Long before anyone in his family had a personal connection to the LGBTQI community, Simon Ruddick, who supports the Antonia and Andrea Belcher Trans Fund, was already a vocal supporter of LGBTQI rights. ‘I’ve always been a big supporter,’ he says. When his daughter came out as trans, she had already grown up watching him support the community. ‘I hope at least that made it a little easier for her to know that I was someone who supported LGBTQI rights,’ Simon reflects.
With her blessing, he shared the news with his colleagues at work. The response was overwhelming – messages of love and support flooded in. His daughter printed every single one and kept them in what she calls her Treasure Box. ‘Is that how you would want your daughter to feel?’ Simon asks.
‘Money is important, money is incredibly important, but visibility and support can matter even more. That’s when the real magic happens.’
But for Simon, the treasure box moment revealed something larger about why visible support matters. ‘I do think the more key point about allyship is you never know. There might be colleagues, someone in your family, who’s struggling. If you’re a supporter, you might be making it easier for someone very important in your life or very close to you.’
That principle shapes how Simon shows up everywhere. At events, in front of colleagues and contacts from around the world, he’s openly supportive. ‘I’m very proud of my daughter and I tell everyone. I couldn’t be more proud of her.’ It’s not always comfortable, but Simon sees it as essential. ‘Money is important, money is incredibly important, but visibility and support can matter even more. That’s when the real magic happens.’
‘Transgender is a complicated issue unless you’re a parent,’ Simon says. ‘Then it is very simple.’ That clarity has driven his approach to philanthropy. In May 2024, Simon organised and hosted the Sister Act Charity Gala in support of the Kind Queer Heart Initiative, buying all 2,000 tickets for the show. While planning the event six months prior, he was introduced to Antonia Belcher OBE, founder of the Antonia and Andrea Belcher Trans Fund. Simon wanted to gift some of the tickets to transgender charities so he asked Antonia to help distribute them – either for charities to sell as a fundraising opportunity, or to give to their supporters and staff. ‘I wanted people from the LGBTQI community to feel the love in the room,’ he explains.
‘Transgender is a complicated issue unless you’re a parent. Then it is very simple.‘
What struck Simon about working with Antonia was her effectiveness. ‘I do not use the term lightly, but she is a complete Super Hero,’ Simon says, ‘and her Super Power is “Getting Things Done”. Her ability to get things done is off the charts. It’s extraordinary. I’m not sure I see anyone as effective at getting things done, not just in the charity world but in the business world.’
That effectiveness matters because the work is urgent. Through supporting the Antonia and Andrea Belcher Trans Fund, Simon gained a sobering perspective on how the landscape has shifted. ‘The UK has gone from being the light at the end of the tunnel to leading the race to the bottom of the mineshaft,’ he says. But the headwinds aren’t confined to Britain – they’re international. ‘It’s the classic scenario for calling in a Super Hero.’
This is where Simon sees GiveOut’s work as transformational. ‘I am a Super Fan of GiveOut,’ he says without hesitation. He’s supported GiveOut’s LGBTQI Solidarity Fund, and the power of matched funding resonates deeply with him. ‘Finding funds for LGBTQI causes is so tragically difficult,’ he says. The ability to see donations doubled means impact can multiply at precisely the moment communities need it most.
‘Where politicians fear to tread, philanthropists have to rush in.‘
Simon’s philosophy is straightforward: ‘Where politicians fear to tread, philanthropists have to rush in.’ Politicians wait for initiatives to demonstrate popular support. Donors can’t afford that luxury. ‘Personally, I have absolutely no fear of failure with regard to our efforts,’ Simon says. ‘My only fear is not trying.’
That conviction extends to his advice for potential funders, particularly in corporate contexts. Many business leaders are ‘terrified of intersectionality issues’ around supporting trans causes. Simon recommends asking your women’s groups if they’re comfortable with the firm supporting transgender-specific causes. ‘These flames have mostly been fuelled by those against both women and transgender causes,’ he points out. ‘Talking, sharing, and listening doesn’t just fund the solution; it is the solution.’
Simon sees supporting trans communities as both urgent and strategic. ‘The transgender community is tiny and disproportionately oppressed because it has found itself to be the political football of choice for the dark forces that relish polarisation,’ he says. Supporting trans rights delivers maximum impact precisely because the community faces such outsized opposition. Through the LGBTQI Solidarity Fund, ‘you get the biggest impact bang-for-your-buck; or two bucks when GiveOut is weaving its fundraising magic.’
Simon’s message ultimately echoes the famous Niemöller quote: ‘They came for the Socialists but I said nothing because I am not a Socialist.’ For him, supporting trans rights isn’t separate from other struggles – it’s connected to all of them. When one community is targeted, everyone’s rights are at risk.
‘My only fear is not trying.‘
What drives Simon isn’t complexity or political calculation. It’s the simple recognition that trans people deserve support, safety, and the chance to live their best lives. His daughter is living her best life, surrounded by people who have been ‘100% supportive’. But Simon knows that’s not universal. Creating that world more broadly requires action, not just sympathy.
Through GiveOut, Simon sees his support amplified and directed where it’s needed most, to grassroots organisations working in difficult contexts across the globe. But more than the mechanics of giving, he sees philanthropy as solidarity that creates space for others to lead. And he sees visible allyship as something that can change individual lives in ways you might never know. ‘You might just be making someone very important to you, very close to you, feel slightly better,’ Simon says. For him, that possibility makes the choice to show up simple.
To support trans organisations around the world today, donate to the Antonia and Andrea Belcher Trans Fund here.