Dr Lady Phyll

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#7. 💜 For the fourth consecutive year, I’m honoured to be included in The Independent Pride List. More than two decades of advocacy, community building and fighting for visibility, equity and justice for LGBTQIA+ communities. This recognition isn’t mine alone. It belongs to every person, volunteer, activist and ally who has been part of this journey. The work continues. Thank you @the.independent for this recognition. ✨ #PrideList2026 #LadyPhyll #UKBlackPride #TheWorkContinues

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There is much to celebrate. But there is also much to confront. Last week, I had the honour of delivering the keynote address at the Embassy of Spain in London for their Pride celebration. One thing I’ve learned through more than two decades of activism is this: 🌈 Rights can be won in one generation and weakened in the next if we become complacent. That’s why Pride matters. Not just as a celebration of who we are, but as a reminder that dignity, justice and freedom must be protected for everyone. No government, institution or movement can create lasting change without community. Community is where our power begins. Happy Pride. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ #PrideMonth #UKBlackPride #LGBTQIA #HumanRights #Equality

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Recognition has never been the goal. Building community has. Shifting power has. And yet today, I’m sitting with something I never imagined. To be named No.1 on the 2026 Pride Power List is an extraordinary honour and, if I’m honest, I’m feeling a little emotional. I’ve appeared on this list before, but I never imagined I’d see my name at number one. There was a time when I genuinely believed I was too Black, too radical, too outspoken and too unwilling to settle for the status quo to ever receive recognition like this. So this moment means something. Not because it’s about being number one, but because it’s another reminder that showing up as your whole self matters. I’ve never believed in doing this work alone. None of us gets here alone. I stand on the shoulders of the activists, organisers and elders who refused to accept the world as it was and dared to imagine something better. I owe them more than I could ever repay. I have the privilege of walking alongside extraordinary people who continue to shape me, challenge me, hold me accountable and remind me that movements are built collectively, never individually. And I’m thinking about those who will come after us. I hope they never feel they have to make themselves smaller to belong. I hope they know there is space for all of who they are, exactly as they are. Congratulations to everyone on this year’s Pride Power List. And to the countless people whose names will never appear on a list but who organise, care, advocate, challenge and love every single day, I see you. I celebrate you. Our movements couldn’t exist without you. Life has a beautiful way of unfolding. People come into our lives, people leave, some stay forever, and every chapter teaches us something. Right now, I’m learning to receive. To celebrate. To allow myself to be seen, whilst never losing sight of seeing others. I don’t take any of this for granted. Huge appreciation to @UK Black Pride , @MicroRainbow @SKY and TCEN. Thank you to everyone who has walked this journey with me. Thank you to Linda Riley, Fiona Marshall, Kat Parsons, Diversity Umbrella and the judging panel for this incredible honour. Today, I’ll celebrate. Tomorrow, we continue the work. Because none of us are free until all of us are free. ❤️🖤✊🏿🏳️‍🌈