Transgender woman from Portslade nominated for LGBT award for fourth time

Joanne Monck dedicates her time to making a difference towards the understanding and awareness of the LGBT community.

The 64-year-old wears many different hats in the community and it is the fourth time she has been up for the award.

The National Diversity Awards celebrates the excellent achievements of grass-root communities that tackle the issues in today’s society, giving them recognition for their dedication and hard work.

Joanne said: “I was born male in 1955. I spent the first 58 years of my life questioning my identity, trying to fight my inner self was tough, doing the macho things, getting married, having children, but never happy.

“Mental health problems and suicidal thoughts triggered my inner self to come out to the world, and in 2014, I changed my name by deed poll to Joanne. I then had gender surgery in 2017, and became legally female.

“Last year, after some vile hate on social media that was directed towards me I decided I needed to do more.

“Rather than let the hate destroy me, I turned negativity into positivity and founded a private Facebook group called International LGBT Hate Support. The aim of this was to support anyone in the LGBT community who was suffering hate on any level. I am passionate about raising awareness and understanding about the LGBT community.

“We are all human beings and should respect the values that we all hold. Diversity exists.

“There is a lot to do to get total acceptance but I believe that no matter how small it may be, I am making a positive difference.”

Joanne’s many roles in the in community include being a hate crime ambassador and independent advisor to Sussex Police, a public member of the Sussex Police LGBT Network, a member of the South East Crown Prosecution Service advisory group, a Stonewall Schools role model and a national diversity mentor.

To nominate Joanne, visit www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk/nominate.