A Spectacular Trans Eleganza!

A Spectacular Trans Eleganza!
Image: Images: Facebook

Trans activists Miss Katalyna, Rebeckah Loveday, and Sasja Sydek were at a dinner in 2018 when the idea for a Trans Pride March and concert was first floated. Four years, a pandemic, Covid-19 lockdowns, and three cancellations later, they have finally locked in the dates for the inaugural march and concert. 

The Trans Pride Concert will be held on February 12, 2022 in the heart of Melbourne at Fed Square, and the Trans Pride March is scheduled to be held in November 2022 to coincide with Trans Awareness week. 

“The trans community has long been marginalised and we still face countless oppressions and stigmatisation from the broader community,” Rebeckah Loveday told the Star Observer. 

“To showcase who we are in a public space, will allow our community to come together and celebrate who we are but also show the broader community, we are more than just the labels that are placed upon us,” said Loveday. 

Organised by the Trans Community to Showcase Trans Excellence

The organisers reckon it’s one of the first march and concert of its kind in Australia, organised by the trans community to showcase trans excellence and talent on stage. 

The concert is being planned as a three-hour extravaganza, showcasing performers from the trans and gender diverse community in Victoria. Racerager, Kindred Surprise, Sei Vainalei Chen Pao, Jade Starr, The Trans Showgirls and Stone Motherless Cold have been confirmed as talent for the event. 

“There will be a smoking ceremony and welcome to country. It is incredibly important to recognise and acknowledge that we are meeting on First Nations land and pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging, specifically to our brotherboys and sisters,” said Loveday. 

A Space to be Heard

“The theme for the concert is Pass the Mic. We want to specifically highlight the talent of QTIPOC community on the main stage. Trans and gender diverse people of colour face much higher amounts of discrimination and violence from the broader community due to the intersectionalities of racism and transphobia. They deserve to be seen and heard and we want to provide that space for them.” 

The concert hopes to bring to the community, which has endured lockdowns and lack of access to safe spaces over the past two years, a sense of celebration and pride. 

“Prior to Covid, the trans community was already a community that faced isolation. The pandemic exacerbated some of the challenges we already faced including isolation, disconnect and reduced positive mental health,” said Loveday, adding, “For trans artists and performers, the pandemic meant that they no longer had a space to express themselves authentically. It also put a stop to a much-needed income.” 

The Trans Pride Concert at the Midsumma Festival is a show that you should not miss, and everyone’s welcome. 

Trans Pride Concert – Fed Square Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne on 12 February at 12pm 

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