Lambeth has long been the home to radicals, reformers, and innovators – people who changed history by campaigning, protesting, making things better in the lives of other people.
Following Pride Month, we ‘re sharing the stories of people from the LGBTQ+ community who have been – and still are – active in helping to make Lambeth a borough of equity and justice.
Healthcare for trans people
Michelle Ross worked for the Terence Higgins Trust for more than 25 years as a psychotherapist focusing on HIV and Trans people. Today, she leads the CliniQ team providing physical and mental healthcare for trans and non-binary people at King’s College Hospital.
A space for Trans people’s health
“My work, and my own experiences as a trans person, showed there was no guidance, no data sets at all about Trans people living with, or vulnerable to HIV.
“Research in South London proved what I suspected: many Trans people came for treatment once, but never returned because of intrusive questions. We clearly needed a space just for Trans people. CliniQ set up as a not-for profit body and ran in Soho for seven years.
Changing the way people access healthcare
“It was Lambeth who invited us to start services at King’s. I didn’t even look at the details, I said ‘yes’ right away. The last five years supported by Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark has changed the way people in South London access healthcare. Of course we don’t exclude people from further away.
Planning care that’s never been there before
“The next step is studying the healthcare needs of older Trans people and start to provide services. Many Trans people over 60 fear the future because healthcare for that community has simply never existed.”
