This year’s Manchester Pride saw the celebration’s most diverse line-up to date which, for the first time, included a Queer Asian Takeover.
The event gave LGBTQIA+ people of Asian heritage the opportunity to showcase their talent and artistry on Saturday, 26 August, which included a headline set from DJ Gok Wan, as well as performances from house collectives and individuals including the House of Spice, Val the Brown Queen, Gracie T and Club Zindagi.
Lucky Roy Singh is an Indian Sikh drag queen who is both the host and curator of the Queer Asian Takeover, as well as the Mother of the House of Spice – a group of queer performers.
“It’s the first time Manchester Pride has done a Queer Asian Takeover and it’s really imperative and really important that we’re doing it because the racism that we’re currently facing as queer people of colour, as Brown artists, as Asian artists, we don’t really get the space that we deserve,” they told GAY TIMES during Manchester Pride.
“Manchester Pride has been amazing to let me do this and I feel so, so proud of the artists and the showcases that we’ve given. So it’s going to be amazing and I’m so happy about it.”
This year’s Gay Village Party boasted Manchester Pride’s most inclusive line-up yet, with 96 per cent of performers identifying as LGBTQIA+, 54 per cent being women, 51 per cent being people of colour and 42 per cent being from trans and non-binary communities.
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As well as the Queer Asian Takeover, attendees got to enjoy entertainment from Trans Filth and Joy, Black Pride MCR and the Queer Women’s Takeover.
Lucky urged other Prides to “take heed” of what Manchester Pride tried to achieve this year in order to make them as representative of the LGBTQIA+ community as possible.
“I believe some Prides are still lacking for representation, inclusion – even diversity – and I really think that the problem is, basically, we need more queer people of colour on the boards, in staff,” they explained. “Unfortunately it’s not been the case in some Prides, we’re not having that inclusion and diversity.”
Lucky described the reaction to the Queer Asian Takeover as “absolutely amazing” and said the artists involved saw a surge in calls and bookings within 24 hours of it taking place.
“The support’s been really, really heartwarming because, as a queer person of colour, everybody is saying that it’s something they’ve not seen before,” they continued.
“South Asian artists, Asian artists, North African artists, Middle Eastern artists, [all] bring a different kind of talent on stage and it’s not seen and that’s why it was so hot, fiery and spicy yesterday because no one’s seen stuff like that.
“People want it, there’s a space for it, there’s a market for it, we just need to be given the platform – and that’s what we achieved yesterday.
“We did history proud yesterday and I’m so thankful for the opportunity, honestly.”
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