An artist and activist unafraid of working across disciplines, Yas Necati's work focuses on queer and trans rights, feminism, mental health and community building. 

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Their performances combine poetry and drag to ask questions about gender, immigration, belonging and what it means to know home. They are part of poetry collective London Queer Writers and founder of a London-based writing group for people of colour.

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Yas writes a monthly column about gender for gal-dem, "Against the binary." From 2017-2019, Yas was a journalist at The Independent, where they focused on LGBTQ+ issues. Before that, they were managing editor for global activist organisations SPARK and Powered By Girl, which supported young women and non binary people into activism through writing and online campaigning. In 2015, Yas contributed to Virago's "I call myself a feminist" and in 2018 they co-authored the children's book "What is consent? Why is it important? And other big questions".

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Starting out as a teenage campaigner, in 2013 Yas successfully petitioned then Education Secretary Michael Gove to update the guidelines for the UK's Sex and Relationships Education curriculum. They co-founded Campaign4Consent, were part of the core team on the No More Page 3 campaign and supported Laura Bates to launch #PassItOn, a project to get young people talking about healthy relationships. In 2014, alongside Pavan Amara, they co-founded My Body Back, a project supporting sexual and domestic abuse survivors to reclaim their bodies after abuse.

 

Yas was a graduate of Campaign Bootcamp 3, and also worked on Campaign Bootcamp 5. In 2013, they were chosen as the UK's "best hope for the future" in the Guardian Women's Awards*, In 2014, they were awarded as one of the BBC's 100 women* and in 2015,  before working at The Independent, Yas was featured on their annual Rainbow List as "one to watch". 

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In the last few years, they have moved away from campaigning and worked as a domestic and sexual abuse support worker. Yas currently runs workshops on activism, self care and drag and is writing their first novel, about chosen family. You can see more of their work on this website.

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*Yas identifies as trans non binary. At the time of receiving anything related to "women", they hadn't come out as non binary yet

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