Elliot Willis He/him

Elliot Willis was born in Milton Keynes in 1976. In this interview he reflects on his pivotal role in founding and developing Youth Line, an LGBTQ+ youth organisation in Milton Keynes.  Elliot became involved with the LGBTQ+ community during his school years through a supportive teacher and youth worker, Debbie Morgan. Starting from informal grassroots meetings, Youth Line grew into a fully fledged, youth-led organisation with its own building, wide-ranging support services and international engagement through conferences like IGLYO. Elliot describes the sense of empowerment and community the organisation fostered, especially in an era of limited visibility and high homophobia. He recounts impactful projects, such as an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in 1999, and the eventual merger with Switchboard to form Q:Alliance, which he initially resisted but later saw as necessary for survival. Throughout, Elliot emphasises the pride he feels in what was achieved—transforming informal gatherings into a structured, influential support network for LGBTQ+ youth.