From Outrage to Action: LGBTQ+ Equality, with Ellen Jones

Written By Falah Ahmad

LGBTQ+ equality is often spoken about as a settled achievement. Author, strategist and campaigner Ellen Jones joins Nadia Nagamootoo to explain why that assumption does not match the reality she sees.

They discuss the UK’s position on ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, the uncertainty facing trans people, and the lasting effects of policies and attitudes that shaped Ellen’s childhood. Ellen also shares her experiences of coming out at school, living with the shame left by bullying, and discovering she is autistic.

Drawing on her book Outrage and her work through Pansy Studios, Ellen asks what organisations do when public support becomes less comfortable. She explains how excluding LGBTQ+ people from jobs and commissions affects their livelihoods, then offers practical ways to help: hire and recommend talent, make introductions, share skills, fund community work and give your time.

What to expect from the episode

Ellen Jones and Nadia Nagamootoo discuss the state of LGBTQ+ equality, the personal cost of exclusion, and how workplaces and individuals can turn allyship into practical support.

Key Takeaways

  • ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map places the UK 22nd among 49 countries in 2026. The ranking assesses laws and policies, while Ellen also asks listeners to consider their effects on daily life.

  • The introduction of same-sex marriage did not settle every question of LGBTQ+ equality. Ellen describes how the belief that the work was finished left other needs overlooked.

  • Ellen’s experiences of bullying and a lack of support at school show how shame can persist long after the incidents themselves.

  • The conversation explores how access to everyday spaces, including toilets, affects whether people feel able to participate in work and public life.

  • Ellen reflects on being both queer and autistic. School offered her structure and routine, while social exclusion remained part of her experience.

  • Workplace values become meaningful through decisions about who is hired, commissioned, recommended and supported throughout the year.

  • Practical allyship can draw on what someone already has, including professional skills, contacts, money, transport or time.

Guest Bio

Ellen Jones is an author, strategist and award-winning campaigner whose work advances inclusion for LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and disabled communities. She received the inaugural MTV EMA Generation Change Award and was named Stonewall’s Young Campaigner of the Year.

Ellen is the founder of Pansy Studios, a queer-led marketing agency that runs a global directory of LGBTQ+ freelance talent. Her debut book, Outrage: Why the Fight for LGBTQ+ Equality Is Not Yet Won and What We Can Do About It, was published by Bluebird, Pan Macmillan in January 2025. The paperback edition, published in January 2026, carries the subtitle How to Fight for LGBTQ+ Lives. Outrage was selected as Indie Book of the Month in February 2026. It examines the barriers LGBTQ+ people face and the actions others can take in support of the community.

Links

Falah Ahmad
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