Black History Month 2026: Yasmin Benoit

Yasmin Benoit is coming to York St John University on Thursday 29 October, as part of the university's Black History Month celebrations. It's a talk rather than a performance, and it runs from 5.30pm to 7.00pm in the Creative Centre Auditorium on Lord Mayors Walk.

Benoit is a British model, writer, speaker, media consultant and researcher, and a multi-award-winning asexual activist. Cosmopolitan magazine once called her the 'unlikely face of asexuality', and since coming out in 2017 she's become one of the leading voices for the asexual community. She started the #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike movement and co-founded International Asexuality Day on 4 April, so if you've come across those names before, this is the person behind them.

Her work has been covered by Vogue, MTV, Sky News, Paper Magazine, Attitude and the BBC. She's also made a few firsts: in 2023 she was the first asexual grand marshal at NYC Pride, and in 2024 the first asexual to lead Pride in London. Last year she picked up a British LGBT Award, too. The talk is part of the university's Black History Month programme, which is running under the theme 'Honouring Our Communities'.

It's a free event, and there'll be a Q&A and drinks, so you can ask your own questions rather than just listening. It's on Thursday 29 October from 5.30pm to 7.00pm at the Creative Centre Auditorium, York St John University, Lord Mayors Walk, York YO31 7EX.