The Queens Arms will kick off its third consecutive year of fundraising for Trans Pride Brighton this week, with a series of events led by cabaret performer Ophelia Payne.
Fundraising begins on Thursday, 16 July with Ophelia Payne's G Spot, featuring guest performer Cazeleon. The celebrations continue on Friday, 17 July with the venue's annual charity musical, Guys and Protect the Dolls, which will see a cast of trans performers and allies stage a production after just six hours of rehearsal, with all proceeds going to Trans Pride Brighton.
The evening will then continue with performances from Lovina Belle and an all-trans line-up hosted by Ophelia, who said the events are part of a wider effort that has helped grow support for Trans Pride across Brighton's LGBTQ+ nightlife scene.
Two years ago, Ophelia joined fellow performers Suga, Charli and Rupert to organise one of the first dedicated Trans Pride fundraisers at Queens Arms, raising more than £4,500 for the event.
Last year, she expanded the initiative by creating a Day of Solidarity during the Trans Pride Brighton weekend, encouraging venues across the city to host fundraising events for the annual celebration.
Now, she says, support for Trans Pride Brighton has spread across Brighton's bar circuit, with venues organising their own fundraising events and activities.
"I absolutely love that the bars are all supporting Trans Pride Brighton," Ophelia said. "It has been my mission over the past couple of years to get the circuit behind the event."
She added: "It's been so heartwarming to see how much the community has grown and got behind Trans Pride Brighton, with every bar on the circuit doing Trans Pride events off their own backs.
"At a difficult time for the trans community in Brighton, seeing the venues show solidarity and much-needed fundraising was exactly what I had set out to create, so to see it happen organically has been amazing."
Ophelia was keen to stress that the success of this year's fundraising effort reflects a collective commitment from venues across the city rather than competition between them.
She said years of work by the Queens Arms and its supporters had helped build momentum behind the cause, adding that it had been rewarding to see so many businesses now embracing Trans Pride and supporting the community through fundraising and events.
Trans Pride Brighton has become one of the city's largest annual community events, attracting thousands of people each year and raising funds for local trans-led projects and organisations. This year's programme of venue-led fundraisers is expected to continue throughout the Trans Pride weekend.
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