G Spot x ParaPride: Introducing Katie Hudson

about me

I have been Co-Chair and Interim Treasurer of ParaPride since 2021, recently taking over as sole Chair.  I help ParaPride to maintain good financial and operational governance to build sustainable foundations for the future. I also provide leadership by ensuring focus on the delivery of our charitable purposes to provide public benefit to the disabled LGBTQIA+ community.

When I'm not volunteering at ParaPride, I am a senior executive working in technology with a 20+ year career in global FTSE100 companies, and I am also on the Board of Trustees of both Autistica and ADHD Aware (Chair).  

 

how I got involved with parapride

I initially got involved with these charities because I am from the disabled LGBTQ+ community ParaPride supports. Around the same time, I had been a service user of ADHD Aware before getting involved with their Board. I had received a late Autism diagnosis a couple of years prior, and then suspected I also had ADHD, confirmed later by a formal diagnosis.

Being diagnosed with various conditions later in life has had a profound impact on me in many ways, and has opened my eyes to the many challenges that people with complex conditions face in society. I speak and write regularly and am proud to serve as an advocate for inclusion and acceptance with employers, schools, health and social services, government, and in local communities.

 

my experience of intersectionality

There are many dimensions to “who I am” - I am not a diagnosis, but my conditions are also a fundamental part of my life experience. I am not a gender nor a sexuality, but these impact how other people think about and interact with me.

I often feel that I’m inhabiting a world I don’t quite fit into - at school, work, social situations, in public spaces, on transport, and accessing services. I experience confusion, sensory assault, frustration, stress, and physical discomfort. I am expected to adapt, rather than other people adapting to me.

When I came out as bisexual, this was met with men objectifying me as some kind of lewd fantasy; and when I realised that my brain isn’t binary, I had already lived for over 40 years presenting as a woman.  I’ve always felt a bit unique and part of or not part of a lot of things, which is why I am passionate about intersectional inclusion.

ParaPride is one of the few charities in the world that supports intersectional communities - particularly disabled and LGBTQ+ people - which I think is so important to ensure that we are truly included and can thrive in society.

 

three things that give me pride

1.

I am regularly amazed by and so proud of our mighty, unique, talented, and creative team and our community at ParaPride - I play a small part in that, but I am proud to be part of something that truly helps people and arises from a selfless, voluntary team who inspire each other.

2.

I am proud of myself for never listening to anyone who told me I couldn’t do something.

3.

I am also proud that I realised in my mid-thirties that I was going to turn my diagnoses into something positive not just for me, but for lots of other people!