Savitri "Savi" Hensman is an activist and writer based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. She was one of the founders of London's Black Lesbian and Gay Centre.

Early life and education

Hensman was born in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

but moved to the

at the age of two, growing up in Hackney. She studied

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials in ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

, graduating in 1982. However, was later unable to find any work in

, so instead, joined a lab as a research assistant.

Research and career

Hensman helped to launch the London's Black Lesbian and Gay Centre in 1985. At the time, the centre was supported by the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

and housed in an annex of Tottenham Town Hall. In the late 1980s, Hensman joined the Haringey Council's Lesbian and Gay Sub-Committee and was involved with the campaign against

Section 28 Section 28 or Clause 28While going through Parliament, the amendment was constantly relabelled with a variety of clause numbers as other amendments were added to or deleted from the Bill, but by the final version of the Bill, which received ...

. As well as this, Hensman was involved in the Positive Images group and

Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of t ...

Black Action (late 1890s). Hensman worked for many years and is currently an involvement coordinator in health research. As a member of the

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym f ...

, Hensman campaigns for a more inclusive community, writing on the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in religious communities. In October 2018, she wrote an LGBT briefing paper that was presented to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Hensman is a regular contributor to Ekklesia, who published her first book in 2015. She has also written for

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

, as well as writing poetry. In 2016, Hensman joined King's College London as the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Coordinator for the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care, South London (CLAHRC). She worked with researchers, service users, carers and communities in order to accumulate research that reflected the views and priorities of local people. In 2019, Hensman was featured in the

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

(UCL) Queer Tapestry, a project which celebrated the history of UCL's LGBTQ+ community. The tapestry was created by Robert (Bob) Mills, a professor of

history of art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetic vis ...

who leads the LGBTQ+ network.

Books

* Hensman, Savitri and Moriarty, Sarah (1979) ''Flood at the door'' *

Articles

* Hensman, Savitri (15 July 2019) ''Marriage: a leap for methodists, a shuffle for the Church of England'' * Hensman, Savitri (14 September 2015) ''Remembering Ken Leech'' * Hensman, Savitri (1 July 2015) ''Varied Reactions as the Episcopal Church permits same-sex couples to marry'' * Hensman, Savitri (4 April 2015)''Jesus and the tomb-dweller: Lifting Death's shadow'' * Hensman, Savitri (2 March 2015) ''Did God make snails? Diversity in creation'' * Hensman, Savitri (25 January 2015) ''Bishops and church collegiality in a postmodern setting'' * Hensman, Savitri (20 December 2014) ''How do we negotiate the global church sexuality conflict?'' * Hensman, Savitri (3 November 2014) ''The 'Baby P' case and confession: tackling child protection failings'' * Hensman, Savitri (22 October 2014) ''Alter Synod, the Catholic Debate on sexuality continues'' * Hensman, Savitri (2 September 2014) ''Same-sex love, self-denial and the cross'' * Hensman, Savitri (8 July 2014) ''Church, worldly values, the 'common good' and war'' * Hensman, Savitri (17 April 2014) ''The Washing of feet: a call to love and a challenge to gender and privilege'' * Hensman, Savitri (17 February 2014) ''Love, grace and the Bishops' pastoral guidance'' * Hensman, Savitri (11 December 2013) ''Sexuality, harm and the language of love'' * Hensman, Savitri (17 June 2013) ''Worship, song and its impact on Christian Imagination'' * Hensman, Savitri (3 June 2013) ''Parliament's equal marriage debates reveal churches divided'' * Hensman, Savitri (13 May 2013) ''Caribbean Anglican leaders: homophobia, debating sexuality, upholding human rights'' * Hensman, Savitri (9 April 2013) ''From Thatcher to Cameron: a cruel legacy'' * Hensman, Savitri (29 March 2013) ''Buying Enmity: the language of the cross'' * Hensman, Savitri (23 March 2013) ''Sacrifice or change? The NHS and health after Mid Staffs'' * Hensman, Savitri (5 February 2013) ''Marriage, Union or Contract? The flawed ResPublica case against equality'' * Hensman, Savitri (19 January 2013) ''Sri Lanka: farewell to the rule of law?'' * Hensman, Savitri (24 December 2012) ''The Pope, 'the Family' and Christmas'' * Hensman, Savitri (13 December 2012) ''Equal marriage: churches sharing or burying good news?'' *Hensman, Savitri (27 November 2012) ''Women Bishops: How to move forward?'' *Hensman, Savitri (16 November 2012) ''Amid Sri Lanka's poor: the life and death of Michael Rodrigo'' *Hensman, Savitri (9 November 2012) ''Justin Welby: Archbishop amidst fallen idols'' *Hensman, Savitri (22 October 2012) ''Trustworthy leaders or slaughterhouse shepherds?'' *Hensman, Savitri (9 October 2012) ''Anglicans, archbishops and presidential confusions''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensman, Savitri Sri Lankan activists Alumni of University College London Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British people of Sri Lankan descent English LGBT people