Tanya is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) youth worker and activist based in south London.
She runs a number of community projects to support the LGBTQ+ community. In 2022, Tanya took part in Instagram’s Black Perspectives initiative, and ran a two-day boot camp called ERASURE that helped young LGBTQ+ people tell their story and benefit from careers advice.
In the COVID pandemic in June 2020, she launched Exist Loudly, a London-based charity that provides support and mentoring to Black LGBTQ+ young people in the UK with online creative workshops.
After experiencing homeless herself following a family row, she started Queer Black Christmas, an annual event providing a community for Black LGBTQ+ people who are estranged from or have strained relationships with their families during the festive season. Tanya funds all the projects through funding raising and crowdfunding.
Her interest in community work stemmed from her experience of working as a caseworker with homeless people in London and working overseas as a community leader with youngsters during her gap year.
In 2018, Amnesty UK named Tanya as one of the UK’s most inspiring women and the Evening Standard listed her on its Progress 1,000 list of London’s most influential people.