A psychotherapist is to discuss the importance of public support for gay people in the run-up to Bermuda’s first Pride event.

Joanne Darrell Herbert said that an alliance between straight and gay people created a sense of “psychological safety” for the minority group.

Ms Darrell Herbert, who started a Gay Straight Alliance in a Canadian high school in 2008, said: “My PechaKucha presentation will highlight how I started the Gay Straight Alliance and how the psychological safety created for queer students impacted the community. I will speak on how those same principles can be applied to any organisation.

“I’m looking forward to connecting with more Bermudian practitioners about what they feel could be helpful for the on island community, including our LGBTQ members.”

She will be part of the line-up at a PechaKucha night special Bermuda Pride Edition on Thursday. Ms Darrell Herbert, who was born and brought up in Bermuda, runs a private practice in Toronto, Canada, and can offer also online counselling sessions. She said that her family, including her actor husband Daren Herbert and their child, would join her at the Pride parade on August 31.

She added: “Anyone who knows me knows that I am very active in the queer community.

“As a biracial, bicultural, bisexual Bermudian married to a straight man, I have had experiences of heterosexual privilege, which essentially means that I can move in the world without the impact of negative consequences that others in the LGBTQ community face. Pride is an opportunity to celebrate and create a sense of belonging.”

Ms Darrell Herbert said: “Psychological safety means a person is safe to express themselves without the fear of negative consequences. This should be every person, everywhere.”

Ms Darrell Herbert has a master’s degree in counselling psychology from the University of British Columbia, as well as bachelor’s degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph, Ontario.

• PechaKucha Night, the Bermuda Pride Edition will be held at the Blue Waters Anglers Club on East Broadway, Hamilton on August 29 from 7pm. The event is free and guests should bring cash and reusable cups