Paris Lees

Paris Lees is an English author, journalist, presenter and campaigner. She topped The Independent on Sundays 2013 Pink List, came second in the 2014 Rainbow List, and was awarded the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT in the 2012 National Diversity Awards. Her first book, What It Feels Like For a Girl, was published by Penguin in 2021 and adapted into a television series in 2025.

Early life and education Lees was born and grew up in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. Her father, Daren Lees, Her parents separated when she was a baby.

Career

Journalism and presenting Lees moved to London to pursue a career in journalism after graduating from university.

Activism Lees, working with Trans Media Watch, challenged Channel 4 to remove transphobic material from their broadcasts,

In 2013, Lees topped The Independent on Sunday s Pink List, naming her as the most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender figure in the UK; she was a judge for that award in 2011 and 2012.

Lees also expressed objections to "#fuckcispeople", a controversial trending hashtag on the social networking site Twitter referring to cisgender people, which she thought was counterproductive: "It is much better to engage in a positive dialogue than through angry abuse".

On 11 August 2014, Lees was supposed to be on air with BBC Newsnight recording to talk about the impact of Kellie Maloney coming out as a trans woman. However, Lees refused to be a part of the show as she tweeted that "I've turned down BBC Newsnight as I'm not prepared to enter into a fabricated debate about trans people's right to exist/express themselves".

In November 2014, Lees appeared in Hollyoaks, playing herself, and a friend of the transgender character Blessing Chambers (played by Modupe Adeyeye).

In May 2016 Lees, alongside Brooke Magnanti, was called to give evidence about conditions for sex workers in the UK to the Home Affairs Select Committee investigating prostitution laws in Britain. The resulting recommendations by the committee headed by Keith Vaz, released in July 2016, implemented Lees and Magnanti's suggestions to eliminate criminal records of those arrested for prostitution-related crimes. Sex worker non-profits called the apparent U-turn decision "a stunning victory for sex workers and our demands for decriminalisation" and "a giant step forward for sex workers' rights in the UK".

In June 2020, Lees invited J. K. Rowling to lunch, after the COVID lockdown was over, to introduce her to some young trans people, following the author's comments about transgender people.

Other work In 2019, Lees became a brand ambassador for haircare brand Pantene.

Personal life Lees is a bisexual trans woman and a feminist.

After her release from prison and being turned down for a part-time job answering phones, Lees described having an epiphany: "When I realised I would like to change society, not myself, all these good things have come into my life". She later became a columnist with British Vogue in November 2018.

She was also the first openly trans presenter on BBC Radio 1 and Channel 4.