Ep 90: Bel Priestley

Reign with Josh Smith

I am SO excited for season two of Netflix’s ‘Heartstopper’ and I know you are too! So I am thrilled that we are joined by the latest addition to the cast, Bel Priestley, for the final special episode of this series which has been celebrating all things Pride!

You may have already seen Bel before all over TikTok as she has emerged as one of the UK’s leading young transgender voices. From sharing her transition journey to shutting down trolls, Bel’s honesty has garnered her an epic 1.2 million followers and 84.9 million likes!

Today Bel tells me about her transition journey that began at 13 years old, and now at 20, she looks back at the lessons she’s learnt along the way and shares stories of the eye opening prejudice she has faced.

At a time when trans people are facing hate in record numbers, and governments across the world are trying to undo their rights - including right here in the UK - it's more important than ever to listen, learn and celebrate our trans community. So, I hope Bel’s story inspires you to be a true trans ally. Because now is the time for true allyship.

If Bel’s story resonates with you or inspires you, please get in touch across socials on @joshsmithhosts because I love chatting to you and come back next week for the next episode in our special pride series! Love, Josh xx

P.S. I am beside myself excited that this episode, which is celebrating Pride month, is brought to you in partnership with The GelBottle, who just like Reign, are all about inclusivity and individuality, helping people express themselves and be who they really are - right down to their nail colours!

The GelBottle not only have created over 500 colours, but are famous for their game changing BIAB technology, which leaves your nails looking stunning, whilst increasing your nail growth too! Their at-home formula for sister brand, Peacci, also gives your nails that salon quality feel.

AND here’s the exciting bit: they’ve given me my very own edit, called the REIGNBOW edit which has a Peacci colour to represent every single stripe of the pride flag - from the banana yellow, Clueless to the summer green of dreams, Serena because no matter how you identify, everyone is welcome inside the REIGN-bow! Check out the collection here: www.thegelbottle.com

Plus 25% of the proceeds from now until the end of August from the Peacci REIGNBOW Edit and the 90’s baby collection will go to Switchboard, a charity that has been listening to and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community since 1975! So go forth and express yourselves however you want and support our LGBTQIA+ community. X

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