The Silence Ends with Us: National LGBTQ+ campaign and tour launches in response to suicide and drug related deaths

A major new national campaign and tour is being launched to tackle what campaigners say is a deepening crisis of suicide, loneliness and drug-related harm in LGBTQ+ communities across the UK.

Led by LGBTQ+ non-profit organisation You Are Loved, The Silence Ends with Us aims to drive a nationwide response by combining digital engagement, grassroots discussion and a new national support directory designed to help people find trusted services and community groups more easily.

The campaign comes amid mounting concern about the scale of harm facing LGBTQ+ people. Recent Office for National Statistics figures show LGBTQ+ people are significantly more likely to die by suicide and from drug-related causes than their heterosexual peers. Separate research by You Are Loved also found that one in three queer respondents described their current drug use as problematic, while many said they had lost someone close to a drug-related death.

The campaign will travel around the country through a national tour in partnership with SMOKE, the queer comic-thriller written by Alexis Gregory. Each event will feature a 60-minute performance followed by a live panel discussion with local LGBTQ+ organisations, campaigners and support groups examining the issues raised in the play, including addiction, loneliness and mental health.

The tour will begin with six performances in London before heading to other towns and cities including Hastings, Brighton, Norwich, Margate, Salford, Poole, Nottingham, Bristol and Hull. Panel speakers will include senior figures from LGBTQ+ organisations including Stonewall, Terrence Higgins Trust, London Friend, LGBT Foundation, Switchboard, Impulse London, We Are Survivors, The Love Tank, Controlling Chemsex, and many more.

Organisers say the campaign is designed not as a one-off awareness push, but as a coordinated effort to bring together digital platforms, cultural spaces, community organisations and support networks around one urgent issue.

At the heart of the campaign is Ask Bobby, their national LGBTQ+ community and support directory created to make it easier for people to find relevant local and national services and organisations. The platform brings together mental health support, social groups and community organisations in one place, with the long-term aim of becoming the UK’s most comprehensive LGBTQ+ community and support directory.

The directory is named in memory of dancer and television personality Robin Windsor, whose death two years ago was formally recorded as suicide by a coroner last month. The platform also includes an AI-supported tool allowing users to search for community and support options suited to their needs.

"Too many LGBTQ+ people are dealing with isolation, substance use and poor mental health, often behind closed doors."

Marc Svensson, founder of You Are Loved, says: “These are not abstract numbers. They represent people in our community who are struggling, people we love, and people we are losing. Too many LGBTQ+ people are dealing with isolation, substance use and poor mental health, often behind closed doors. This campaign is about breaking that silence and building a stronger, more visible response.”

Alexis Gregory adds: “Theatre can open conversations people often struggle to have anywhere else. We want this work to create space for honesty, challenge and connection, and to bring these issues out into the open in communities across the country.”

You Are Loved said the campaign reflects growing concern that too many LGBTQ+ people are falling through the cracks, particularly where mental health problems, drug use and social isolation overlap.

The organisation says The Silence Ends with Us campaign is intended to turn that concern into action, by connecting people to support, creating spaces for discussion and pushing these issues higher up the public agenda.