Femi Otitoju

Femi was born in Nigeria and spent her early years in Sussex. She went to school in Hackney and came out as a lesbian in the late Seventies, volunteering for lesbian line for a couple for years. She then volunteered for London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard for about 13 years, lead it’s Training Group for two years and was also Chair for two years.

She helped set up the first Black Lesbian Group in the early 1980s and did loads of feminist projects like contributing to Spare Rib, volunteering in women’s centres, producing the London Women’s Liberation Newsletter and contributed to books and magazines including Outrage and Outwrite, Active Citizens and Radical Records.

Hung around in gay men’s clubs wearing leather and hung around in lesbian clubs wearing dungarees some nights and dresses on others. Chopped fruit for the Morning Party on Fire Island every year for over a decade. 

Was on the management committees of: The London Lesbian and Gay Centre, The Black Lesbian and Gay Centre and Stonewall Housing Association.

Marched madly throughout the 1980s on Lesbian Strength, Pride, Reclaim the Night and spent ridiculous amounts of time at conferences whilst writing as a Capital Gay (London based gay weekly newspaper) columnist for two years. Worked at GLC in Women’s Unit 1984 -1986 as an Outreach Worker. Became a “professional lesbian” as a founding member of staff at Haringey Lesbian and Gay unit 1986-1988. Launched her own equality and diversity consultancy, Challenge, in 1988 which she still runs. She is currently Co-Chair of National Women’s Aid.