Trans Pride Birmingham is a group in the city “run by trans and non-binary people for trans and non-binary people”.
After holding a successful Trans Pride community picnic event in Cathedral Square, which was attended by over 150 people from across the West Midlands, the group is now designing a new Trans Pride event specifically for the trans community in Birmingham.
“We want to move away from the alcohol-based, commercial nature of Birmingham Pride to create more of a family-friendly event,” explains Mx Adam Khan, one of the founders of the group, speaking to BirminghamLive.
“A lot of members of our community are also neurodiverse which means that loud environments are not good spaces for them.
“Of course, there are trans people who drink, but we want to ensure that the parts of our community who don’t drink or like partying can also feel comfortable.
“The reception at the community picnic was very positive, we had over 150 people turn up. Everyone was happy and we attracted a diverse array of people of different ages, ethnicities and gender identities. We also had positive engagement from the public, many of whom told us they were glad to see events like this happening in the city.”
Birmingham Pride itself attracts tens of thousands of people to the city each year and, although the event is inclusive of all identities across the LGBTQ+ community, there is currently no event dedicated to the trans community in the city. Trans Pride Birmingham, therefore, aims to create a safe space for members of the community who may feel excluded from the mainstream events.
Mx Adam Khan explains: “The primary need for a separate Trans Pride event lies in the fact that trans and non-binary people face vastly different challenges in society compared to people with different sexualities. There are a lot more obstacles to being accepted in society if you’re trans.
“For instance, there’s a lengthy legal and medical process if you want to legally change your gender, whereas if you were to come out as gay or bi, there isn’t as much legal opposition. There are also a lot of unique challenges the trans community face which we want to address in our own Pride – for example, the rise in hate crime and conversion therapy.
“We need to specifically target these challenges to overcome them, and the people in the best place to do that are the trans community themselves.
“While there are no direct affiliations, we have been approached by Birmingham Pride to help them become more of a safe space for the trans community. But ultimately we are an independent group who want to see activism that isn’t based on partying.”
There is no confirmed date as of yet; however planning is underway to organise an official Trans Pride Parade in the city in the near future. To keep up to date with everything from Trans Pride Birmingham, follow them on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.