Patrick Strudwick
Patrick Strudwick (born 1977) is a British journalist, columnist, broadcaster and activist.
Early life
Strudwick is originally from Guildford, Surrey and was educated at Trinity College of Music and the University of Manchester.
Journalism career
Strudwick writes for a variety of newspapers and magazines, including The Observer, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Gay Times and Attitude. He is best known for writing about gay issues, health and music, and for interviewing celebrities.
From 2002–2008 he was a senior contributing editor and columnist at Attitude, before moving to Gay Times as a contributing editor and political columnist. Patrick is currently the LGBT editor for the news website Buzzfeed.
In February 2010, Strudwick published "The Ex-Gay Files: The Bizarre World of Gay-to-Straight Conversion" in The Independent, chronicling a year of undercover investigation of conversion therapy: therapists – some operating within the British National Health Service – claiming to be able to "convert" gays and lesbians to heterosexuality . Following the publication of the article and the outrage it provoked around the world, Strudwick started the Stop Conversion Therapy Taskforce (SCOTT). SCOTT aims to eradicate the attempts by therapists, psychiatrists and religious groups to "cure" gay people.
Following Strudwick's investigation the British Medical Association passed a motion condemning attempts by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to change a patient's sexual orientation, and calling on the National Health Service to investigate instances where they may have inadvertently paid for such "treatment".
On August 4, 2018, Strudwick published "This Is What It's Like When Your Son Dies From The Chemsex Drug GHB" on Buzzfeed which brought media attention to the drug (Gamma-hydroxybutyrate), which has been affiliated with chemsex. The story focuses on the experience of the Blood family, who lost their son to an overdose of the GHB drug. Publishing the story provided a conversation surrounding the deaths that have been caused by a drug, which has gained a negative reputation within rape-culture, especially for gay-men.
Strudwick published another story in the same year on Buzzfeed in April, which was aimed at the growing media attention on "Landlords Are Offering Young Men Free Rooms In Return For Sex And Facebook Is Letting It Happen". Strudwick uncovered the truths in the multi-part investigation, which allowed the victims to speak out about their experience with the landlords that raped, beat, drugged, and used them as domestic slaves. Since the publication, Strudwick has gained attention from Facebook, which has later removed the page from its website that allowed the advertisement of 'sex for rent'.
He was named 11th most influential gay person in Britain by the Independent on Sunday's annual Rainbow List in 2014.
Broadcasting
Strudwick is a regular on live discussion programmes for television and radio. He has appeared on BBC News, Sky News, ITN, Radio 4's The Moral Maze, Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show, Radio 5's Stephen Nolan show, Richard and Judy and RTÉ Radio 1.
Awards
- Journalist of the Year at the Stonewall Awards 2010
- Highly Commended, Journalist of the Year, at the Mind Awards 2010
- Winner of the Best National Newspaper Feature at the Guild of Health Writers Awards 2010
- British winner of the EU Journalist Award 2010
Interviews
His interviews with celebrities include Björk, Grace Jones, Jennifer Lopez, k.d. lang, Alan Cumming, Graham Norton, Julian Clary, Simon Cowell, Anne Robinson, Girls Aloud, Aura Urziceanu, Lily Allen, Henry Badenhorst, Alan Duncan, Alicia Keys, Jerry Hall, Jordan, Bat for Lashes, Marianne Faithfull, Boy George, Estelle, Preston and Duffy.
References
1. The Observer (28 June 2009) ( 2. The Guardian (20 October 2009) 3. The Guardian (8 October 2009) 4. The Times (4 November 2009) 5. The Times (2 June 2009) 6. The Times (8 June 2009) 7. The Guardian (2 November 2009) 8. The Guardian (21 October 2009) 9. Buzzfeed (4 August 2018) 10. Buzzfeed (18 April 2018)