Picture of Ian Carberry. Taken by Ian Carberry.
A Salford man who launched a Pride event from his back garden has taken the celebration into his local community after resounding success.
Ian Carberry, a resident of Salford for 16 years, got the idea to launch a Weaste Pride event after his annual BBQ saw 50 people turn up to celebrate.
The event, which will take place at Weaste and Seedley social club on the 12th of July, has been organised to accommodate growing numbers of people wanting to celebrate Pride from the local community.
Ian, 37, said: “It’s gone from being a barbecue to now having drag queen acts, singers, DJs and we have got some amazing prizes to raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust, from signed footballs to meals out, the amount of businesses that have come forward to support us has been amazing.”
A recent addition to their donated prizes has been a signed Manchester United football, which the public will have an opportunity to win in a raffle, all money raised will go towards the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT).
The free event is in aid of raising money for the charity which is dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth who are at risk of homelessness or are currently going through it. Throughout the day, there will be opportunities to donate to the charity.
Some of the artists performing on the day will be: DJ The FAT Britney, Banksie, Violet Blonde and Tina Tuna.
Carberry, who is a civil servant and a rep for the Northwest LGBTQ+ network has seen firsthand the struggles young people are facing with homelessness.
He revealed: “The cost of living in Salford is very high. I used to manage a lot of young people and they would move to Manchester or Salford, get a job, then really struggle with the cost and have to move back home, but a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community haven’t got that support net.
“Not everyone’s family is open and caring, some would have to move out of their homes because of toxic environments and go homeless. I am really lucky to have amazing parents, but not everyone is in that position, so I want to give back and make sure there is something for other people.”
Part of the Weaste Pride event will see ‘the best Drag act in Salford and Manchester’ Tina Tuna, perform a mixture of 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s music, as well as some theatre hits from iconic stage shows.
Tina, who is from the Salford area, competed in Drag Idol, a national competition that sees Drag Queens, Drag Kings, singers, and musicians perform to crowds and judges for the honorary title of Drag Idol of the Year. Tina came 8th in the whole of the UK.
“I think it’s very good that they are having this event at Weaste and Seedley social club for pride in general,” she said. “But then, for the homelessness as well as it’s getting worse due to the cost of living crisis.”
In addition to performing at the Weaste and Seedley Social Club, Tina can also be found performing at various venues on Canal Street in Manchester’s Gay Village.
She revealed: “Canal Street is a very drink-based place, meaning you need money to be able to buy drinks and and to have a social life, and that shouldn’t be the case. So having these events where it’s not all about the drink and it’s just about being social, and it’s free to attend will promote the awareness of homelessness.”
Throughout the event, attendees will have the opportunity to donate to the Albert Kennedy Trust online.
On the importance of pride to her Tina said: “Pride is a protest. Protests are for a reason because of inequality, because of different standards, and because of a lack of awareness. Thousands and thousands of LGBTQ + charities are helping with that.
A picture of the LGBTQ+ flag being waved. Photo:‘ Waving In The Light’ taken by Raphael Renter. Available on Unsplash.
“And if we’re saying that pride is a protest, then we need to be helping that protest and changing the way that the LGBTQ + communities are being treated. For pride, we’re fighting for equality. During Manchester Pride last year there were a lot of banners that said, pride is a protest.”
Organiser Ian hopes to address some of the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities on the day, by encouraging people to share their stories and offer help to people who are living in difficult situations.
The event comes as the AKT is calling for action to be taken after it conducted milestone research that shows LGBTQ+ homelessness is at an all-time high, despite there being no official government data.
Adam Pemberton Wickenham, the CEO at AKT said to Radio Manchester: “We know from our surveys that one in four LGBTQ+ young people who come to us have experienced homelessness or rough sleeping.”
“It’s often hidden homelessness and it’s almost always based on estrangement from their families or abuse that they have received.”
Hidden homelessness is characterised by people staying with friends and sofa surfing, sleeping in squats, or even people living in cars. As the nature of hidden homelessness is inconspicuous, the AKT says it is hard to determine how many individuals are genuinely going through it.
Person lying on sofa. Photo by Chris Lynch on Unsplash.
According to the most recent report titled ‘There’s no place like home’, they are calling on the government to “improve their data on LGBTQ+ homelessness and are urging them to consider other intersecting disadvantages” that lead to a person being homeless.”
They have also identified in the same report that “1 in 4 young people who identify as LGBTQ+ (26% ) has experienced hidden homelessness and that 50% of Non-white LGBTQ+ respondents were more likely to experience hidden homelessness.”
The report recognises that characteristics such as disability, neurodivergence, substance misuse, mental health, domestic abuse, racialized minorities, migrants and religion, trans and non-binary, can also contribute to a young LGBTQ+ individual being homeless.
However, In a recent update on the subject, the UK government said: “No robust data is measuring the number of LGBTQ+ people currently homeless in the UK. They estimate that service users identifying as LGBTQ+ range from 16% to 32%.”
The Albert Kennedy Trust report is groundbreaking research as it gives definitive data.
The government said that :“LGBTQ+ individuals become homeless for the same reasons as non-LGBTQ+ people but issues related to sexual and gender identity often underpin their triggers of homelessness.”
The Weaste Pride event which will help contribute to the Albert Kennedy Trust efforts in providing housing stability for LGBTQ+ youth will take place at: 168A Weaste Lane, Weaste, M5 5JL. The event will begin at 1pm on the day.