25th Sexual Freedom Awards Finalists

The 25th Sexual Freedom Awards – honouring practitioners, performers and activists who promote sexually positive attitudes – was held in London, UK on Monday 25th November 2019.  These uniquely independent and inclusive international Awards – with their famous, hand-carved, ' golden flying cock' trophy – are presented in nine categories; Activist, Ally, Event, Pioneer, Publicist, Sex Worker and Somatic Sexologist of the Year; plus Performer and Stripper of the Year which are chosen from the live acts taking place during the Awards ceremony itself.

A long-list for each Award category is compiled from nominations made during the previous year, then a short-list of 3 finalists per category is selected by a panel of expert judges who announce winners on the night.

The 2019 finalists may be viewed below. We salute all of the nominees! The finalists remain featured here to reflect their outstanding contributions to the myriad worlds of sexual freedom and expression.

Activist of the Year

Carolina BloggerOnPole WINNER!

Carolina a.k.a. Blogger On Pole is an activist, author, blogger, pole dancing academic and abuse survivor. Through her blog, novel and social media channels she challenges the public's views about women's bodies and of what they should be doing with them, discussing stigma against women, pole dancers and sex workers and talking about consent, toxic masculinity, the male gaze and mental health. Through her book Bad/Tender, covered in Cosmopolitan, Metro, Kettle, Sister and Vogue, Carolina presented the ugly but relatable ups and downs of recovering from dating a violent man, proving that there are many sides of being a victim and that you aren't what happened to you.

Born as a way to document her pole dance journey of recovering from an abusive relationship and sexual assault, bloggeronpole.com has now become a platform to discuss issues within the pole community and in current affairs. This year, through her blog and PhD research, Carolina has been campaigning against Facebook and Instagram's censorship of women, pole dancers, sex workers, LGTBQ+ folks, sex educators and artists, obtaining an official apology from Instagram in the summer. Now a founding member of #EveryBODYVisible, a recent protest against Instagram's nudity policy that counted Dita Von Teese as a supporter, Carolina is campaigning to make social media safer from hate speech and censorship alike.

Jason Domino

Jason Domino is the founder of Porn4PrEP and The Good Porn Project. He is working to educate the masses on the existence and effectiveness of PrEP and U=U along with other Sexual Health measures such as the HPV, Hep A & B Vaccinations, test Window Periods and more.

In 2017 Jason released the first video evidence of someone with a high HIV viral load having sex with someone (himself) who was actively taking PrEP, showing that PrEP prevented the transmission of HIV. Inspiring more confidence in PrEP within the public.

He also fights stigma against people living with HIV... Current medication means that a person living with HIV on effective treatment has a viral load that is "undetectable". Once they reach this state they pose ZERO chance of passing on HIV to a sexual partner. This is known as Undetectable = Untransmitable #UequalsU

Finally, Jason's recent work has him extending rights in the Adult Industry, approaching porn studios across the world and having them pledge against discriminating against undetectable performers. With the studios being given current up-to-date knowledge and the need to pass this information onto performers. Any studios interested in knowing more can visit www.ppsdpledge.com Twitter & Insta: @TheJasonDomino www.porn4prep.com

Travis Alabanza

Travis Alabanza is a writer, theatre maker and performer who for the last four years has been creating performance, writing to archive the existence and experiences of gender non conforming people of colour. Their work has been is several publications such as the Guardian, BBC, Dazed, ID, as well as performing in venues such as Royal Exchange, Tate Britain, Harvard University and more.

Noted as one of the most prominent emerging queer voices, Alabanza visibility an artistic practice has placed them as one of the more public trans political voices in the UK, being awarded the Gay times Future Fighter Award, and listed in the Evening Standard as one of the most influential under 25 year olds in the UK. Their recent show Burgerz, which documents the experience of transphobic harrassment, is currently touring across the country to critical acclaim. Playing major venues such as Traverse and Southbank, winning the Total Theatre award at Edinburgh Fringe, and being voted by Guardian readers as one of the best theatre shows of 2018. http://travisalabanza.co.uk/

Ally of the Year

The Consent Collective WINNER!

The Consent Collective is a unique organisation blending a wealth of expertise with activism and creative talent to help communities talk about consent, sexual harassment, sexual violence and domestic abuse.

We deliver a range of events and online content ranging from specialist training to our gameshow “How to be good in bed” that explores consent, sex and relationships and has been touring music festivals and universities throughout the U.K.

www.consentcollective.com Twitter: @ConsentCollectV

Stefan Dickers at The Bishopsgate Institute, London

Stef Dickers is the Special Collections and Archives Manager at The Bishopsgate Institute, London. Since arriving there in 2005, he has been responsible in making the Library possibly the most accessible LGBTQ+ collection in the UK providing a home, not only for the archives of major organisations and individuals like Switchboard and Paris Lees, but also for records of anyone who would like their story recorded for posterity. He is committed to ensuring that queer narratives, life stories and experiences often overlooked by major institutions have a place they can call home where they will be celebrated in a sex positive and safe environment.

In 2016, he established the UK Leather and Fetish Archive at the Institute, a project to document, record and celebrate the history and heritage of the fetish, kink and BDSM communities in the UK. All of these resources continue to grow, inspire and educate, and document LGBTQ+ and Alternative Sexuality histories for future generations that would be unrecorded by most organisations. @stefdickers www.bishopsgate.org.uk

Sara Pascoe

Sara Pascoe is a writer and comedian. She has appeared on Live at the Apollo, Would I Lie to You? Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 Cats. She has written two books, “Animal” about the evolution of the female body and “Sex Power Money” which examines porn and transnational sex from an evolutionary as well as cultural perspective.

The accompanying Sex Power Money podcast is a series of 8 interviews with sex industry advocates and activists. www.sarapascoe.com

Event of the Year

Eroticon

Eroticon started as a place for sex bloggers and writers to hone their craft, and now it has grown to bring together the wider erotic community. Once a year, in London, erotic creatives of all types gather to talk about sex, writing, drawing, podcasting, blogging and activism:

Talks and workshops: Previous talks and workshops have included legal tips for sex writers and bloggers, disability and sex work, self-editing tips, taboo topics within fiction writing, and different approaches to sex toy activism.

Kink demonstrations: Eroticon promotes a friendly, safe, anonymous environment to explore kink as well as get to know like-minded people within the community. This is an opportunity to interact with people you’ve only communicated with online. It’s about connection because connection sustains the whole.

Professional development and networking: Another important component of this event is personal and professional development. Everyone walks away with a greater knowledge of ways they can improve themselves.Whether it’s blogging and writing more, learning new methods of raising your website visibility, or figuring out how to pitch work, this conference facilitates growth. The goals of Eroticon are many, but foremost is offering an event that is inclusive and diverse.

The Sex Lectures

How do we spread the word about our important work? Without it seeming too scary, spiritual or sleazy? Sex Coach Alison Pilling together with artist Roger Bygott have, with The Sex Lectures series, created a unique opportunity for sexuality practitioners to talk about their work. To raise the profile and value of working with sex; for pleasure, for growth, for discovery and for healing. The talks are like TedEx for Sex, giving speakers an opportunity to talk about contemporary issues in sex and relating, on subjects as diverse as the value of foreskins, the art of passion, anal pleasure, erotic writing and ‘sex work to breath work’.

Speakers range from sex workers, Certified Sexological Bodyworkers and healers to writers and artists. This variety allows the audience to experience a mix of perspectives of the possibilities for sex as well as providing a relaxed, open and non-judgemental space in which to meet. Purposely held in cultural venues with a blend of creatives and sexuality professionals, the evenings break taboos and shame by offering cutting edge information around sex, relationships and love.

Jem Ayres, who has the most viewed talk, on The Healing Power of Orgasm, says “One of the warmest events and open audiences I’ve given a talk too. And that’s credit to the heart and integrity of Ali and Roger the organisers of the event. An evening of liberation as well as sharing our work beyond the event itself”. The Sex Lectures : : www.sexschoolforgrownups.com

UK Black Pride (UKBP) WINNER!

UK Black Pride is Europe’s largest celebration and protest for LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent. Launched in 2005, the event brings together over 10,000 people each year to celebrate the incredible and enduring contributions LGBTQ people of colour have made to the modern LGBTQ liberation movement.

ukblackpride.org.uk @ukblackpride

Performer of the Year

Chiyo Gomes WINNER!

"The Prinx of Provocation” Performance Artist, Public Speaker, Drag Thing.

Chiyo is the unorthodox embodiment of Royalty navigating the UK cabaret scene. Their work manages to be sensual, endearing, powerful, and yet professionally executed. Regularly performing alongside platforms like The Cocoa Butter Club, Chiyo also produces their own smut night called “WOOF: Redefining Sexy”. Their work constantly dismantles gate-keeping and unnecessary yet ever-so-present barriers QTPOC face when navigating the “queer” community.

Though preferring the term “Prinx”, Chiyo has been shortlisted for multiple “Best Drag King” awards, awards for originality, and their work has been showcased in exhibitions across Europe.

Remaining palatable, when not delivering raw spoken word or executing intense performances pieces, Chiyo is touring the UK delivering upbeat high intensity Queerlesque routines. Committed to his brand of “Redefining Sexy”, Chiyo is a regular guest dancer at London’s first LGBTQIA+ Strip Club, Harpies, and constantly hopping between Queer spaces to Gogo for the late night crowds.

HOTTER

Mary Higgins and Ell Potter are the creators and performers of HOTTER and founders of Hotter Project, a creative collective dedicated to making radically honest and silly work. Ell and Mary met at university, where they decided to make a 2 woman show together and then somewhere along the line they started sleeping together, then they broke up. In the midst of this hot queer mess, they asked women and trans people aged 11 - 97 what makes them flush, rub, and gush and made a sweaty verbatim dance party out of their answers. The pair have been performing HOTTER for three years and are currently rehearsing their next show FITTER, which debuts at the Soho Theatre in December.

Gram us @hotterproject / Tweet us @HOTTERproject www.hotterpiggins.com

UP NEXT: FITTER // Soho Theatre // December 3rd 2019 - January 4th 2020

Purrsia Kitt

Purrsia Kitt has been slinking seductively on to stages and capturing her audiences since 2017. She is a published model and award nominated burlesque artiste who has performed on stages across the UK including as a headliner. Her sensual performances celebrate the beauty of erotic femininity and externalizes the legitimacy of loving your sexuality and kinks. Purrsia's reportoire is a testament to her authenticity and includes her signature reverse strip tease "Feline Goddess", to her jaw dropping Femme Domme act about safe, consensual BDSM.

With her dangerously divine stage presence and sultry feline energy, Purrsia will leave you hypnotized. Her mysterious and erotic take on the art of Burlesque and Cabaret blends her love of the Divine Feminine, and the fierceness of original Catwoman, Eartha Kitt. As a uniquely original seductress and performing powerhouse, Purrsia plays with her audiences like a ball of string and leaves them all purring for more. She is indeed the kinky feline goddess of burlesque. @purrsiakitt

Pioneer of the Year

Florence Schechter WINNER!

Florence Schechter is a science communicator, mostly by making a tit of herself on screen and on stage. She is a comedian, presenter, video producer, trainer, and is also building a vagina museum because she apparently never wants to sleep again.

After graduating in 2014 with a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham (she really likes Bs), she started her science communication career. After building up a science YouTube channel with over one million views, she then interned at QI, the hit BBC show, for 8 months and was the main researcher for their app "Qiktionary". In 2016, she enrolled in the Wellcome Trust funded "Talent Factory", a mentorship programme for emerging science communication talent in the UK. For the past two years, she has sat on the Trajectory, Ideas and Ambassadors Board of Cheltenham Science Festival which advises on programming and strategy for the annual festival.

Florence is an accomplished presenter on TV, radio and live on stage. She has been an expert contributor on TV documentary Engineering Catastrophes (Science Channel), a writer and presenter on the podcast Chemistry In It's Element (Royal Society of Chemistry) and voiced an explainer for the charity Eve Appeal.

In 2017, she started the project to build the world's first bricks and mortar museum about the gynaecological anatomy and came Highly Commended in the Women of the Future Awards in the Arts and Culture category for her work with the Vagina Museum. www.vaginamuseum.co.uk : : Twitter : : Instagram : : Facebook

Sally Lee

Sally Lee is a writer, academic and advocate whose work promotes the importance of sexual well-being. She has been a social worker for more than 25 years working with marginalised adults in a range of roles. Having completed her doctorate exploring the meaning of sexual well-being for disabled people and how professionals can support sexual citizenship, Sally is now lecturing in social work at Bournemouth University. Her lectures on sexual well-being have become an established and popular part of the programme and offers insight into an area of social work practice which is not a compulsory part of social work education.

Sally’s research promoting sexual well-being continues; using participatory methods to promote the voices of marginalised people she is currently developing a learning tool for health and social care practitioners to enable sexual well-being focused practice which supports sexually marginalised people across the life course. The tool includes a short film featuring stories from lived experience.

Sally has written for a range of academic journals and has presented her work at multiple conferences. Sally is an established member of the Centre for Seldom heard Voices at BU where she takes a lead for research focused on sexual wellbeing. ‘I feel so fortunate to be able to challenge current and new practitioners to think about the importance of sexual well-being to human well-being, and get them working to support people in such a crucial aspect of life.’

https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/centre-seldom-heard-voices

Publicist of the Year

Frankie Cookney

Franki Cookney is a freelance journalist with more than a decade of experience across print and digital media. She specialises in human interest and lifestyle features with a particular focus on sex and relationships, global gender politics, and social development. Her work has been published in The Mirror, The Guardian, The Sun, Stylist, WIRED, Refinery29, VICE, The Independent, Cosmopolitan and more. She has worked with sexual health and sex education charities and organisations including the Family Planning Association, has spoken on several sex and relationships panels and appeared on podcasts as well as BBC Radio Four’s Women’s Hour. She also produces and hosts her own sex and gender politics podcast The Second Circle, which seeks to establish sex as a subject worthy of the same time, energy, thought, and attention we give to other aspects of our lives.

Website: www.frankicookney.com Twitter: @FrankiCookney IG: @frankicookney/

Gigi Engle WINNER!

Gigi Engle is a certified sex coach, sexologist, educator, and author of All The F*cking Mistakes: A Guide to Sex Love and Life (St. Martin's Press 2020).

As a sexpert for Womanizer and brand ambassador with Lifestyle Condoms, she promotes and teaches about pleasure-based sex education, masturbation, and safer sex practices. Gigi serves as sex educator, she teaches a number of classes centered around pleasure, sexual health, and confidence.

Gigi's work regularly appears in many publications including Cosmo, Elle, Women's Health, Mind Body Green, Brides, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, and Marie Claire. Her articles have been shared over 50 million times, with her top posts reaching over 5 million views.

gigi@missgigiengle.com | http://missgigiengle.com/  | IG @gigiengle TW @GigiEngle Press inquiries: Julie at juliejonesandco@gmail.com Current City: Chicago, IL Pre-order my book: All The F*cking Mistakes

Pleasure Mechanics

The Pleasure Mechanics are dedicated to offering effective, compassionate resources so you can experience a more fulfilling sex life, on your own terms.

Partners in love and life Chris Maxwell Rose and Charlotte Mia Rose have been immersed in body-based sex education since 2003, and together founded Pleasure Mechanics in 2006. After pioneering the field of Sexological Bodywork, teaching sold out workshops and taking stages big and small worldwide, The Pleasure Mechanics have spent the past 10 years focusing exclusively on online education, delivering their soulful and effective erotic education through online courses and their weekly podcast, Speaking of Sex.

The Speaking of Sex podcast offers hundreds of hours of passionate, thoughtful conversation about every facet of human sexuality. The listeners of Speaking of Sex have described the show as “invigorating, intimate, informative & insightful” (and that is just the words starting with i…) With over 350 episodes and counting, the show offers in-depth investigations into the lived experience of human sexuality, celebrating the pleasure and connection that is possible without ever shying away from the complex nuances of the forces that influence your erotic experience. Speaking of Sex is an ad-free, community supported podcast.

Chris and Charlotte work towards the erotic liberation of all beings, and have dedicated their lives towards this pleasurable end. Join the conversation at PleasureMechanics.com  Instagram 

Sex Worker of the Year

Chuck Vale

Chuck goes that extra mile for his clients, he’s the pianist for the sex workers opera and a strong supporter of sex worker rights. Male sex workers are often missed out in the conversation and Chuck makes up for this in an abundance of ways. He has a drag act to help support queer sex workers through the arts.

He is strong, caring and fantastic example of sexual liberation

Wilrieke Sophia

Wilrieke Sophia is an international coach, facilitator, and practitioner in the field of sexuality based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She openly combines being a mother of three daughters with working in the field of sexuality.

The main pillar of her work is the same across the broad spectrum of things she brings: empowerment through self-knowledge, embodied experiencing of boundaries and desires, and extensive practice of consent. 

She hosts sex-positive events and play parties, workshops and retreats focussing on sexuality, kink, tantra, and ritual, and hosts intimacy festivals. In her client sessions, she welcomes people of all genders and supports them to embrace their sexuality, supporting them to build a positive body image, release shame and negative conditionings, and welcome pleasure. She also runs the non-sexual Cuddle Workshops International and brings facilitator trainings.

Close to her heart is bringing the topics of intimacy and sexuality to the mainstream conversation. She has been writing, blogging, and creating videos about sex and intimacy since 2011. In 2019, her work has been featured in national newspapers, magazines, and television. In October 2019, Wilrieke climbed the stage of TEDx with a talk about empowerment through intimacy and sexuality. www.exploringdeeper.com : : IG: @the.intimacy.coach : : Facebook: Exploring Deeper with Wilrieke Sophia

Sir Claire Black WINNER!

Sir Claire has carved a niche for themselves as an openly gender non-conforming sex worker. They are a professional dominant and founder of The Peacock Parlour. Throughout the ten years they have worked in the sex industry, their mission has remained the same: to create safe, welcoming spaces for people to delight in their kinkiness, to erase shame and stigma from BDSM, and to encourage acceptance around gender diversity.

Sir Claire offers non-judgmental, carefully negotiated, well-boundaried, one-to-one sessions where people can explore their kinkiest fantasies and leave feeling respected, uplifted, and more authentically themselves.

The Peacock Parlour was created by Sir Claire as a safe, welcoming, accessible, space in which to explore BDSM. The Peacock Parlour is designed to prioritise sex workers needs—with an online booking system, generous set-up times, safer sex supplies, quality toys, and a high standard of cleanliness. It was also created as a queer-friendly playspace, and offers special rates in support of queer events.

Sir Claire has taught workshops on gender, sexuality and BDSM across Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. They also mentor new and established sex workers, have run BDSM play parties and performed in fetish clubs. sirclaireblack.co.uk Twitter: @sirclaireblack

Somatic Sexologist of the Year

Andy Saich

Andy was a Body Electric School-trained sacred intimate who weaved therapeutic touch with body, sexual and relationship coaching. He created the exquisite BodyFlow massage technique, founded MenInTouch in the UK, and was a pioneer of tantra for all genders in the 1990s in California and the U.K.

Andy passed away this year. He enriched the lives of many people with his relaxed, conscious loving and accepting facilitation with years of experience of one to one sessions and leading courses in California, Italy, Spain, Germany and France. Andy also taught in Europe with http://www.gaylovespirit.com and http://www.authentic-eros.com inspiring many facilitators and participants alike to recognise, embrace and celebrate their sensual self and sexual expression. https://menintouch.co.uk  

Caffyn Jesse WINNER!

Caffyn Jesse is a leading somatic sex educator who welcomes people from around the world to Salt Spring Island, where they teach on encouraging neuroplastic change to support sexual healing and expanded pleasure, unwinding sexual trauma, exploring the intersection of sex and spirit, and creating erotic community. 

Caffyn co-teaches the Sexological Bodywork and Somatic Sex Education professional trainings in Canada for the Institute for the Study of Somatic Sex Education, where they have completely redesigned the curriculum for somatic sex education to make it more trauma-informed and social justice oriented. They also offer a 6-day training for Intimacy Educators - most recently in Ireland. They taught a trauma training in England with Katie Sarra in 2017.

Caffyn is a prolific author who has researched and written on the science of sexological bodywork, neurobiology and sexual healing, trauma, orgasm coaching and many other topics. Books include Science for Sexual Happiness, Pelvic Pain Clinic, and Erotic Massage for Healing and Pleasure. A recent book, Elements of Intimacy, is available for free download on their website. Videos and online programs are offered for free, including Healing Circumcision: Work with Scars plus Learn Erotic Massage. See more at www.erospirit.ca and follow Caffyn Jesse on Facebook.

Cyndi Darnell

Cyndi Darnell is a NY based, internationally renowned sex therapist & educator, relationship coach and certified clinical sexologist. Originally from Australia, her approach spans the clinical to the esoteric. Her academic work is published in the Journal of Sex Education (UK) & Sexual & Relationship Therapy (UK).

She holds a board affiliate position for the University of Wisconsin - Stout Graduate Certificate in Sex Therapy Program. She’s faculty on Pink Therapy's (UK) Foundation Certificate in Gender, Sexuality & Relationship Diversity Therapy and also faculty at New York’s Omega Institute.

Her online courses meet today’s adult sex education needs by bridging the gaps in peoples’ knowledge regarding pleasure, relationships, passion and desire. As a trusted media source, her wisdom has been published in media outlets globally including The Washington Post, O -The Oprah Magazine, New York Magazine, Huffington Post, Bustle, Vice, Cosmo, Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and Aussie TV series LukeWarmSex for ABC. She’s spearheading progressive sex & relationships seminars and workshops for adults that deeply change people’s lives. In 2015 she was the only sexologist named on MindBodyGreen’s Top 100 Women to Watch.

These days she maintains a global consulting practice in NYC and online and offers insight into the quandaries of the erotic to transform fear into freedom.

Website www.cyndidarnell.com : : IG https://www.instagram.com/cyndi_darnell/ : : Twitter https://twitter.com/cyndi_darnell : : FB https://www.facebook.com/cyndidarnellpage/

Stripper of the Year

Maddie B

Having worked across the UK and Europe, Maddie has been an active member of the East London Strippers Collective for nearly 4 years, connecting dancers and helping to build a strong community of fierce women. Graduating from Central Saint Martins this summer, she was the first recipient of an award created specifically for her thesis on sex worker fashion, which was bound in baby pink and titled “Making it Rain”.

She has since been featured in i-D magazine discussing her work and the cultural significance of money-making outfits and sky-high heels. She hopes to continue bridging the gap between academia and the glittery world of strippers one 8-inch heeled step at a time, with plans to pursue further studies in the field. 

Additionally, as an aspiring performer Maddie is beginning to take her performances from the strip club stage to club nights and events so that a wider audience can enjoy her exotic pole, neon g-strings and the occasional twerking in a pile of cake.

Instagram @maddie_burdon 

Sasha Diamond WINNER!

Freedom is at the core & Sasha Diamond lives her truth through the medium of dance. Pole dance originated through the artistry of stripping & remaining true to her roots. Sasha brings life to the stage with a captivating blend of grace, poise & sensuality.

Life on the professional East London club scene has offered opportunities branch out onto theatre, character work and as a life drawing model but it was her natural ability for clean, sparkling pole technique that sought Saha out above others to become a regular teacher at one of London's most renowned pole dancing schools Ecole de Pole.

An entrepreneur at heart, Sasha created a home studio, offering private lessons for those wishing to develop their pole dancing skills.

Whether brand new to pole or perfecting core moves further down the line, Sasha has created a safe inclusive space for all persons to train.

We have to talk about liberating minds as well as society, freedom is exclusively reserved for the one who thinks differently.

Sonia / Electric Girl

Sonia / Electric Girl is an experienced stripper, activist, performer and ex dance teacher. She started to work as a stripper in 2012 in Poland (where she's from), but it was just when she moved to London in 2016, when she started to talk about her job and sex work industry openly.

Sonia joined the union United Strippers of the World in May 2018 and since that time, she's been organising workers in the clubs, preparing and participating in campaigns, strikes (the biggest one was Sex / Work Strike in March, which ended with performance on Eros statue in Piccadilly). She took part in panel discussions and also gave interviews for Radio Ava and Dissident Island. Having union's support, Sonia took legal action against her former club to challenge unfair workplace practise and discrimination. She's having the hearing in Employment Tribunal soon.

Sonia is also a member of Dziewuchy London – group of Polish activists fighting for women’s rights in Poland. Activism is a very important part of her life as she strongly believes people are more powerful in a group and can change things together.

As a performer she's recognized for techno music and known for the audience engaging acts. She has worked with Fuck You Pay Me show, Brazilian Wax parties, ELSC, United Voices of the World, Crique Le Soir, Fox and Badge and Xanadu Society. Insta : : FB Electric Girl : : Facebook Sonia : : YouTube channel

Outsiders Volunteer of the Year Award

Emma Buckett

Emma Buckett is in her late 30’s and lives with a severe, degenerative disability called Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA).

After achieving a Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences at Coventry University, she then worked as an admin officer within the Government systems for over 10 years.

When Emma was medically retired in 2012 she still wanted a challenge and found that voluntary work could fit around her growing medical needs.

Emma volunteered as membership secretary for The Berkshire Tortoise Club, Admin Officer for Dysphagia Matters and has now been a Trustee for The Outsiders Trust for just over two years. Emma also shares a personal blog to help disability awareness.

Upon receiving this award she says ‘I volunteer to help others and to contribute positively to society by promoting knowledge sharing and awareness, it’s fantastic when your efforts are recognised, thank you.’ http://adventuresofpom.blogspot.com

Lifetime Achievement Award

These are discretionary awards given by the Judging Panel for long-standing dedication to sexual freedom, exploration and expression.

Michelle Ross – Turner 

Michelle has been involved with Sexual Health, HIV & Holistic Wellbeing since 1988. She is a counselling psychotherapist in HIV & Wellbeing who began her training as a therapist in the 1980s. She convened the first HIV & Trans awareness training within Terrence Higgins Trust in 2008 and was the the lead on developing the first UK Sexual Health, HIV and Wellbeing booklet for Trans Women(2012). 

Michelle is a Founder of cliniQ CIC and Director of Holistic Wellbeing Services; she leads on cliniQ’s training programme. 

cliniQ was the first ever holistic sexual health HIV and Wellbeing Service in the UK founded by trans people for trans and non-binary people, open since 15th February 2012. CliniQ Won the National Diversity Award for LGBT Community Organisation 2019.

Michelle campaigns for trans and non binary people’s inclusion in HIV prevention. She is an active member of Public Health England Community Advisory Board (CAB) on The PrEP Impact Trial. She has presented at two International AIDS Conference, Durban South Africa 2016 and Amsterdam 2018.  Michelle works internationally representing cliniQ and is a member of IRGT, a global network of trans women responding to HIV. She is the convener of cliniQ’s series of conferences Trans Health Matters. http://cliniq.org.uk/about/the-team : : cliniQ.org.uk

Previous Lifetime Achievement awardees have included:

Derek Jarman – Anthony Grey (leading English lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights activist) – Deborah Ryder (writer of erotic fiction representing female masochism) – Kathy Acker (author) – Berth Milton (photographer & founder of Private in 1965) – Charles Gatewood (photographer) – Betty Dodson (author, artist & educator) – William Levy (founder of Suck & International Times) – Irena Ionesco (photographer) – Derek Cohen (founder of SM Gays in 1981) – Jo King (founder of the London School of Stripping) – Sir Guy of The Tawsingham Community and The Other Pony Club – William Margold (porn actor, director and activist) – Dian Hanson (publisher) – Dolores French (author of Working: My Life as a Prostitute) – Empress Stah (Aerial Artist, Cabaret Theatre Performer, Show Producer) – Barbara Carrellas (author of the the world’s first LGBTQ and kink inclusive Tantric sex book, Urban Tantra) – Joseph Kramer (pioneering founder of The Body Electric School, EroSpirit & Sexological Bodywork) – Kenneth Ray Stubbs (quadriplegic sexual shaman & originator of modern tantric massage)  – Crossbones (John Constable) – Dominic Davies (Pink Therapy)