Ella Morgan was among the celebrities attending the 2025 Rainbow Honours on Friday
Pride Month is in full swing, bringing with it a vibrant lineup of events that spotlight some of the most inspiring and influential figures in the LGBTQIA+ community. Among them is the 2025 Rainbow Honours, an annual celebration that recognises individuals and organisations making significant strides in promoting LGBTQIA+ equality and inclusion.
On Friday (June 28), Married at First Sight star Ella Morgan was honoured as Campaigner or Influencer of the Year. As a transgender woman, Ella has used her platform to advocate for trans rights, a mission that has become increasingly challenging in recent months.
“My mental health has not been the best since the ruling,” the reality TV star shares. “I think I just really struggled with being labelled or identified as legally a man.”
Back on April 16, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of “woman” under the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex, excluding transgender women. “You know, people call me man and tranny and he all the time online, and it’s just a word and it means nothing to me,” Ella says.
She further shares: “So it didn’t affect me, but now, because it’s legally recognised, it is painful and it’s sad, and it’s like I’ve gone through all of this stuff and I’ve still been penalised, and discriminated against.
“But this time, people justify their anger and their hatred with this ruling; it’s like it’s given some people an excuse to justify their hatred because it’s a ruling made by the government.”
Ella, who made history when she became the first transgender person to appear on both MAFS in 2023 and Celebs Go Dating the following year, says that she has faced ‘more hate than ever’ this year. She explains: “People are like, ‘yeah, but you are a man, you know, legally, you are’.
“What am I meant to say to that? And how am I meant to deal with that?”
Jake Graf, notable as Britain’s most prominent transgender father, echoes Ella’s struggle amid the Supreme Court’s ruling. Taking to the Rainbow Honours red carpet, he shares: “I’m a trans man, married to a trans woman, and we have two daughters, three and five years old, and I fear for my wife every time she leaves the house now.”
Jake’s wife, Hannah, served as the highest-ranking trans officer in the British Army before she left in 2018 to start a family. The couple made history as Britain’s first transgender parents.
“Every time she goes into a public toilet, my wife is scared about taking our two little daughters into the toilet or into the changing room when she takes them to their swimming lessons, and that should not be happening,” Jake continues. “So it’s severely affected our lives and our mental health.”
He adds: “I take our daughters to the toilet a lot more than my wife does anymore because she’s worried about someone attacking her in front of our kids, which is terrible.” Despite the recent rise in transphobia across, Jake remains hopeful, particularly inspired by the younger generation.
“The younger generation is more and more diverse and more fluid than we ever imagined,” he says. “There are more trans people out there than I think we ever knew, and I think once we get over this terrible blip in our history, we’ll realise that more and more trans people are going to keep coming out, and it will seem less unusual, and soon, we will find that love and acceptance that we so desperately need.”
25-year-old Noah Adams, known as Noahfinnce, was nominated in the Musician category of the awards and took home a Highly Commended prize in the category. He shares: “When I was younger, I didn’t really feel pride at all.
“I felt pride in my bisexuality, but in terms of being trans, I never felt proud of that until quite recently.” The singer-songwriter and YouTuber, who regularly uses his platform to raise awareness about trans issues to his 979,000 subscribers, often shares commentary critical of figures like J.K. Rowling.
Like many other attendees at the Rainbow Honours, Noah remarked that this year’s Pride Month feels less like a celebration and more like a protest. This year, he would like to protest against anti-trans legislation, not just in the UK, but around the world.
“I tour the US every single year, and this year I’m not going to be able to, because my passport’s going to be counted as fraudulent because it doesn’t match the sex assigned at birth,” Noah explains. To become better allies to the trans community, the Asthma Attack emphasised the importance of simply asking.
“It’s better to say the wrong thing and find out it’s the wrong thing than tiptoe around,” Noah concludes. Ali Bromley, notable for being the first lesbian to win Big Brother UK, shares a similar perspective to Noah, stressing the importance of open dialogue and education.
“Sometimes I do make the decision to protect my peace, but then sometimes if somebody sends me a message and I think, actually, that’s a good talking point, I think, why not share that and then share my response?” Ali, who was nominated for in the Rainbow Honours’ Media Moment category, says. “What I would hope to model is that maybe change and progression can come with conversation, it doesn’t always have to be an argument, because I think sometimes we can get very polarised and start shouting at each other and maybe conversation is okay, and social media is a platform where we can do that.”
Being a public queer figure comes with a lot of “trolls” and online hate, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Saki Yew Suki says. As a result Saki highlighted the importance of recognising personal progress as key forms of self-care within the queer community.
They say: “Just take a moment sometimes in your own life and just reflect and just you give yourself the chance to go, ‘oh, my God, I’m doing so well with whatever I’m doing in my life’.”
Jaxon Feeley, who won a highly commended award in the Rainbow Honours’ Media Moment of the Year category, reveals: “You really do have to protect yourself, especially after the Supreme Court ruling, the level of hate online has more than tripled in terms of how much hate there is. When bullies are in power, it gives bullies permission to bully, and unfortunately, that creates a hell of a lot of pain.”
Charlie Craggs, a transgender activist, expressed pride in the LGBTQIA+ community for coming together to protest transphobic sentiment. “For a long time, it’s felt like the trans, we’re the ones who have been seen as the extremists and we’re like the ones making it protesty, but that’s because our rights have been the most under fire in recent years,” she says.
Strictly Come Dancing star Carlos Gu noted the importance of authentic expression, encouraging men to embrace their femininity. “Sometimes they want you to dance more masculine, but why can’t I dance femininely?” the professional dancer jokes.
He adds: “I want to embrace my femininity, femininity, just brilliant. I think a man should embrace more of their femininity inside of them, because they create more layers of artistry and allow them to really express themselves on a deeper level.”
Carlos recognised the LGBTQIA+ community for teaching him to embrace his true self without fear. “I think gay communities are so inspiring and allow ourselves to be ourselves without any obstacles, without any fear to think that somebody might come to us, I think that’s the most important thing I’ve learned,” he says.
Actor Jason Patel revealed that starring in the movie Unicorns taught him a profound understanding of exploring the duality of masculinity and femininity and embracing those different extremes. Reflecting on the significance of this year’s Pride Month, Jason concluded with a powerful call to action: “Protect the dolls”, a phrase that champions the protection and trans people.
The Rainbow Honours celebration was highlighted by Sister Sledge’s Kathy Sledge receiving the Icon Award in recognition of her unwavering allyship to the LGBTQIA+ community, made even more memorable by her powerful performance of the timeless anthem, We Are Family.
Rainbow Honours 2025 winners
Icon Award
Winner – Kathy Sledge
Inspirational Role Model of the Year
Highly Commended – Greg Turner-Smart
Winner – Adelle Barker
Campaigner or Influencer of the Year
Highly Commended – Lady Phyll
Winner – Ella Morgan
Community Initiative of the Year
Highly Commended – Trans+ History Week
Winner – UK Black Pride
Musician of the Year
Highly Commended – Noahfinnce
Winner – Anthony Lexa
Charity of the Year
Winner – LGBT Foundation
Celebrity Ally of the Year
Highly Commended – Dame Arlene Phillips DBE
Winner – Sally Lindsay
Media Moment of the Year
Highly Commended – Jaxon Feeley in Hunted
Winner – Suki and Eve’s wedding in EastEnders
Celebrity LGBTQIA+ Champion of the Year
Highly Commended – Cynthia Erivo
Winner – Yasmin Finney
Outstanding Commitment to the LGBTQIA+ Community
Winner – Victoria McCloud