Dr Harvey Kennedy-Pitt
23 Eki 2025
Session summary
This session explores how grassroots activism and community-led approaches can challenge systemic inequalities and drive inclusive health systems reform for LGBTQI+ populations locally, nationally, and globally. Drawing on two decades of experience across public health, advocacy, and systems transformation from community resilience in Greater Manchester to global health diplomacy with international bodies this session traces how power, populism, and politics have been weaponised against LGBTQI+ people and how we resist. Through storytelling, policy reflection, and case examples from the UK, Southern Africa, and Europe, we will unpack how local voices can influence global policy, even amidst shrinking civic space, backlash, and austerity. Participants will learn how queer-led research, inclusive commissioning, and participatory evaluation frameworks can become tools of resistance and change. This session will not just expose the harm of systemic neglect, it will highlight tangible, effective, responses: from challenging erasure in data to reimagining community engagement in health system design. Attendees will leave with practical takeaways on building alliances, creating sustainable change within hostile environments, and re-centring lived experience in decision-making. Presented accessibly, this session is ideal for activists, service providers, policymakers, and community organisers committed to health equity, social justice, and dismantling oppressive systems wherever they operate, from the local to the global.
Biography
Dr Harvey Kennedy-Pitt is a global public health consultant, health equity strategist, and scholar-advocate committed to advancing health equity for raciosexual and gender minorities worldwide. His career spans population health, strategic equality framework design, and global sexual health research, with a focus on dismantling systemic barriers to better health. Working at the intersection of research, policy, and practice, Harvey has led and managed diverse initiatives addressing LGBTQ+ health, HIV, and health equity at community, local government, and country level. He brings a wealth of experience in fostering sustainable, culturally responsive solutions for marginalised communities. A former charity CEO and an experienced consultant, Harvey collaborates with organisations worldwide to develop policy frameworks, conduct research, and design inclusive health interventions that centre community needs. As a passionate advocate for justice and equity, he remains dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change.
