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There’s a few days left to apply for our 2025 Summer Camp - so don’t miss out on your chance to apply at the link below and join us on our trip to the beautiful Snowdonia! 

🔗https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfu0vJZb2SQUF7mrVX6ItVoksSYasd7p4_6IewmbD0z9WOqwg/viewform

This year’s Summer Camp will run from 27th July-3rd August and is the perfect opportunity for you to take a break from everyday life, enjoy fabulous activities and meet other LGBT+ young persons just like you🌟🌈🌟

Our wonderful mentors and staff will be there to support you throughout the journey and there is no requirement to be part of our regular Young Persons’ Club to join in - we usually have a good mix so there will be plenty of people who haven’t met each other before to get to know.

If you have any questions about the Summer Camp, check out our FAQs at mosaictrust.org.uk/residentials or feel free to drop us a DM.

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Our April #LGBT+BookClub read was George Lester’s fabulous ‘Boy Queen’!

This sequinned coming-of-age story follows Robin as he finds community, purpose, and a sense of self in a world of hair, runways, and glitter✨🌈

Swipe to find out what our young people thought of Lester’s debut novel 👉↔️

If you’re a young LGBT+ person aged 12–18 and interested in joining our #LGBTBookClub, why not sign up via the Young Persons’ Club link below and read along with us? 🔗https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjxivye5Uy3n-qr2o7xL2xaWmKqNWuTVRF6gbRJ2Cs6zzAZQ/viewform

#QueerBookClub #QueerReads #LGBTLondon #LGBTYouth

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Today marks the start of #Trans+HistoryWeek — a time to spotlight the stories of Trans, Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender-Diverse lives throughout history, to celebrate Trans+ joy, and to share some of the histories we were never taught.

These are just a few stories from Trans+ history, and it’s important to note that these histories are often under-recorded, misrepresented, or incomplete. Still, they offer us a powerful glimpse into the lives and legacies of our Trans, Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender-Diverse predecessors.

If you’re interested in learning more and discovering how you can celebrate and support #TransHistoryWeek2025, check out the 2025 @TransHistoryWeek workbook! Created by @WeAreQueerAF_, who mentored five Trans+ researchers and writers, the workbook is filled with stories, tips, and advice on how to create your own content, events, and activities throughout the week. You can download it for free via this link 🔗http://wearequeeraf.com/dotheworkbook/?utm_source=T+HW_IG&utm_medium=IG&utm_campaign=T+HW_guidance.

#WeHaveAlwaysBeenHere — and we are proud to be helping write Trans+ history today!

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If you didn’t make it to our March Clothes Swap then don’t worry, our upcoming Young Queers’ Clothes Swap on Sunday 8th June is open for registrations!

Head to the link below to sign up for free, and make the most of this chance to refresh your wardrobe in a fun and sustainable way. This is an opportunity to browse some pre-loved items, connect, and enjoy an afternoon in the company of other LGBT+ young persons aged 12-25, all while helping to reduce clothing waste.

🔗https://www.outsavvy.com/event/3970/clothes-swap 

You can bring along as much or as little clothing as you like - there is no minimum or maximum, and we have plenty of donations from corporate partners to supplement the swap. If anything you bring isn't snapped up, we will happily donate it to a charity on your behalf. Otherwise, you're welcome to donate them yourself or take them back.

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April 6th marks International Asexuality Day (IAD)—a global celebration of asexual visibility, awareness, and advocacy! 🌍💜 Established in 2021, #IAD highlights the diverse experiences within the asexual spectrum and promotes the core values of Advocacy, Celebration, Education, and Solidarity. Today, we uplift and support asexual voices worldwide! 

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Are you a young LGBT+ person aged 12-18 looking for a space to meet new friends, sign up for – and help us create -fun-packed workshops exploring sexual health, queer history and more, and be your true self without fear of prejudice? 

We have space for you at our weekly Young Persons’ Club, running every Wednesday from 5pm–8pm! You can sign up for free at the link below, and come and join a safe and affirming space.

🔗https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjxivye5Uy3n-qr2o7xL2xaWmKqNWuTVRF6gbRJ2Cs6zzAZQ/viewform

And don’t forget - Young Persons Club membership also includes access to Culture Club, a regular programme of discounted or free enriching trips to LGBT+ related cultural experiences!

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March 31st is #InternationalTransDayOfVisibility—a day to celebrate trans and non-binary people while raising awareness of the challenges they face. 🌍🏳️‍⚧️ 

We celebrated this year at our #YoungPersonsClub, where two of our trans young persons led a workshop on the importance of seeing themselves in the media. Visibility matters, representation matters. Today and every day, we uplift trans voices, honour their experiences, and continue advocating for a more inclusive world. 💙💗🤍 

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Chavela Vargas, the legendary Mexican singer, was not only a trailblazer in music but also a powerful LGBT+ icon. Born in Costa Rica in 1919, Vargas defied societal expectations by embracing her true identity both in her personal life and on stage. 

She became famous for her passionate renditions of rancheras, a traditionally male-dominated genre, singing about love and heartbreak with raw emotion. With her deep, soulful voice, she redefined Mexican music, often performing dressed in masculine clothing and refusing to change pronouns in songs to fit heteronormative expectations. 

For much of her early career, Vargas’ sexuality was an open secret, but in a deeply conservative society, she could not publicly come out as a lesbian until the age of 81. Despite this, she lived authentically, forming relationships with influential women, including rumored romances with figures like Frida Kahlo. 

We celebrate her fearlessness and refusal to conform this #WomensHistoryMonth, as a beacon for the LGBT+ community. Chavela paved the way for queer artists in Latin America and her influence endures, inspiring new generations of musicians and activists to embrace their identities with pride, #MovingForwardTogether. 

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Spring has sprung, and as the weather gets warmer we are beginning to count the days to Summer Camp 2025🌈☀️🌈

Our annual trip to Snowdonia will be taking place from 27th July-3rd August this year, and spaces are limited so make sure you’ve registered your interest at the link below to avoid missing out on a chance to take a break from everyday life, enjoy fabulous activities and meet other LGBT+ young persons just like you!

🔗https://www.mosaictrust.org.uk/residentials

If you have any questions about the Summer Camp, check out our FAQs at mosaictrust.org.uk/residentials or feel free to drop us a DM.

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Yasmin Benoit is a leading asexual and aromantic activist in the UK, as well as one of the first and most successful Black alternative models. Entering a white-dominated industry with Eurocentric beauty standards, she had to advocate for herself from the start, constantly fielding questions from journalists who struggled to place her in a conventional mold. As a model, she has also had to push back against misconceptions about asexuality, often being asked how she could be both a model and asexual. In response, she has famously stated, “I’m not trying to sell myself, I’m selling a product,” a sentiment she has reinforced throughout her career. 

Beyond modeling, Benoit has become a powerhouse in LGBTQ+ activism. She collaborates with AVEN (the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network), where she now serves on the Board of Directors, to increase awareness and acceptance of the asexual and aromantic community. She is also the founder of the #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike campaign, which highlights the diversity of the ace community and challenges stereotypes. In 2022, she launched the UK's first asexual rights initiative in partnership with Stonewall, advocating for better legal protections and recognition. 

We celebrate her this #WomensHistoryMonth, as an advocate to look towards in #MovingForwardTogether!

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Our #ClothesSwap on Sunday was our biggest swap yet, with 115 LGBT+ young persons coming through and having a great time browsing the pre-loved clothes on offer! A huge thank you to all the amazing volunteers, staff, wonderful young persons, and the incredible Naissa(@notjustafade on insta), who made the event extra fabulous by offering free haircuts to some of our attendees!

A massive thank you also to Old Diorama Arts Centre for hosting us and helping to create a safe and fun space for LGBT+ 12–25-year-olds to relax, meet new friends, and pick up some fantastic new clothes in a free and environmentally friendly way.

If you didn’t make it to this swap and have #FOMO, don’t worry! We host them quarterly and will be announcing upcoming dates soon—so make sure to give us a follow and avoid missing out on the fun!

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Tune into the 7 p.m. news in Coimbatore, India, and you’ll see Padmini Prakash making history. Since August 2014, she has been the face of the main bulletin on Tamil-language channel Lotus TV, becoming India’s first openly transgender news anchor. Prakash’s journey has been one of resilience; Disowned by her family as a teenager, and suffering severely low mental health before carving out a career as a dancer and actress. She later competed in trans beauty pageants, gaining recognition within India’s hijra community—one of the world’s oldest transgender identities. 

Her breakthrough came in the wake of a landmark 2014 ruling by India’s Supreme Court, which affirmed the right of every person to self-identify their gender and called for greater protections for hijras. Lotus TV responded by hiring Prakash, and after two months of training, and she made her debut on Indian Independence Day. Prakash is a passionate advocate for transgender rights, using her platform to challenge stigma and push for equal opportunities. 

Her success has helped pave the way for greater visibility of LGBT+ people in Indian media, inspiring others to fight for dignity and inclusion. “Padmini now anchors better than many others,” a Lotus TV spokesperson said. “We get very good feedback from viewers.” She is an icon to celebrate this #WomensHistoryMonth, as we continue #MovingForwardTogether!

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Happy #InternationalWomensDay from team Mosaic to you! We are celebrating today by kicking off our #WomensHistoryMonth #MovingForwardsTogether series, and highlighting the incredible legacy of Kitty Cone…

Curtis Selden “Kitty” Cone (1944–2015) was a disabled lesbian activist who played a pivotal role in the disability rights movement, fighting for accessibility, inclusion, and justice. Best known for organising the historic 504 Sit-in, she helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Born in Champaign, Illinois, Cone was misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy, leading to harmful treatments. At 15, she was correctly diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Despite growing up in privilege as the daughter of an affluent family, she encountered systemic ableism early. While attending the Holton-Arms School in Washington, D.C., the campus was so inaccessible that her cousins had to carry her up the steps.

As an open lesbian, Cone saw disability and queerness as political identities, advocating for civil rights, women’s liberation, and disability justice. Her legacy as a disabled, queer leader lives on, inspiring generations of activists to continue the fight for justice at the intersections of disability, sexuality, and human rights. She reminds us that in the fight for equal rights, we are all #MovingForwardTogether.

We will be celebrating #WomenInspiringInclusion throughout this #WHM2025, so stay tuned to learn and feel inspired with us!

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March has arrived, and with it, #WomensHistoryMonth2025! This month, we’ll be marking the theme #MovingForwardTogether by spotlighting some of the incredible women who have helped advance the fight for #LGBTRights, so stay tuned to celebrate with us!

The fight for equality includes everyone, and it’s so important to recognise and honour the amazing women who have championed justice, equality, and the right to live authentically. Their courage continues to inspire progress for all. 🌈✊

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This #LGBT+HistoryMonth, we have been celebrating the theme of #ActivismAndSocialChange, reflecting on the evolving attitudes, activism, and social change within the UK’s LGBT+ history. As #LGBT+HistoryMonth2025 draws to a close, we are taking a look back at the 1970s and 1980s in LGBT+ Britain, exploring some of the crises faced and the communities that formed during this period.

The political consciousness of the 1970s, alongside the backdrop of the 1980s AIDS crisis and Thatcher-era Britain defined an age of activism and community mobilisation in the struggle for LGBT+ rights in the UK. This era, in particular, demonstrates that progress is not always linear—but that does not mean it will not come. Our collective responsibility is to actively engage with diverse histories and draw on them to inspire creative solutions to today’s challenges.

Make sure to check out our posts on Medieval and Early Modern, Victorian-era, and Early Modern British LGBT+ history on our feed if you haven’t yet. And remember - just because some histories are less well-documented does not mean they did not happen. LGBT+ history dates back to the beginning of time and continues with all of us today!

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Our next Clothes Swap is coming up soon on 9th March, so make sure you’ve got your FREE ticket at the link below! This is a great opportunity for a spring clean and a chance to refresh your wardrobe with some new pieces in a sustainable and fun way - all in a friendly safe environment with other LGBT+ young persons 🌈

🔗https://www.outsavvy.com/event/3970/clothes-swap

If you can’t come along this time but would like to donate any clothes, games, books etc at the drop point link here:

🔗https://droppoint.org/ch/mosaic-lgbt-youth-centre#ClothesSwap#Lgbt#Lgbt+#LgbtLondon#QueerClothesSwap

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It’s #LGBT+HistoryMonth2025, and to celebrate the theme of #ActivismAndSocialChange, we are looking back at the changing attitudes, activism, and social change within the UK’s LGBT+ history!

In this third post of the series, we are exploring the dramatic shifts in societal opinion that took place during the first half of the 20th century in Britain. The rapid advancements in medical and psychological sciences had a significant impact on the lives of LGBT+ people, as well as on general perceptions of queerness. Meanwhile, growing awareness and a number of high-profile cases contributed to a more sympathetic shift in public opinion, setting the stage for the rise of Pride and the fight for LGBT+ rights in the 1970s and 1980s.

Make sure to check out our posts on Medieval and Early Modern, as well as Victorian-era, British LGBT+ history if you haven’t yet, and give us a follow to learn along with us this #LGBT+HistoryMonth!