Denise Marshall (12 December 1961 – 21 August 2015) was a British

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and lesbian campaigner and charity executive involved in campaigning against and helping victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the ...

and

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

. She was born in Highbury,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and was educated at Barnsbury Girls' School. In her mid 20s, she discovered feminism and became a campaigner. In 1986, she started working for the Stonewall Housing Association, which helps to arrange housing for lesbians and gay men who have faced homophobic discrimination. In 1993, she became the manager of Women's Aid in Camden, then later in Hackney. In 2000, she became the head of Eaves for Women, a charity that supports and advocates for female victims of rape, sexual violence and sex trafficking. In 2007, she was awarded an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to disadvantaged women. To protest cuts by the Conservative—Liberal Democrat coalition government that would affect the ability of charities to help vulnerable women, she returned her OBE. In 2014, she was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in her stomach and small intestine. She died in August 2015, leaving behind her partner Lisa and her son Declan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Denise British feminists 1961 births 2015 deaths Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century English LGBT people Officers of the Order of the British Empire 21st-century English LGBT people