ADELLE BARKER IS THE TRANS AND NON-BINARY NETWORK ASSOCIATE FOR THE LGBTQ+ NETWORK AT SKY
WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?
I’m Adelle Barker – parent, team leader for Home Service at Sky, LGBTQ+ Network Associate for Trans and Non-Binary inclusion, and someone who accidentally turned “I don’t know how to be trans” into a bit of a life motto.
Professionally, I’ve been with Sky for 10 years now, mostly in field-based and leadership roles. I love the people side of things – supporting others, coaching, helping teams grow – and I’ve always found myself drawn to making things better for those around me, whether that’s in Home Service or diversity and inclusion work.
YOU ARE THE TRANS AND NON-BINARY NETWORK ASSOCIATE FOR THE LGBTQ+ NETWORK AT SKY. WHAT DOES THIS PARTICULAR ROLE INVOLVE AND HOW SUPPORTIVE IS SKY OF ITS LGBTQ+ EMPLOYEES?
The role is part-visibility, part-voice, and part-vulnerable overshare – which aligns with all my values.
It means I get to represent our trans and non-binary employees, push for better education and awareness, and create safe spaces to talk about real-life experiences – the awkward, the joyful, the challenging. I’ve run panels, events, supported campaigns, and I help shape policies and practices so they reflect lived realities, not just buzzwords. This is all volunteer-based, like many employee networks.
Sky has honestly been incredible. I’ve been supported in ways I never expected – from leadership standing beside me, to the LGBTQ+ Network becoming a lifeline during my transition. I’ve cried in meetings, laughed my way through nerves on panels, and felt truly seen here. It’s been life-affirming.
“WE NEED MORE TRANS VOICES IN THE ROOMS, NOT JUST ON THE FRONT PAGES”
TRANS ISSUES ARE BEING REPORTED MORE THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN BEFORE. HOW FAIR AND ACCURATE DO YOU FEEL THAT REPORTING HAS BEEN, AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE IT?
Let’s be real – it’s a mixed bag.
Trans people are suddenly a headline, but we’re not a new phenomenon. A lot of the reporting swings between sensationalism, fear-mongering and simplified “inspiration-porn”, when most of us are just trying to live, work, and exist with a bit of dignity, whilst doing our weekly shop!
We need more trans voices in the rooms, not just on the front pages. Journalism that involves us and doesn’t just talk about us. And frankly, some compassion wouldn’t go amiss either.
WHAT ISSUES AND CHALLENGES DO TRANS PEOPLE FACE WHICH OTHERS IN THE LGBTQ+ FLAG MAY NOT?
Transition can be messy, expensive, and deeply misunderstood. For many trans people,
even existing in public is seen as a statement. We navigate everything from legal identity struggles, medical gate-keeping, to the emotional labour of coming out over and over again.
It’s a very visible thing, even if we sometimes wish we could simply “blend in”!
There’s also the added fun of things like “voice anxiety” on phone calls or fearing a passport check at the airport. It’s often the micro stuff that gets to you – the stuff people don’t see but chips away at your safety or confidence. We know we are seen. Sometimes being seen is amazing but other times it feels really scary and overwhelming.
While we share some common ground with the wider LGBTQ+ community, the trans experience is often its own tangled ball of yarn – full of gendered expectations, physical shifts, and a fight just to be believed.
“LET US DANCE AND CELEBRATE WHO WE ARE. LET US WAVE FLAGS AND FEEL JOY”
ON A PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL LEVEL, WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU’VE BEEN PROUDEST OF?
Living.
I don’t say that flippantly. There was a time when I didn’t think a future like this – one where I’m out, open, happy, and working in a leadership role – was possible. Transitioning while parenting, leading a team, and showing up authentically is terrifying, but it’s also transformed everything.
And being able to stand up and say, “I don’t know how to be trans, but I’m learning out loud” – and having people listen? That’s magical, it really is.
PRIDE – PARTY OR POLITICS?
Both. It starts as politics, turns into a party, and then cycles back again.
We owe our Pride to protests – and those who fought when being LGBTQ+ meant risking everything. So I think it’s vital we honour that, stay loud, and protect our rights.
But also? Let us dance and celebrate who we are. Let us wave flags and feel joy. For many of us, Pride is the one place we can exist fully, without apology.