Olly Alexander: ‘Cis people do care about trans rights’
Olly Alexander: ‘Cis people do care about trans rights’
This Wednesday, March 11, a coalition of pop stars and queer activists will unite for Trans Mission, a Live Aid-style concert aiming to generate both funds and hope for the trans community.
As the frontman of the iconic pop group Years & Years and a prominent queer advocate, Olly Alexander is spearheading this initiative with Glyn Fussell, the visionary behind the world-renowned queer festival Mighty Hoopla.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling that gender identity must be defined by biological sex, Alexander penned an open letter urging artists to denounce the decision and support the trans community facing heightened risks.
The event has expanded into a grand concert at London’s Wembley Arena, featuring performances from Sugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Adam Lambert, and special appearances by Sir Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey, Zack Polanski, and others. This gathering also includes contributions from Not A Phase and The Good Law Project, with high-profile signatories like Dua Lipa and Charli XCX.
‘There are many loud anti-trans voices across the media, and we have a government that has rowed back on its commitments to LGBT+ people too, as part of a broader attack on the rights and safety of marginalised communities,’ Olly tells Metro.
‘My hope is that Trans Mission will be a bold statement of unity and solidarity – that we have a voice too, and we’re going to use it for something joyful and positive.’
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Drag Race UK champion Tia Kofi, one of the event’s featured speakers, expressed her honor in participating in an initiative designed to uplift the trans community.
‘The onus should not be on trans people or any marginalised group to do the work alone. As allies, it’s our duty to help amplify their voices and be present.’
‘The climate feels really difficult and unsafe for trans people at the moment. A lot of people have created a false narrative around the trans community as a distraction. It’s very standard throughout history to pick a marginalised group, create a dangerous narrative around them, and try to focus attention on them.’
Among those performers is the utterly brilliant Tom Rasmussen, the trailblazing trans musician known for their distinctive queer dance-pop.
‘Conversations that happen within the community are often about the interconnectedness of struggle and the erasure of rights,’ says Tom. ‘My rights as a trans person are intertwined with the rights of refugees enduring severe discrimination and Palestinians living through genocide.’
‘The marginalised are so often political tools with which wars are waged to keep the powerful powerful. But we aren’t pawns – we are people full of love and life and talent and brilliance and minds and hearts, who deserve every right and every protection, and who deserve peace.’
For Alexander, the night is about audiences leaving the OVO Arena ‘feeling energised and hopeful.’
‘I’ve always believed that change comes down to each and every one of us and how we show up in our communities. We each have a part to play, and any action, big or small, can have a ripple effect that changes the course of history.’
