It’s not every day you get to have a chat with one of the most well-known, loved, dedicated and impactful LGBTQ+ activists in the country. Marc Thompson (he/him) has been a HIV awareness & LGBTQ+ rights activist for over 3 decades. He’s also a highly sought after thought leader and specialist in health promotion & education around sexual health, an advocate for Black LGBTQ+ communities, public speaker & creative.

Marc proudly describes himself “Brixton to the bone” and he’s lived all over South London but Lambeth is very much home & always has been. Preserving and celebrating London’s queer history is another passion of Marc’s too - a Londoner & someone has been at the forefront of advocacy & campaigning for years, he has a lot of stories to share. Especially his own…

I always ask my guests to take me back to what ‘little them’ was like. Well, little Marc actually had the nickname Little Marc (due to a friend being Big Marc). Marc might have been a small kid but he was incredibly confident, outgoing & creative. He shares how this came from being surrounded by parents & family who championed, loved & protected him. We talk about his upbringing a lot in this episode including his parents’ separation which he feels was influenced by him coming out as gay. His home with his mum became a safe space for Marc to be himself as well as somewhere his friends could do the same.

At 17, just a couple of years after coming out, Marc was diagnosed with HIV. What followed was an incredibly dark period but one that found him delivering talks in small community groups. Thus the start of his illustrious career which has seen Marc work for organisations such as Terrence Higgins Trust, The Love Tank CIC & Positively UK as well as co-founding Prepster & BLKOUT.

“Activism found me” says Marc. He shares what he describes as his ‘Damascus Moment’ in 1997 whilst speaking at a rally in Washington where he remembers vividly thinking “I was infected to do what I’m doing”. He still recalls the phone call in which he shared this with his mum to which she said something to the tune of ‘Don’t be ridiculous’ but probably thought he was right.

Marc has recently taken his career in a new & different direction as the Lead Commissioner for the London HIV Prevention Programme. He admits he’ll miss the grassroots feels of his previous work though he’s excited about a different pace and a bit of peace whilst still using all of his experience, knowledge & passion acquired over the last 30+ years. Plus his passion. “I’m a fighter” he declares, “because the battle is still there”. It shines through and Marc beams when he talks about inspiring young Black men, his community & the proudest moments from campaigns to projects to his legacy. I remember seeing Marc’s bespoke artwork messaging for a TFL campaign on the tube back in 2020 “Black Men Loving Black Men is a revolutionary act”. His creativity, insight & vision is an ongoing phenomenal legacy.

‘Small but Mighty’ are the three words Marc uses to describe him and his origin story. We chat about smart activism, family, life lessons & success, what contentment feels like, Marc’s dog Beau & more. This conversation was everything & more - ENJOY!

Please note: Some of the topics we cover during this podcast are sensitive. Please take care of yourself whilst listening.