The Views Room

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.

Together, they unpack the uncomfortable realities that often go unseen. From coercive control and emotional abuse to the unique ways identity can be weaponised, this conversation sheds light on experiences that are too often dismissed, misunderstood or hidden in silence.

With millions affected across the UK and many LGBTQ+ survivors never accessing support, this episode asks difficult questions. Why are so many not believed? What keeps people from reaching out? And how do we begin to recognise abuse that doesn’t always look the way we expect?

This is not an easy listen. But it is an important one.

If you or someone you know may be affected, please take care while listening and remember; you are not alone, and support is available.

Watch. Listen. Share. Start the conversation.

Helpline:

Call 999

Galop

You can phone us on 0800 999 5428.

You can email [email protected].  

Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroom

Instagram @theviewsroom

[email protected]

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.

Together, they unpack the uncomfortable realities that often go unseen. From coercive control and emotional abuse to the unique ways identity can be weaponised, this conversation sheds light on experiences that are too often dismissed, misunderstood or hidden in silence.

With millions affected across the UK and many LGBTQ+ survivors never accessing support, this episode asks difficult questions. Why are so many not believed? What keeps people from reaching out? And how do we begin to recognise abuse that doesn’t always look the way we expect?

This is not an easy listen. But it is an important one.

If you or someone you know may be affected, please take care while listening and remember; you are not alone, and support is available.

Watch. Listen. Share. Start the conversation.

Helpline:

Call 999

Galop

You can phone us on 0800 999 5428.

You can email [email protected].  

Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroom

Instagram @theviewsroom

[email protected]

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 with authenticity at the highest levels of business.

She speaks candidly about growing up with a refugee family history, discovering her identity, and the long, complex path from hiding her sexuality to becoming a powerful, visible leader. Jo reflects on the realities of being a gay woman in the workplace in the 80s and 90s, the fear, the silence, and what it took to finally live and lead openly.

Now, as the founder of Jovolution, (www.jovolution.com) she is focused on giving back through mentoring, coaching and driving meaningful change in diversity, equity and inclusion.

This is a conversation about resilience, identity, leadership and the power of being your true self.

Visibility matters. Showing up matters. And stories like Jo’s remind us why.

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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 explore her journey coming out in the 1970s, the challenges of navigating a binary and often hostile queer movement, and the radical early activism that included organising large marches without the internet or social media. 

Lisa shares rare insights into the founding of Stonewall, the overlooked roles of lesbians in early HIV activism, and how humour and defiance have shaped her approach to life and ageing. 

She also reflects on the danger of queer history being erased and why it is vital that older queer voices tell their own stories.

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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 conservative household, joining the Australian army at seventeen, being dismissed for being gay, to becoming a global advocate for resilience, health, and unapologetic queerness. She shares her insights on nervous system repair, the Rise Strong Method, and how older queer voices can inspire younger generations to live full, authentic lives.

In this episode we discuss the challenges and courage of living openly as a queer woman in the late nineteen seventies, the evolution of Jennifer’s work supporting women’s confidence and voice, how older women and queer women can create generational impact, and her philosophy of the Present Day Wise Woman, which nurtures resilience and purpose.

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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 facts and silence was often more deadly than the virus itself.

In this deeply moving conversation, Jonathan shares
•⁠  ⁠What it meant to receive a diagnosis before HIV even had a name
•⁠  ⁠Living through isolation, stigma, and the fear of death
•⁠  ⁠Finding love, community, and purpose in the midst of crisis
•⁠  ⁠His activism with Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners
•⁠  ⁠The power of memory through the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt

This is a story of survival, but more importantly, it is a story of defiance, visibility, and the refusal to be erased.

Viewer discretion is advised as this conversation includes themes of illness, grief, and suicide.

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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 conversation explores how these developments relate to the landmark NALSA vs Union of India  2014 decision reaffirmed something powerful - the right to self-identify, and the right to live with dignity and without discrimination. That was not symbolic. That was a constitutional promise.

But today, that promise is being tested. As conversations move towards verification, certification, and external validation, we are being forced to ask whether we are strengthening rights or quietly taking them away.

In this conversation, we also go deeper into the hijra community, a community with centuries of history, identity, and belonging. A community that has always existed, always been visible, yet is still struggling to be fully recognised on its own terms within modern systems.

This is an ongoing and evolving issue, and the views shared by our guests reflect their lived experiences and perspectives.

Joining Raga D’silva are Zainab Patel and Harish Iyer, in a powerful discussion on identity, law, and the realities faced by trans, non-binary, and hijra communities today.

Instagram: 

Zainab Patel – @radhikanandgiri

Harish Iyer - @iyerharish

Follow us on You Tube  https://www.youtube.com/@theviewsroom

Instagram @theviewsroom

[email protected]

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+ health and community support charities. It provides helpline support, talking therapies, domestic abuse services, community safety programs, recovery initiatives, advocacy for trans people, and much more, reaching tens of thousands of people every year.

We discuss the Foundation’s 50-year history, its pioneering Pride in Ageing programme for LGBTQ+ people over 50, and the ongoing work to create safe, dignified, and celebratory spaces for older queer communities.  

From improving care homes and healthcare access to intergenerational conversations and social housing initiatives, this episode dives deep into what it truly means to age as a queer person in the UK today.

Join us to hear their incredible journeys, the challenges older LGBTQ+ people face, and the inspiring ways the community is building hope, joy, and resilience for the future.

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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, historical, and emotional significance of these roles.

From growing up in different generations of queer visibility to discussing how butch–femme relationships provided protection, affirmation, and community, this episode dives deep into the lived experiences behind these identities. Joelle also shares excerpts from her work, including her book Maryville.

Topics explored in the conversation include the history of butch and femme identities, growing up queer in different generations, reclaiming words like dyke and queer, gender fluidity and evolving identities, intergenerational queer relationships, and the role of storytelling, poetry, and lesbian archives.

This conversation celebrates the depth, resilience, and enduring legacy of butch–femme relationships in queer communities.

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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 identity.

Their stories reveal the fear, secrecy and courage of those who served their country while being forced to live double lives under a military ban on LGBTQ personnel. From interrogation and dismissal to resilience, advocacy and recognition, this episode honours those who served in silence so others can serve openly.

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Instagram @theviewsroom

[email protected]