#SaferToBeMe
Book your place
Welcome to our two-day #SaferToBeMe conference, as part of our week-long Summit held in iconic Newcastle and Gateshead, North East England. On this page, you can find out dates and times, book tickets for the conference, and find out more about our exciting range of speakers and sessions!
With a theme of Power, Politics and Populism, this conference will have two strands - issues facing LGBTQ+ populations in the United Kingdom and issues facing global LGBTQ+ populations. Importantly, this conference will unite us in solidarity and give you 'take home ideas' to tackle the rollback of rights.
Please note that our Main Hall talks will be beamed out live across the world - the tickets for this will be available at a later date.
Excited? We are too! We cannot wait to see you there at the U.K.'s first ever global LGBTQ+ rights Summit. Be part of the change we need to see.


Photo Credits: Tyne Bridge - Keiteu Ko - Unsplash I Angel of the North sculpture - Sawt2th
#SaferToBeMe will be held in Gateshead, near Newcastle
North East England, Thursday 23rd - Friday 24th October
Book a place at the #SaferToBeMe Conference
Latest programme now available - scroll down

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
As our final session of the two-day conference, we will be holding a candlelit vigil, as a reminder of those we have lost to violence and to AIDS, and those who we will continue to lose, due to governments rolling back LGBTQ+ funding and rights.
Throughout both days, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed in the Main Hall of the conference as a stark reminder of the consequences of decisions made by populist leaders and authoritarian governments in withholding support for LGBTQ+ populations.
The general public are welcome to attend for this final hour to see the quilt and to take part in the candlelit vigil.
To attend the candle lit vigil and viewing of the Quilt you need either a conference ticket, which includes this event, or you can book a separate ticket: please sign up here for the candle lit vigil only ticket. own text and edit me. It's easy.
Important note about your conference booking:
All keynote talks and panel discussions are based in the Main Hall, which holds all 500 people and the stalls. However, after booking your ticket, you will also be contacted at a later date to pick your chosen breakout sessions before the conference begins. This is due to capacity issues at the venue as the smaller classroom sessions contain limited seating and so are based on a first-come, first-served basis. Please do read the talk summaries carefully in advance to prepare you for your choices. Each page for the breakout sessions will tell you if it is in a classroom or the Main Hall. They are also labelled session one, session two, and so on, so you can see where sessions will run simultaneously - so you must pick one from each session number.
If there are no available classroom breakout sessions left to book once you complete your form, don't worry, as we have curated an excellent stream of talks in the Main Hall throughout the day to speak to the themes of power, populism, and politics, so you do not miss out. The Main Hall sessions will also be beamed out live so you can watch them online - tickets for this feature of the conference will be announced soon.
Day 1:
Overview
23/10/25
08:00 - 09:00
Reception and Main Hall
Registration and tea and coffee
Please arrive promptly and check out the stalls in the Main Hall
09:00 - 09:30
Main Hall
Keynote speaker: Power. Populism. Politics. A new world order?
Drew Dalton. ReportOUT
09:30 - 09:45
Main Hall
Keynote Speaker:
To be confirmed
09:45 - 10:00
Main Hall
Keynote Speaker:
To be confirmed
10:00 - 10:45
Main Hall and Classrooms
Breakout Sessions 1 (choose one)
Click for session 1 breakout sessions in classrooms and the Main Hall
10:45 - 11:15
Throughout Building
Break
Tea and coffee supplied
11:15 - 12:15
Main Hall
Panel discussion 1: How do we resist, and fight back against, the global anti-LGBTQ+ rights movement?
Diego Garcia Blum: Harvard University (USA)
Ben Pechey: Author, Presenter and Consultant (United Kingdom)
Andrea Rivas: AFDA (Argentina)
Gillian Russell: Beyond Reflections (United Kingdom)
12:15 - 13:00
Main Hall and Classrooms
Breakout Sessions 2 (choose one)
Click for session 2 breakout sessions in classrooms and the Main Hall
13:00 - 14:00
Outside Main Entrance
Lunch
Check indoor stalls and outside food stalls selling a variety of food types
14:00 - 15:00
Main Hall
Panel discussion 2: Who gives a ££££? The state of UK funding for international LGBTQI+ issues
Jason Ball: GiveOut
Alexia Page: GiveOut
(Other panellists to be announced)
Facilitator: to be announced
Panel sponsored by GiveOUT
15:00 - 16:00
Main Hall and Classrooms
Breakout Sessions 3 (choose one)
Click for session 3 breakout sessions in classrooms and the Main Hall
16:00 - 16:30
Main Hall
Keynote speaker: Two heads of the same serpent: global populism and fundamentalism. How to navigate the best path for human rights resistance
Peter Tatchell. Peter Tatchell Foundation (Global)
16:30 - 17:15
Main Hall
Panel discussion 3: Do we need to talk about Putin? Russian influence and the far right
Drew Dalton: ReportOUT (Global)
Peter Tatchell: Peter Tatchell Foundation (Global)
Anna-Maria Tesfaye: Coming Out LGBT Group (Russia)
Facilitator: Peter Darrant (Pride Media Centre and OUT North East, UK)
17:15 - 17:30
Main Hall
Day 1 Plenary - concluding remarks
Peter Darrant: Pride Media Centre and OUT North East (United Kingdom)
Day 2:
Overview
24/10/25
08:00 - 09:00
Reception and Main Hall
Registration and tea and coffee
Please arrive promptly and check out the stalls in the Main Hall
09:00 - 09:05
Main Hall
Housekeeping and welcome address
Angela Brudenell: Pride Action North
09:05 - 09:30
Main Hall
Keynote Speaker:
To be announced
09:30 - 10:15
Main Hall
Panel discussion 4: Pride, Paychecks and Progress: Building a Safer World Through Economic Inclusion
Matt Dabrowski: OutBritain
Peter Darrant: Pride Media Centre
Jennie Pitt: Newcastle Building Society
Facilitator: Daniel Peach
Panel sponsored by OutBritain
10:15 - 11:00
Main Hall and Classrooms
Breakout Sessions 4 (choose one)
Click for session 4 breakout sessions in classrooms and the Main Hall
11:00 - 11:30
Throughout Building
Break
Tea and coffee supplied
11:30 - 12:15
Main Hall and Classrooms
Breakout Sessions 5 (choose one)
Click for session 5 breakout sessions in classrooms and the Main Hall
12:15 - 13:00
Main Hall
Panel discussion 5: What difficulties do LGBTQI people claiming asylum face when they lose access to statutory funds?
Panellists to be confirmed
Panel sponsored by Micro Rainbow International
13:00 - 14:00
Outside Main Entrance
Lunch
Check indoor stalls and outside food stalls selling a variety of food types
14:00 - 14:45
Main Hall and Classrooms
Breakout Sessions 6 (choose one)
Click for session 6 breakout sessions in classrooms and the Main Hall
15:00 - 16:00
Main Hall
Panel discussion 6: To be confirmed
Panellists to be confirmed
16:00 - 17:00
Main Hall
Day 2 Plenary, UK AIDS Memorial Quilt and Candlelit Vigil
Stephen Corpe and Drew Dalton
This section of the conference is also open to the wider public who have booked tickets for the candlelit vigil and viewing of the U.K. AIDS Memorial Quilt
Do not forget to attend the signing of the
'Newcastle Declaration', the world's first ever global LGBTQ+ solidarity statement. This will be held on the evening of Friday 24th October after day two of the conference. You can book a free ticket for this historic event as you book yourconference tickets.


Προσεχείς εκδηλώσεις
- #SaferToBeMe Launch EventΔευ 20 ΟκτNewcastle upon Tyne
- Guided Walking Tour of Newcastle's Queer HistoryΠολλαπλές ημερομηνίεςΤρί 21 ΟκτLocation is TBD and will be emailed to you
- Transgender and Non-Binary AwarenessΤρί 21 ΟκτPelaw
- #SaferToBeMe ConferenceΠέμ 23 ΟκτGateshead
- Book a stall at #SaferToBeMeΠέμ 23 ΟκτGateshead Colleges' Academy for Sport
- Candlelit Vigil and U.K. Memorial AIDS QuiltΠαρ 24 ΟκτGateshead
- Newcastle DeclarationΠαρ 24 ΟκτAssembly Rooms, Newcastle upon Tyne
This conference is happening thanks to our wonderful partners and sponsors:
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