Sitcom star announced as equality charity’s first patron

Saturday 01 July 2017

Rebecca Root, the star of BBC Two sitcom ‘Boy Meets Girl’ has agreed to become the first ever patron of the Jersey branch of Liberate, the Channel Islands’ equality and diversity charity.

Rebecca was invited to host the inaugural Channel Islands Equality and Diversity Awards, a dinner which celebrates organisations and individuals working to promote equality, diversity and inclusion, as part of Channel Islands Pride week in 2016.

Since hosting last year’s awards, Rebecca has continued to follow the work of Liberate and, according to the charity, ‘she had no hesitation in agreeing to support the charity’s work by becoming their first patron’.

Commenting on the charity’s work, Rebecca said: “The work that Liberate does to educate and inform about the importance of accepting one another for who we are, whatever our identity, could not be more relevant for the times we live in.

“We can only perform at our best at school or college, at work or play, if we feel comfortable being ourselves and accepted as such. I am very happy to be able to support Liberate’s mission by becoming their first patron.”

Rebecca is best known for her ground-breaking role in the sitcom ‘Boy Meets Girl’ which aired on BBC Two after winning a competition to find a script which promoted a positive portrayal of transgender characters. The project, a collaboration between the BBC and Trans Comedy, aimed to examine ways to change the representation and portrayal of transgender people in the media.

When asked about the charity’s new patron, Vic Tanner Davy, CEO of Liberate Jersey, said: “We are hugely honoured that Rebecca has agreed to become Liberate Jersey’s first patron. Patrons are very important to charities as they lend their name and their support in order to raise the profile of the charity.

“For a small charity like Liberate to enjoy the patronage of someone like Rebecca is a great boost for us. Rebecca’s own work to progress equality for transgender people makes her a perfect fit for Liberate and we are looking forward to working with her.”