LGBT+ Advocacy

This website section is a diary of work done with, and for, LGBTQ+ communities in the UK. It serves to keep track of contributions and reflect on the past and share ideas for collaborations in the future. It does not include work done in, or for, governments. If you have any questions or want to collaborate, please get in touch via email at: dralessandroceccarelli@gmail.com

March 2021 to Present – Pride Cymru, Wales

• Member of the Pride Cymru volunteer group
• Member of the Marketing Team and Social Media (2021)
• Contributed to data visualisation and publication of the Lost LGBT+ Cardiff project, funded by the Heritage fund. Produced the self-guided walking tour map in Cardiff central.
• Contributed to the draft of the Pride Cymru manifesto for the Senedd elections in 2021.
• Conducted a gap analysis for National Lottery Fund applications (2021).
• Drafted monitoring and evaluation (KPIs) for funding application (2021).
• Drafted funding applications for Volunteering Wales Grants (2021).
• 23-29 August: Edited videos to include captions and British Sign Language for the Pride Cymru’s Virtual Pride 2021 and moderated online recorded events.
• Produced a video report for the Get Out Get Active (GOGA) project in North Wales, in partnership with Pride Cymru and Disability Sport Wales, to increase access to inclusive sports and activities for LGBTQ+ disabled and non-disabled people.
• Community Engagement for the Pride Parade 2022
• Member of the Pride Parade Management team (August 2022)
• Joined the UKPON (UK Pride Organisation Network) conference (October 2022)

October 2022 – Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).

• Deliver a seminar about a beginner’s guide to pronouns, use of pronouns, and inclusive workplaces for Care Inspectorate Wales.

September 2022 – Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre symposium.

• Delivered a talk about a published research report on the “Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on LGBTQ+ communities in the UK and what actions could help address these”.

April to July 2022 – Swansea Waterfront Museum – LGBTQ+ Exhibition “Trawsnewid“.

• Featured and portrayed in the Exhibition as one of the twelve activists and advocates in Wales.
• Artist, Aled Wyn Williams, contributed 12 paintings to the exhibition. Each portrait spotlights a certain figure who has an ‘active and positive’ influence within Wales’ LGBTQ+ community.
• Featured in a WalesOnline article about the Exhibition – available here.

July 2021 to Present – Queer Britain, UK.

• Member of the Social Media Team (with Dan Vo) and “Wales Rep”.
• 27 August 2021: Collaboration between Queer Britain and Pride Cymru to showcase the “Lost LGBT+ Cardiff” project.
• October 2021: Promotional video to respond to the Wales LGBTQ+ Action Plan

June 2021 to Present – Trans Aid Cymru

• Launched a fundraising campaign for Trans Aid Cymru. Trans Aid Cymru aims to help Transgender, Non-Binary and Intersex (TIN) people through mutual aid support in Wales. Successfully met the target and raised £510 in three days of online campaign.
• Volunteer for the “Meal Sharing” service of TAC
• Deliver a short talk and provided an information stall on sexual health at the TAC “Big Lunch” eveny

October-November 2021 – LGBTQYMRU

• Article on “Post-Brexit Wales and LGBTQ+ issues: what is happening in Europe and why should we care?” – published in Welsh and English.
• Submitted a press-release for FTC&V on “Wales HIV Testing Week” 2021
• Submitted, approved and published material for the cover of Issue 4
• Published an article on “People Living with HIV, Advocacy Networks and Action Plan“. Link here.

August 2021 – Glitter Cymru.

• Organised a fundraiser event for LGBTQ+ History Month for Glitter Cymru and Trans Aid Cymru, and reached the target of £825 with a series of online talks titled: “We’ve always been here: LGBTQ+ Histories and Archaeology“.
• Organised a fundraiser event for Glitter Cymru (£500), and delivered a talk titled: “Love, Sex, Identities: LGBTQ+ Histories”. Using objects from the National Museum Wales collection, I presented a journey to explore gender and sexuality in the ancient world.

July 2021 – University of Cardiff, EDI committee.

• Keynote speaker for the panel: “How to tackle sexual orientation and gender discrimination on campus and beyond”.  Delivered the keynote talk titled: “LGBTQ+ students, researchers and staff: finding and forging an inclusive space“.

January to July 2021 – Cardiff Lions, an inclusive rugby team in Wales.

• (Jan-July 2021) Member of the “Social Media” sub-committee and member of the “Socials” sub-committee
• Contributed to organise a Diversity and Inclusion training event
• Volunteered at the fundraiser organised by Mary’s for World AIDS Day 2021 (MarYtacular Fashion Show)

December 2020 to January 2021 – Book editing: “No Bath But Plenty Of Bubbles: An Oral History of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) 1970-73“

• Contributed to the editing and online publication of the Kindle version of the book “No Bath But Plenty Of Bubbles: An Oral History of the Gay Liberation Front 1970-73” by Lisa Power. The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) created the conditions for a lesbian and gay movement for generations to come and then imploded into fragments that became our newspapers, helplines and activist groups. Lisa Power has gathered the accounts of people who were there, the papers they wrote and the comments of bemused bystanders. 

June 2020 – WorkPride 2020: bridging higher education, academia and the job market for LGBT+ people.

• Presented the talk “A conversation with LGBTQ+ students and their views on the importance of joining an inclusive employer“. Keynote by Alessandro Ceccarelli. Video available here.

July 2019 to June 2020 – Member of the Cambridge LGBTQ+ Community Forum, Cambridge City Council.

April 2020 – Member of the University Diversity Fund committee, under the Equality & Diversity Section, Cambridge.

• The UDF aims to support initiatives that contribute to raising awareness of issues related to equality and diversity, challenge discrimination and inequalities, increase the representation of under-represented groups, and facilitate implementation of good practice.

March 2020 – Fundraiser for “The Kite Trust” to support LGBTQ+ Young People.

• Joined the Cambridge Half Marathon to raise money for the local charity The Kite Trust to support LGBT+ young people in Cambridge. Reached the £290 goal.

February 2020 – Drafted and Implemtented a Gender-Neutral Policy, University of Cambridge.

• Drafted, approved and implemented a policy paper which aimed to address how we can support the use of gender-neutral language, to ensure that respectful and inclusive language is used across the Collegiate University. More specifically, the paper addressed the use of unnecessarily or over-gendered pronouns and possessive adjectives.

February 2020 – Speaker at National Student Pride 2020 on ‘One Network: Running an LGBT+ Society’.

• The talk was hosted by Dr Elly Barnes. National Student Pride is the biggest gathering of LGBTQ+ students in the UK.

January 2020 – LGBTQ+ History Month, Cambridge City Council

• Delivered the opening talk for LGBTQ History Month 2020 at the Cambridge City Council.

December 2019 – Consultant for the Diversity Strategy of the University of Cambridge Primary School.

• As part of the process for achieving the Rainbow Award, the primary school’s strategy aimed at improving inclusion and diversity in teaching and learning – with headteacher Dr James Biddulph.

December 2019 – PrEP in Prison Campaign:

• Campaigner for the #PrEPinPrisons campaign, calling upon MPs to take actions on sexual health inequalities of LGBT+ prisoners.

October 2019 – Established the first Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations (GISO) steering committee for the senior leadership of University of Cambridge.

September 2019 to July 2020 – Member of the LGBT+ Staff Network, University of Cambridge.

• The LGBT+ Staff Network developed to provide support and advice to LGBT+ staff at the University and to act as a forum for consultation between staff and the University’s governing body. 

August 2019 – Awarded the University of Cambridge, Outstanding Student Contribution to Education Award. OSCEA 2019. 

• Commended “Inclusive Practice“. Stepping up to demonstrate or advocate for particular inclusive teaching and learning practices.

August 2019 to July 2020 – Member of the Equality and Diversity Committee at the University of Cambridge, which brings together representatives from the University’s General Board and Council, Academic Schools, the Registrary, Human Resources Division and Academic Division, Undergraduate and Postgraduate students and the Colleges. 

July 2019 – Co-organised the University of Cambridge group parade at London Pride 2019.

June 2019 – Co-organised the River Parade at Cambridge Pride 2019, and secured funding and sponsor by University of Cambridge. Spectators got the best view of the vibrant flotilla of punts from the river bank on Chesterton Road at the Jesus Green weir (near Carlyle Rd). Each punt carried members of local LGBT+ community, celebrating the county’s diversity, and was decorated in a colour from the pride flag.

April to June 2019 – Secured funding by two sponsors for the first ever Cambridge Pride 2019.

July 2019 – Published the article, “Being an LGBTQ+ grad student and researcher in Cambridge: a journey to become a role model“. 

February 2019 – “Queer(y)ing the past” annual conference, Cambridge, UK.

• Co-founded the first “Queer(y)ing the past” annual conference. It is an annual series of short talks that explore the topics of sexuality and gender in the past, University of Cambridge.

January 2019 – BBC Cambridgeshire Interview on the issues of LGBTQ+ community in Cambridge – with Chris Mann. 

November 2018 to July 2019 – Elected LGBTQ+ officer at the University of Cambridge.

January 2018 – Launched the “Postgraduate LGBT+ Network” at Cambridge. It gathered societies, charities and organisations in Cambridge, including sexual health charity Dhiverse; the City Council; ARU staff network; Sing Out; Queer Women in Cambridge, Queers in Shorts; Diamonds; LGBT Mature; QTI Coalition of Colour; Encompass Network; Kite Trust; Pink Festival; CQH; Cambridge LGBT+ Staff Network; Q+ Network.

October 2018 – Delivered the talk titled, “377: Archaeology, Gender, and LGBT+ rights in India“, for the Idea Spectrum, Festival of Ideas conference series.