Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the important and valuable work of ReportOUT still continues as the charity is committed to its ethos to inform, defend and report on issues that affect the fundamental human rights of sexual and gender minorities on a global scale. It is due to this passion, that the work of the charity has not gone unnoticed as day by day more people are able to discover the valuable work of the organization.
In February 2021, as part of LGBTQ+ History month, local journalist, Andrew Misra from ITV Tyne Tees News highlighted the realities of LGBTQ people living in the region whilst also shedding a light on the powerful work of ReportOUT, which was broadcast on the evening regional news on 26th February 2021.
As part of his coverage Andrew spoke to volunteer Safeenah Hussain, who was born and raised in the North East and identifies as Bisexual, as well as Ify, an openly gay man, who moved to the region to escape persecution that he faced in his home country of Nigeria due to his sexuality.
Both Safeenah and Ify were able to give really honest and open accounts about the experiences that they had faced as a result of identifying as LGBTQ. This is not the first time that Ify has come into contact with the work of ReportOUT either, as he is also a participant of the first series of ReportOUT’s Hidden Voices Podcast Project which is currently available on all major Podcast platforms.
In addition to journalist Andrew Misra’s discussions with Safeenah and Ify, he also spoke to Chair and Founder Drew Dalton about some of the important issues affecting the rights of sexual and gender minorities in today’s society.
You can see the full and exclusive coverage by Andrew Misra on the ITV Tyne Tees Website.