Sabah Choudrey explains what Trans*Pride means to him.
“Once upon a time, long beforeĀ Trans* Pride existed, I didnāt feelĀ proud. I didnāt feel proud to be in theĀ LGBT community. I didnāt feel proudĀ to be trans*, nor did I feel proud toĀ be a person of colour. I wasĀ disappointed; it felt like we hadĀ already reached where we wanted toĀ be, throwing a giant party in the city,Ā and given up the fight, ignoring theĀ ongoing issues the rest of the LGBTĀ community around the world areĀ facing.
“When a few friends of friends arrangedĀ a meeting at a cafĆ©, I had no idea itĀ would lead to what Trans* PrideĀ Brighton is today. We talked about ourĀ invisibility and exclusion, how theĀ trans* community is only ever thoughtĀ of as the last letter in LGBT, how weāreĀ grouped in with sexual orientation andĀ stereotyped with binary gender roles.
“āTrans*ā is an umbrella term in itself,Ā but weāre never given the space to popĀ the umbrella open. The more we spoke,Ā the more passionate we felt, and withĀ each word that came out, there was noĀ going back; we were going to have ourĀ Trans* Pride.
“It led to conversation afterĀ conversation ā why has this neverĀ happened before? Why are we forcedĀ to continue hiding? Why has PrideĀ stopped being a protest? Because itĀ still is for many, weāre still fighting forĀ our rights to be trans*, proud andĀ happy, and to live visibly and safely.
“Our aim is clear, and we will continueĀ to strive for true inclusivity, in sexualĀ and gender diversity and across allĀ people of colour, of all backgroundsĀ and abilities. We are putting the TĀ first.”
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