As part of CI Pride week Liberate’s newest patron, The Right Honourable Lord Cashman of Limehouse CBE will be the keynote speaker at Liberate’s ‘Power and Equality’ Conference held in Jersey on Friday 9 September.

Vic Tanner Davy, Liberate’s CEO, said: “We are delighted that we can announce Michael’s patronage of Liberate with an invitation to deliver the keynote speech at our Pride week conference. We approached Michael earlier this year to become a patron of the charity, when he was in the Island for Holocaust Memorial Day, and we were delighted when he agreed. Michael’s life-long activism on behalf of human rights, but LGBTQ+ rights in particular, makes him a perfect fit for Liberate and reflects our charitable mission and values.”

The Power and Equality Conference, a day of talks, debates and discussions, is kindly sponsored by BCR Law and Jersey Community Relations Trust. The aim of the conference is to bring people together to discuss the big issues affecting the Island, which often disproportionately affect people from minority communities, and to hear from a diverse collection of voices. All States members have been invited to participate in the day along with individuals with lived experience of being from a minority group in Jersey, business leaders, ED&I champions, Government employees and charities.

In an age where social and traditional medias are setting up and then encouraging and enabling divisive arguments Michael’s keynote speech will tackle the urgent need to remove toxicity from public discourse, our personal responsibility to behave with empathy in public life, and the importance of this attitude to building healthy, inclusive democracies.

Vic said: “We are excited to hear Michael’s speech. As the Labour spokesman on human rights in the European Parliament between 1999 and 2014, and now a life peer, he is used to debating difficult, controversial and often deeply personal issues. A lifelong campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights, Michael believes firmly that working together, cross party and in coalition is the most effective way to make change for those groups that lack essential rights. As an actor, he understands the power of words to win hearts and minds, making persuasive speeches to swing votes in the various democratic institutions in which he has worked.”

Lord Cashman said: “I am looking forward to returning to Jersey, seeing more of the Island and meeting the newly elected States members, Islanders from minority groups, charity representatives and other delegates. Being Liberate’s patron I want to learn more about the Island and the issues it faces currently, so I can support the charity in its work. The conference is the perfect opportunity for me to find out more.”

For more information about the conference and tickets, click here.