Pride at the Bar: Voices from the LGBTQIA+ Community and Their Allies

As Pride Month draws to a close, and with London Pride taking place this coming weekend, we’re proud to share a series of reflections from across the Bar, featuring both LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies who are helping to shape a more inclusive profession.

Throughout June, we’ve had the privilege of sitting down with members, clerks, and leaders in Chambers whose openness, honesty and thoughtfulness have left us inspired.

📣 From the LGBTQIA+ community, we were honoured to hear from:

Alex Southern (Tanfield Chambers)

Daniel Birch (No5 Barristers’​ Chambers)

Matthew Thorne (4 Pump Court)

Each shared their personal experiences of being LGBTQIA+ in Chambers – the challenges, the progress, the importance of visibility and what inclusion really means.

🤝 From the perspective of allies, we had the pleasure of hearing from:

Lynne McCafferty KC (4 Pump Court)

Geoffrey Carr (33 Bedford Row )

Sarah Willshee (ABC Chambers Solutions)

They spoke about what allyship means in practice, how Chambers can do better and why visible support for Pride and for the LGBTQIA+ community matters all year round, not just during Pride Month.

To each contributor: thank you. Your insights, stories and reflections help drive change in the profession – and we are so grateful you took the time to share them with us.


FreeBar is a network aiming to foster inclusion and support for LGBT+ people working as and with barristers. We’re working to make sure that everyone from the Head of Chambers to pupils and members of staff at all levels can share the experience of ‘Acceptance without Exception’. Read more about FreeBar here.