Sunny Thompson

About this volunteer

Role

Vice chair

Projects

Bi+ inclusion

I volunteered because I feel passionately about bi inclusion, being married to someone of another gender and living in a rural community with no “scene” I am exceptionally invisible! It could be easy for people to see me as a middle-aged mum, but my membership of, and allegiance to, the LGBT+ community is a hugely important part of my life. I was a member of the BiSpace volunteer group for a couple of years and stepped into the lead role, and Vice Chair for Bi+ inclusion, at the end of 2021. I have been a civil servant for over 18 years; my background is mostly with the Rural Payments Agency and Defra, and I am back in RPA now, leading on Internal Engagement. However, between 2019 and 2022 I embraced the Fast Stream as a development route in my 40s and rotated through four different departments in a short space of time. This really reinforced to me how bi+ people can often face coming out as a constant process, and I have been surprised how difficult that could sometimes be after building up a level of comfort and confidence in my original department.