UPDATED: New Zealander Tabby Besley has received an award from the Queen, met the UK Prime Minister and rubbed shoulders with David Beckham in a whirlwind day in London. At 10 Downing St. Picture: Tabby Besley. The 23-year-old Wellingtonian was flown to London for the inaugural Queen’s Young Leaders Awards, to recognise her work to ensure that queer and gender diverse young people feel supported at school. She says it has been an "incredible, surreal day". Known for her brightly coloured hair, Besley sported a royal purple for the occasion. Her day began with a breakfast meeting with David Cameron at 10 Downing Street, followed by a visit to the UK headquarters of Twitter and a meeting with Senior Executives at the BBC World Service. Besley with other Queen's Young Leaders The day ended in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace where members of The Royal Family and a host of high profile individuals recognised exceptional young people who are making lasting change in their communities and across the Commonwealth. As part of the ceremony, legendary footballer David Beckham to guests about the future of the Commonwealth and the importance of good leadership. “I was fortunate to work with some incredible captains and managers throughout my career each bringing their own qualities to leading a team,” Beckham said. “As a captain myself there was no prouder moment for me then when I led my country into a major tournament. I'm honoured to be here today to celebrate your achievement, with people like you I have no doubt the world will be a better place.” Donnya Piggott, 24, from Barbados is the other lgbti rights champion being honoured by the Queen Donnya Piggott, 24, from Barbados is the other lgbti rights champion being honoured by the Queen. Homosexuality remains illegal in Barbados. After Besley posted the above picture on Twitter, the pair faced some homophobic comments. It’s promoted Besley to thank all those who have sent lovely messages. “Means a lot to know so many people support and believe in what I am doing - especially after coming back from everything tonight to see some homophobia in response to my award on social media. “It's sad but just absolutely reinforces the need for the work myself and so many others are doing in this community, and also the need for queer activism to be acknowledged and talked about publicly a lot more.” Following the ceremony, The Queen’s Young Leaders Award winners will spend four days in the UK to take part in a residential development programme. See a video of the ceremony below
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 23rd June 2015 - 11:22am