Under the Sisterhood

Raga D'Silva Coming Out for Change

Elizabeth Elfenbein

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Today we’re marching for change with Raga D’silva a mother, daughter, sister, women’s advocate and an award-winning public speaker, author, and activist whose work sits at the intersection of leadership, storytelling, and LGBTQ+ justice. With a career spanning senior leadership roles across India, New Zealand, and global markets, she brings together international business acumen and lived experience to challenge systems, shift narratives, and centre voices too often pushed to the margins.

She is the co-creator and host of Older Queer Voices, a critically recognised podcast and platform dedicated to amplifying the stories, histories, and wisdom of older LGBTQ+ people. At a time when ageing queer lives are frequently rendered invisible or forced back into silence; Raga’s work confronts ageism head-on, addressing issues of dignity, belonging, housing, health, care, and the profound cost of erasure. Older Queer Voices has become a vital space for intergenerational and intersectional dialogue, community building, and cultural preservation within the LGBTQ+ movement.

As co-founder of OUTspoken Speakers Network CIC, the UK’s only queer-led speakers’ agency, Raga builds equitable platforms for underrepresented voices; particularly queer women, non-binary people, and allies; reinvesting income back into the community and reshaping who is seen, heard, and paid on public stages. Her work with organisations spans inclusive leadership, authenticity at work, public speaking, personal brand, and creating cultures where difference is not merely tolerated but valued.

A proud lesbian of Indian origin, Raga speaks with candour and courage about coming out later in life, navigating identity across cultures, and her outspoken advocacy for marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights globally. Her storytelling is both personal and political, grounded in truth, nuance, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Raga is the author of Untold Lies and a sought-after host and moderator, known for creating brave, intelligent conversations that move beyond performative inclusion. She has been featured on BBC World, Sky News, ITV, Channel 4, NDTV, and India Today, and has been repeatedly named among the Top 100 Trailblazing LGBT+ Women for her leadership and impact.

With a presence that is warm, authoritative, and unapologetically honest, Raga D’silva inspires audiences from global executives to grassroots communities to lead with integrity, speak with purpose, and recognise that visibility is not a privilege, but a responsibility.


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