Hosted by Author Stella Duffy in the magnificent art-deco Ballroom of The Dorchester, over 500 people came together for an evening of fine dining, a live auction conducted by Christopher Biggins, and an after-party hosted by Boy George.
Highlights of the night included Dr Christian Jessen's moving keynote speech in which he spoke about a school friend who had taken his own life after being homophobically bullied. 'It's a shocking fact that over half of lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils experience homophobic bullying,' he said, 'and I think it's embarrassing and shameful that in 2013 there are still young people, like my friend Paul, who struggle to understand why what they are seems to matter so much more than who they are.'
The live auction raised £101,000 with items including a VIP trip to Vegas to see Sir Elton John's Millon Dollar Piano show, dinner with national treasure Clare Balding and partner Alice Arnold, and afternoon tea with Tony Blair among the lots.
Stonewall Deputy Chief Executive Laura Doughty said: 'Homophobia remains a huge problem in Britain's schools, and in 80 countries worldwide it's illegal to be gay. These are just two of the challenges we're dealing with every single day. We know we face a huge challenge in making homophobia thing of the past, and we're enormously grateful to everyone who made this evening such a huge success.'
We're incredibly grateful to all the generous individuals and organisations who supported the evening, together with our sponsor Aviva, and champagne reception supporter Herbert Smith Freehills.
You can hear extracts from Dr Christian Jessen's keynote speech below:
You can hear Ben Summerskill's speech at the Dinner here:
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