LGBT+ activists and community groups in London organise alternative Pride event on the evening of Pride in London (July 6), to raise cash for LGBT+ people seeking asylum.
LGBT+ homeless and migrant organisations say that they feel excluded from Pride over the cost of being involved.
Across London there are parties which each year increasingly co-opt queer history for financial gain, while excluding the most oppressed members of the LGBT+ communities due to their lack of accessibility.
Taking inspiration from the group that inspired the film Pride, Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, and their famous Pits and Perverts party in 1984, queer activist group Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants (LGSMigrants) are throwing another edition of their hugely popular party Planes and Perverts on the same day as Pride in London on July 6, and organisers say it’s set to be the most-fabulous yet.
Planes and Perverts will both create an accessible space for community groups while raising loads of cash for grassroots organisations that support queer people seeking asylum.
When people arrive in the UK seeking asylum, they are often sent to disparate areas of the country, with little to no support network available.
This edition of Planes and Perverts will gather together as many of these people as possible for both Pride in London and UK Black Pride, to celebrate the strength and diversity within the LGBT+ communities.
Funds raised at Planes and Perverts will cover the travel, accommodation and other expenses for people seeking asylum to attend Pride – any excess money will also go to the African Rainbow Family and Micro Rainbow to help them continue the important work they do.
To make this party happen LGSMigrants are collaborating with African Rainbow Family, Micro Rainbow, Outside Project, The People’s Filmclub, Queefy Cabaret (Rhys’s Pieces) and Riposte.
The party will be on Saturday, July 6 from 8pm-4am at The Garage in Islington. There will be workshops, stalls, film screenings, live music, spoken word, performances and some of Londons best drag and DJs across two separate rooms.
There will be sober spaces in both areas. This party will be a safe, political and meaningful space to celebrate the diversity in our communities and what Pride really means to us – freedom, equality, justice and will be hosted by Liv Wynter, a party not to be missed!
Getting tickets in advance is highly recommended. For the full line-up of artists appearing keep your eyes on LGSMigrants social media channels during June.
Sam Bjorn member of LGSMigrants said: “With this party, we want to capture the spirit that the original LGSM cultivated in ‘84 and create an alternative queer space that centres people most affected by a Tory government and right-wing press. This solidarity between the LGBTIQ+ community and other oppressed demographics endures, 35 years after the original LGSM event, and we want to play a part in making sure it continues to endure for years to come. Many LGBTIQ+ people have become disengaged with Pride due to its lack of political meaning and focus on corporations whilst pushing community groups to the back. Planes and Perverts is an alternative Pride event that aims to challenge this.”
Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants are a group of queer activists, that through fundraising, solidarity and direct action, stand in solidarity with all migrants.
Event: Planes and Perverts: Pride and Protest
Where: The Garage, 20-22 Highbury Corner, London N5 1RD
When: Saturday. July 6 2019,
Time: 8pm-4am
Cost: Unwaged £5 (£1.25 fees) – Standard £12.50 (£2 fees) – Solidarity £18.00 (£2.50 fees)
To book online at Outsavvy, click here:
To book online at Ticketweb, click here:
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