The Views Room

Raga D'Silva talks to Heather Paterson in a brilliantly powerful conversation on tattoos, identity, visibility and the stories we carry on our skin in this episode of The Human Scrapbook. Heather describes herself as a "human scrapbook". With more than 100 tattoos and a life dedicated to LGBTQIA+ activism and community leadership, she shares what it means to carry memories, meaning...

Bridging Generations | Older Queer Voices Festival Special What happens when queer generations come together? In this special live edition of Older Queer Voices, host Raga D'silva is joined by four remarkable guests for an inspiring conversation about visibility, resilience, allyship, representation and the power of shared stories across generations. Guests include: Professor Sue Sanders;  Ed...

Host, Raga D'silva, sits down with activist, writer and lifelong campaigner Savitri Hensman for a powerful conversation on identity, faith, race, ageing and LGBTQ+ inclusion. From growing up as a queer woman of colour in 1970s Britain to co-founding the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre and advocating for justice across communities, Savitri reflects on decades of activism, resilience and hope. Tog...

Sridhar Rangayan shares his coming out story with Raga D'silva Coming Out Stories from India Series one  Episode  Six  A Views Room Presentation Curated and produced by Nicola Fenton Hosted by Raga D’silva Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroom Instagram @theviewsroom emailtheviewsroom@gmail.com

Raga D’silva, host of the Older Queer Voices Podcast, sits down with trailblazing activist Femi Otitoju, current Chair of Queerwell, the UK’s community-led LGBTQ+ mental health and wellness charity focused on providing accessible, affirming support including therapy, coaching and wellbeing services for LGBTQ+ people. Femi is also one of the UK’s most influential Black LGBTQ+ voices, a diversity sp...

In this episode of Older Queer Voices, host Raga D’silva is in conversation with Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, a pioneering lesbian activist from Sri Lanka and founder of Equal Ground. Rosanna shares her powerful journey from a young girl in Sri Lanka struggling with her identity, to finding freedom and belonging in San Francisco, and ultimately returning home to  Sri Lanka to challenge injustice. Her s...

Trigger Warning: In this powerful episode of Older Queer Voices, host Raga D’silva brings an urgent and deeply moving conversation into the open; domestic abuse within LGBTQ+ communities. With honesty and care, Raga is joined by Debbie Cannon, a specialist in trans and non-binary domestic abuse, and Michelle Weltman, who shares her lived experience of surviving abuse in a same sex relationship. To...

In this episode of Older Queer Voices Podcast, host Raga D’silva sits down with Jo Rzymowska MBE, a trailblazer in global travel and one of the UK’s most visible LGBTQ+ business leaders. With a career spanning over four decades across brands like Disney, Thomas Cook and Celebrity Cruises, Jo shares her extraordinary journey from a young overseas rep navigating life-changing experiences, to leading...

In this episode host Raga D'silva is joined by Lisa Power, one of the most influential LGBTQ activists in the UK.  From volunteering on the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard during the early HIV AIDS crisis to co-founding Stonewall, shaping sexual health policy, and preserving LGBTQ history through projects like Queer Tours and Queer Britain Museum, Lisa has dedicated her life to queer rights. They...

In this episode of Older Queer Voices Podcast, host Raga D’silva interacts with Jennifer Jeffries, speaker, author, and wellness advocate from the Gold Coast, Australia. Jennifer’s work celebrates women’s power, wisdom, and sovereignty, especially for older women, through her Present Day Wise Woman philosophy and podcast. We explore Jennifer’s extraordinary journey, from growing up in a conservati...

Content Warning  This episode of Older Queer Voices is not just about history. It is about memory, protest, grief, and survival. Host Raga D'silva is in conversation with Jonathan Blake, one of the first people in the UK to survive an AIDS diagnosis. Diagnosed in 1982 and told he had just months to live, Jonathan’s life became an act of resistance in a time when fear travelled faster than fac...

Older Queer Voices stands in solidarity with our Trans and Non-binary community in India. This powerful episode discusses the current situation in India for transgender and non-binary communities, in the context of the proposed Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Amendment Bill 2026 and its potential impact on the right to self-identification, dignity, and protection from discrimination. The...

In this episode of Older Queer Voices with Raga D’silva, we explore how community, advocacy, and practical support come together to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people as we grow older. Our guests are Dr. Paul Martin OBE, founder and CEO of the LGBT Foundation, and Tina Wadden, Head of Education at the Foundation.  The LGBT Foundation, based in Greater Manchester, is one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+...

In this episode of Older Queer Voices, host Raga D’silva explores the powerful history and legacy of the butch–femme dynamic within lesbian communities. Joining the conversation are partners, acclaimed writer and poet Joelle Taylor and artist Emily Witham. Together they share personal journeys of discovering and embracing their identities as butch and femme, while reflecting on the cultural, histo...

Serving in Silence is a powerful conversation about the hidden history of LGBTQ service in the UK Armed Forces. In this episode of the Older Queer Voices podcast, host Raga D’silva speaks with Sharon Pickering, former member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service whose career ended after she was outed as a lesbian, and retired Commander Roly Woods, who served more than 20 years while hiding his identi...

What Does Six Decades of Courage Look Like? In this powerful episode of Older Queer Voices, Raga D'silva speaks with legendary human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell to reflect on a lifetime of activism, protest and love. From helping organise the first UK Pride march in 1972 to facing 104 arrests, violent attacks and ongoing threats, Peter shares the untold stories behind the headlines. We t...

Franco Stevens, founder of *Curve* magazine, joins Older Queer Voices with her wife Jen Rainin, filmmaker and co founder of Frankly Speaking Films, to talk about visibility, partnership, storytelling, ageing and queer legacy across generations. In this deeply personal and timely conversation they also discuss the current backlash against LGBTQ rights in the United States, including how long fought...

Creative Ageing in the Queer Community In this episode of Older Queer Voices, we explore the power of creative ageing;  how theatre, storytelling, and artistic collaboration can enrich later life for older LGBTQ+ communities. We are joined by two incredible voices in this space, Dr Georgia Bowers, a theatre-maker and researcher, and Professor Andrew King, an expert on ageing and queer lives. Toget...

Coming out Stories from India’ with Harish Iyer. Watch this episode as we delve into the various sides to Harish and his coming out journey. “I told my Mom, ‘I love you. If you want me to marry a woman, I will. But suggest that to me only if you had a daughter and you would get your daughter married off to a gay man” and … how did Harish Iyer’s mom respond? “I was not confident to come out as Hari...

Coming out stories from India - Raga Olga D'silva talks with Winnie Chopra about her journey of coming out in, India. You would think this gorgeous, confident, butch Lesbian woman would have it easy in life. Watch as she slowly 'comes out with her truth. The vulnerability is endearing.  Coming Out Stories from India. Series 1 Episode 4 A Views Room Presentation Curated and produced by Ni...

On Older Queer Voices , we often talk about ageing as accumulation; of love, of memory, of resilience. But ageing is also about learning how to live with what cannot be undone. In this episode, Raga spoke with someone who, at 27, was living a full and ordinary life; friendships, laughter, plans for the future. And then, in one moment, everything changed. An accident. The loss of three friends. Pri...

A Christmas Wish for 2026: 'Banning Conversion Practices in the UK' In this powerful episode, we talk about something that cuts right to the heart of LGBTQ+ community - safety, dignity, and human rights in the UK; the ongoing fight to ban conversion practices. Conversion practices; whether medical, psychological, religious, or cultural, seek to change or suppress someone’s sexual orienta...

We hear about transition. We rarely hear about the children who live through it. This exclusive episode brings together a trans woman and her daughter in a first-ever public conversation about family, rupture, migration, and what love becomes when truth changes everything. Cynthia Fortlage lived much of her life as a husband and father, raising two children inside a family shaped by care, duty, an...

Before transition entered their lives, Joanne Lockwood and Marie Manley were a couple rooted in routine, partnership, and family life; husband, wife, parents, navigating the world in roles that seemed permanent.  But when Joanne stepped into her truth as a trans woman, both of them were pulled into parallel transformations - Joanne into her authentic self, Marie into a new understanding of her rol...

Clare Summerskill is a celebrated writer, comedian, actor and theatre-maker whose work has amplified lesbian and LGBT+ stories for decades. From her much-loved show Why God Created Lesbians to the powerful storytelling in At the Rainbow’s End , Clare has consistently brought humour, heart and authenticity to the stage.  On Older Queer Voices Podcast, we explore Clare’s creative process, her craft,...