The Cost of Being Seen - John Hyland (ISMIB Speaker series- hybrid event)

ISMIB's annual speaker event this year focuses on our LGBTQIA+ community.

Join us in the ULMS first floor social space between 12 and 3 for networking and information stalls from Sahir, Butterfly Clinic and LGBT Foundation with a talk from John Hyland from Proudly Said at 1pm in Seminar Room 5.

The Cost of Being Seen is a talk about what happens when people start listening, and what that can quietly (sometimes not so quietly) cost.

John Hyland reflects on his journey from making LGBTQ+ content online in the early days of YouTube, through community work and local politics, to finding more intentional ways of working in public. Along the way, he explores how visibility can open doors, but also bring scrutiny, pressure, and harm, especially when support doesn’t keep pace with representation.

Through personal stories, archive footage, and moments of public attention and backlash, John talks about the emotional labour of community work, the importance of trust, and how visibility changes when responsibility enters the picture.

This is an honest look at visibility, responsibility, and what it means to keep showing up despite the challenges and obstacles.

Bio -

John Hyland is an LGBTQ+ advocate and podcaster based in Liverpool.

He began creating LGBTQ+ content online in the early 2010s, using digital platforms to share stories and information at a time when visible representation was far less common. That work later led him into local community advocacy, including volunteering with Liverpool Pride, serving as a trustee, and helping to co-found the LCR Pride Foundation.

John later moved to Northern Ireland, where he became the first openly LGBTQ+ elected representative in Ballymena, serving on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. After sustained online abuse and its impact on his mental health, he stepped back from elected politics and returned to Liverpool.

He now hosts Proudly Said, a podcast focused on listening to LGBTQ+ voices and stories that don’t always get heard. His work continues to explore visibility, and how to stay visible without losing yourself in the process.

The talk will be shown online using this link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/34394750309021?p=saTJnGocBNyg1rF8yD

There is no need to sign up for a ticket if you intend to join online - the numbers are to help for catering purposes

Info: Wellbeing and information stalls from Sahir, LGBT Foundation and Butterfly Clinic. We will also have private and welleing spaces available. A chance to network, talk to others and get information and resources. Tea, coffee and cakes will be provided.

Info: Talk by John Hyland seminar Room 5

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