28 Facts About Paris Lees

1.

Paris Lees was born on 1986 and is an English journalist, presenter, campaigner and author.

2.

Paris Lees topped The Independent on Sundays 2013 Pink List, came second in the 2014 Rainbow List, and was awarded the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT in the 2012 National Diversity Awards.

3.

Paris Lees describes herself as having had behavioural difficulties as a child and aged 9 her mother sent her to live with her father.

4.

At school, Paris Lees underwent severe bullying, although she achieved good GCSE results.

5.

Paris Lees later committed a robbery, for which she served eight months in prison, beginning at age 18.

6.

Paris Lees moved to Brighton, a notably LGBT-friendly city, to study English at university.

7.

Not long after moving, Paris Lees started to identify publicly as a woman.

8.

Paris Lees moved to London to pursue a career in journalism after graduating from university.

9.

Paris Lees founded the first British magazine aimed at the trans community, META, and was the acting assistant editor of Gay Times.

10.

Paris Lees has columns in both Gay Times and Diva, and was the first trans cover girl for Diva.

11.

Paris Lees has written for newspapers and magazines, including The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, PinkNews, and Vice, as well as for Channel 4 News.

12.

Paris Lees has worked as a presenter for television and radio, being the first trans woman presenter on both BBC Radio 1 and Channel 4.

13.

Critics praised Paris Lees for doing "a fine job of provoking her listeners" and for seeming "genuinely interested in the opinions of the young people she interviewed".

14.

Paris Lees presented the episode "Trans" of Channel 4's The Shooting Gallery.

15.

On 25 October 2013, Paris Lees took part as a panellist in the BBC's 100 Women event.

16.

In 2018, Paris Lees was appointed as Vogues first transgender columnist.

17.

Paris Lees had approached Penguin with the idea for the book in 2013, originally planning to write a more conventional autobiography.

18.

Paris Lees, working with Trans Media Watch, challenged Channel 4 to remove transphobic material from their broadcasts, and consulted with the channel for its documentary My Transsexual Summer.

19.

Paris Lees has worked with several media outlets to guide the covering of transgender people; in its 2013 Pink List award coverage, The Independent on Sunday said "It was noted by our judges that the Daily Mail's coverage of trans issues has improved noticeably since she had lunch with its managing editor".

20.

In 2013, Paris Lees topped The Independent on Sunday's Pink List, naming her as the most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender figure in the UK; she was a judge for that award in 2011 and 2012.

21.

Paris Lees has said that social media is a key tool for transgender people to improve their societal recognition:.

22.

In November 2014, Paris Lees appeared in Hollyoaks, playing herself, and a friend of the transgender character Blessing Chambers.

23.

On 11 August 2014, Paris Lees was supposed to be on air with BBC Newsnight recording to talk about the impact of Kellie Maloney coming out as a trans woman.

24.

Paris Lees has publicly identified herself as a bisexual trans woman, and as a feminist.

25.

Paris Lees has written about how in the early days of her gender transition she received abuse for not passing as female.

26.

Paris Lees subsequently received a referral to Charing Cross Hospital's gender identity clinic, and met her boyfriend shortly after beginning hormone replacement therapy.

27.

Paris Lees later became a columnist with British Vogue in November 2018.

28.

Paris Lees was the first openly transgender presenter on BBC Radio 1 and Channel 4.