The theme of LGBT+ History Month for 2025 is Activism and Social Change! This month, we’re going behind the scenes of Micro Rainbow, which has been supporting LGBTQI people seeking asylum since 2012. But Micro Rainbow’s leaders have been involved in LGBT activism and social change since long before that. In this piece, we learn about what’s driven them, how things have changed and how their activism has changed, and how we can move forward.
Read on to learn about the lifetimes of activism behind Micro Rainbow’s leadership, what led them to their work and what continues to inspire them.
Sebastian Rocca, Micro Rainbow's founder and CEO
“One of the founding principles of Micro Rainbow was and still is the innovation that comes with the marriage between activism and social change. We wanted a disruptive organisation that created a new model for social change that was replicable, scalable and sustainable.
“This model is our holistic approach to integration of LGBTQI people fleeing persecution. Micro Rainbow is best known for its groundbreaking housing scheme that tackles homelessness of LGBTQI asylum seekers. It is a lifeline to hundreds of queer people providing more than 35,000 bed-nights a year. However, homelessness is so much more than having safe housing. It is about connection, wellbeing, community, independence and love.
“Every single person at Micro Rainbow is an activist in one form or another. Every single programme we run is embedded in our own way of achieving social change: by leading the way, by pioneering uncomfortable partnerships, by taking risks. In doing so, we have been instrumental in securing the safety of more than 7,000 queer people since our inception.
“At times when divisions seem to prevail unity, when young people, our future, seem to be disillusioned about politics and disengaged from community building, when acquired rights is a concept of the past, this marriage between activism and social change is more needed than ever. It is what gives us at Micro Rainbow hope and some of the energy we need to keep going.”
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Micro Rainbow's patron and CEO of UK Black Pride
“Activism and social change are not abstract ideals—they are lifelines. For LGBTQI people seeking asylum, activism is the voice that cuts through the silence of oppression and the indifference of systems that fail them. It is the refusal to accept that borders, bureaucracy, and bigotry should determine a person’s right to live free from violence and fear. Social change, for me, is the ultimate act of love and justice—it’s about dismantling the structures that criminalise queer bodies, deny dignity, and dehumanise those who dare to seek safety.
“We cannot talk about equality while queer asylum seekers are left in limbo, traumatised and forgotten in hostile environments. Our activism must be fierce, unapologetic, and intersectional, addressing not just homophobia and transphobia but also racism, xenophobia, and classism. Social change demands that we challenge not just policies, but the hearts and minds of society to see LGBTQI asylum seekers as people—human beings with hopes, talents, and dreams.
“Activism is action; social change is transformation. Together, they create a world where no one has to flee their home simply to be who they are. And until that world exists, our fight is far from over.”
Moud Goba, Micro Rainbow's National Director
“Activism and social change are deeply personal to me. As an LGBTQI activist and a refugee who has gone through the asylum process, I don’t just believe in change, I have lived it and continue to do so. I know what it means to seek safety, to fight for dignity wanting to be seen as just a human and to hope for a future where our various identities are not a reason for exclusion or violence.
“This is why working with Micro Rainbow is such a privilege for me. The organisation doesn’t just advocate for social change, it empowers us (LGBTQI refugees and migrants) to actively transform our lives. Micro Rainbow’s holistic approach to supporting LGBTQI people seeking asylum is more than just safe housing or social inclusion but it sees people as a whole, supporting their agency and empowering the rebuilding of lives.
“To me, activism is about refusing to accept a world where LGBTQI refugees are left suffering, in limbo, invisible and unheard. Social change is about ensuring that they are seen, valued, and given the tools to thrive. Micro Rainbow is at the front of leading social change.”
Jill Power, Micro Rainbow's Director of Social and Economic Inclusion
“In the 1980s Britain was not a safe place for LGBTQI people. Violence and harassment from law, police, public services and public were the norm.
“In my lifetime I never thought we would see equality let alone same sex marriage. It is because of the activism that took place in the 1980s and the people before and after, that the UK now has equal rights for LGBTQI people and a safe haven for queer asylum seekers. However, if we do not keep fighting, equality can easily be stripped away. The trans community today is suffering the same attacks we were fighting in the 1980s.
“There is hope, if we stick together, do not separate or fragment into our own clans. Just because there is gay marriage it does not mean that the fight is over. Until all LGBTQI people are free from discrimination and harm we are never fully free. If they go for one of us, they go for all of us.”
Activism and social change
Activism is more than raising awareness—it is about taking concrete steps to create systemic change. Whether through policy advocacy, community support, or direct action, we must continue to push for a world where no one is forced to flee their home simply for being who they are. This LGBT History Month, let us reaffirm our commitment to justice and solidarity. Until a world exists where no one has to seek safety simply for being themselves, our fight is far from over.
You can make a small change by supporting Micro Rainbow and its work – become an ally today and help ensure that LGBTQI people forced to flee their homes to escape persecution receive the support they need. Want to know more about the impact Micro Rainbow’s work has on LGBTQI people fleeing persecution? Dive into our impact report for 2024.
