Half an Hour with Paul Martin

It was only originally planned to be a ten minute interview and, if I was interviewing for the average broadcast radio station, then there would have had to be an awful lot of him left on the cutting room floor. When the subject is the Chief Executive of one of the country's leading LGB charities though, and when he's as articulate as Paul Martin, then nothing less than the full half hour will do!

I've known Paul Martin for some time now, since we have often found ourselves sharing a stage to say our respective bits about LGBT rights. Last year I also recorded a fantastic contribution of his at a symposium we had helped to develop on LGBT public health policy, for the North West Regional Assembly.

See here for that speech.

Paul is like one of those Duracell bunnies in the TV ads. Once you set him going he just goes and goes. On the one hand this makes life easy as an interviewer; you just start him going and hang on for the ride!

Mind you, it's also difficult to get a word in too. Fortunately, however, we've worked so much together that I think Paul instinctively knew the kinds of questions I would have, and he obligingly took me there with very little input required.

In the the wide-ranging interview which Paul recorded for the Podcast he talks about the background to the Lesbian and Gay Foundation; the reasons why places like Manchester have become centres of LGB culture; the surprising ordinariness of many lesbian and gay people's lives; working for a better society - and working with each other. Oh .. and he also has a word of advice for the only Gay in the village.

For more about the LGF see http://www.lgf.org.uk/ and to listen to or download the Podcast just follow this link.