rights for migrants, and supported EU migrants to apply for new immigration status in the UK. Through their work, Marzena is “building a world where anyone can thrive – regardless of where they are from.”
Lou Ryan
Lou is a former Jehovah’s Witness who recently had the courage to tell their story. The 52-year-old, originally from Birkenhead, had to choose between their life or their religion after needing a blood transfusion from a motorbike accident. Lou accepted a ‘life-saving’ six pints of blood but would have been disfellowshipped if others in the community found out as it is believed amongst Jehovah’s Witness that accepting blood transfusions is against God’s will.
After the UK implemented a new blood donation policy allowing gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men to donate blood without any waiting periods provided they were monogamous, had safe sex and were completely honest on forms, Lou who identifies as genderqueer, spoke out in support.
Josef Hollywood
Josef is a young radio host who earlier in the year was told to ‘simply stop being gay' and subjected to homophobic slurs. The 21-year-old had shared a statistic on his Instagram story about AIDS awareness when trolls replied to him. Despite this, the entrepreneur, originally from the Wirral, ensured he had the last laugh and started using his slot on Demand’s Breakfast show to help others who were struggling with their sexuality or homophobic abuse.
Charlotte and Samantha Mills
Charlotte and Samantha realised they wanted to start a family sooner rather than later after surviving the Manchester Arena bombing. Since then, the Wirral couple has followed their hearts and recently became parents again to Ralph, who is now the younger brother of Jasper and Rupert. Having gone through the process three times, the couple are using their own experiences to educate others on the legal and ethical sides of sperm donations.
Chace-Jordan Rowlands
Behind the scenes, Croxteth Originally from Shropshire but now living in Birkenhead, the 43-year-old is hoping to help others going through their transitioning journey by becoming a barber. While the process of having a haircut may seem minor and insignificant to others, Chace, who was refused service by barbers twice throughout his life because of being trans, explained haircuts can play a key role in allowing trans people to feel like themselves.
Markos Malone
Since moving to Croxteth in 2005, Markos has been giving back to the community at every chance possible. The 43-year-old has raised funds for charities close to his heart and other charities that aren’t well known. The barber raised over £400 raffling a signed LFC shirt to help those living with Huntington’s disease. His salon sponsored a charity evening to raise funds for Ukraine, for which Markos donated a large number of prizes and gift bags for attendees. Markos, originally from Greece, has also been known to give out free haircuts to those who have been struggling financially.
Carl Loughlin
Actor Carl Loughlin was bullied at school for six years because of his sexuality. This included being spat at and having milk thrown at him. But now having owned his sexuality and rediscovered his confidence, the 39-year-old’s bully can watch him as he performs in a critically acclaimed movie alongside BBC Emmerdale's Alexander Lincoln. In the rugby-based movie, In From The Side, Carl plays Gareth, the bully of the team, and drew upon his own experiences to bring the role to life.
Oliver Jude
Oliver is a teenage entrepreneur who launched a 'positive' clothing range after being bullied. From St Helens, the 17-year-old had a difficult time in school, where he said he was often misunderstood because of his Tourette's and autism. However, wanting to make good of his story, Oliver channelled his energy into creating clothing which includes t-shirts emblazoned with positive thinking life mantras. The range has gone from strength to strength after being shown at London Fashion Week and worn by TOWIE favourites and Real Housewives of Cheshire stars including Gemma Collins and Dawn Ward.
Dean Alexander Taylor
Dean Alexander Taylor is a professional make-up artist who helps Liverpudlians feel at their most glamorous day in and day out. The 28-year-old who lives in Aigburth was left in a “pool of blood” after being attacked for wearing make-up. However, this incident is minor in the grand scheme of Dean’s journey. The part-time drag queen battles Holt-Oram syndrome and from a young age, he feared the impact his condition, which is characterised by skeletal abnormalities of the hands and arms, would have on his upper body. Now, working for Peaches and Creams, Dean ensures every client who leaves his chair feels the same “superhero” powers he does when he smokes out his eye and plumps his lips.
Chris Butler
Chris Butler recently had the bravery to speak out about the horrifying experiences he went through for many years as a result of being forced into conversion therapy. The 54-year-old endured physical violence, including having his head pushed into the floor of the church grounds by three men in a bid to “release him of demons” that caused his homosexuality. The freelancer writer, originally from Warrington but who now lives in Halewood, counts himself as one of the lucky ones who came through it with his personal spirituality intact, something he says is a source of comfort and strength to him.
Megan Pritchard
Despite facing battle after battle since coming out at the age of 14, Megan has always put her friends first. The 24-year-old, from Woolton, helped one of her best friends, Arizona, come to terms with her own sexuality. Now, the two are happily engaged and have “the best four kids and family together”. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Megan has also started as an apprentice joiner.
If you feel we have left out someone deserving then please let us know in the comments section.
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