John Hyland

He has held senior volunteer roles within the LGBTQ+ movement, including serving as Co-Chair of Liverpool Pride and co-founding the LCR Pride Foundation. In these positions, John played a key role in shaping Pride activity across the Liverpool City Region, working closely with partners, volunteers, and local communities to enhance visibility, inclusion, and participation.

Alongside this work, John spent much of the 2010s as an independent LGBTQ+ content creator, using digital platforms to document queer life in Liverpool. His focus was on amplifying voices and stories that often went unheard, while also exploring his own journey with identity and visibility.

John later moved to Northern Ireland, where he was elected as a councillor in Ballymena – becoming the town’s first openly gay representative. This role brought new opportunities and challenges, placing him in an environment where visibility carried significant weight and public scrutiny was heightened. It deepened his understanding of leadership, resilience, and what meaningful inclusion requires, while also exposing him to the darker side of the digital landscape through targeted homophobic abuse.

Today, John continues his commitment to thoughtful, reflective storytelling as the creator of Proudly Said – a long-form LGBTQ+ podcast built around honest and sometimes challenging conversations about lived experience, guided by each guest’s unique perspective.

John’s interest in public speaking is shaped by his lived experience across activism, leadership, public roles, and personal challenges. His talks explore resilience, inclusion, and the realities of being visible in LGBTQ+ spaces – offering insight grounded in authenticity, reflection, and community connection.