Katherine Gillespie Sells Explained

Birth Date:3 February 1951
Occupation:Psychotherapist, disability rights activist, LGBT rights activist

Katherine 'Kath' Gillespie Sells MBE is a psychotherapist, writer, disability rights campaigner and LGBT rights campaigner from the United Kingdom. In 1990, she founded REGARD, a national, volunteer-run organisation of disabled lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people.[1]

Career

Sells was a ward sister at Barnet General Hospital when she became disabled as a result of a splinter in her finger, which led to septicaemia, a multi-day coma and the loss of the finger.[2] This led to spinal thecal arachnoiditis that put her in a wheelchair. She re-trained as a teacher, completing a Certificate in Education at Middlesex University. Sells was Joint Head of Training with Jane Campbell (later Baroness Campbell of Surbiton) at Disability Resource Team in Camden.

Works

She co-authored:

Recognition

Personal life

Gillespie Sells was born on 3 February 1951.[4] She has three sons, one of whom is singer/songwriter Dan Gillespie Sells. Her marriage ended while her first two children were young and she came out as a lesbian. She raised her children with her ex-partner Dr. Dilis, who was the biological mother of another son, and coparenting with her ex-husband.

References

  1. Web site: Disability campaigner Kath Gillespie-Sells to lead London Pride. 2011-07-01. PinkNews . en-GB. 2019-12-12.
  2. News: Relative Values: Dan Gillespie Sells and his mother, Kath. 2008-05-18. The Sunday Times. 2019-12-12. en. 0956-1382.
  3. News: London: Queen's Birthday Honours. 2011-06-11. BBC News. 2020-03-16. en-GB.
  4. News: Dan Gillespie Sells on X. 2021-02-03. 2023-08-21. en-GB.

External links