Stonewall chair and gay basketball star named in honours list

The chair of Stonewall, David Isaac, and gay NBA star John Amaechi have been named in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

Mr Isaac, who has been the chair of the gay rights charity since 2003, was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for “services to equality and diversity”.

He said he was “delighted” at the honour and Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill praised him for transforming the organisation’s financial stability.

Mr Amaechi, who came out in 2007, was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for “services to sport and to the voluntary sector”.

The sportsman, who now runs a basketball centre in Manchester, said: “I was once an overweight bookworm who hid in the corner of my school library and wished I was invisible.

“My mother told me that I could do better and I hope to use this platform to convince other young people just how true this can be for them too.”

Other honours recipients in the LGBT world include disability campaigner Katherine Gillespie-Sells; the chief executive of the Lesbian and Gay Foundation, Paul Martin and Dr Tim Lucas, who was the treasurer of the Brighton Lesbian and Gay Switchboard for more than 20 years.