We are a group of LGBTQ+ individuals who have come together to try and raise some money and show our support for all members of our community at a time when it feels more important than ever to show support and solidarity across the whole LGBTQ+ community.
We’ve achieved a lot of progress in the UK in terms of our rights and acceptance over the last 30 years. As a community we have fought successful campaigns for employment rights, parenting rights, partnership rights and an equal age of consent. However, we feel like a lot of this progress is now under threat from a hostile press, a government and many mainstream political parties who pay lip service to the idea of our rights and acceptance only to then undermine them. There are even groups claiming to represent our community, while preaching a message of exclusion - this doesn't reflect the supportive and celebratory LGBTQ+ community we know and are part of.
Trans people, despite being at the forefront of the modern LGBT+ rights movement, today face an especially hostile media and daily attacks on their legal and human rights. Many of these tactics are reminiscent of the attacks on gay men in the 1980s. Even the hard won rights that some of us in the community now take for granted seem once again “up for debate”.
On social media those of us vocally supporting trans rights have been dismissively branded the “Gay Glitterati” and we liked it so much we thought we’d own it and put it to good use. So in the face of increasing attempts to divide us we wanted to create a symbol that stands up to support and affirm solidarity with the L, the B, the G, the T, the Q and all the other parts of our beautifully diverse queer community. We believe that we should stand together as a community united against bigotry, hatred and exclusion and willing to fight for each other’s rights. We believe that none of us are free until we are all free to live and love authentically.
Come join the Glitterati!
What can you do to make a difference right now?
Donate!
Please go and make a direct donation to the Legal Fund for Transgender Lives. We’d love you to also buy our merchandise too, so you can demonstrate your support for our trans siblings. When you donate use the hashtag #lgbtglitterati in the message box!
Make Your Voice Heard!
We’ve linked to a few active online campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality over on our Campaigns page so if you want to help make a change you can support, donate, write to your MP and make your voice count.
Buy Our Merch!
For our launch, the team have designed Glitterati branded clothing and accessories for the queer community to show solidarity and raise some money. All profits from this campaign are going to the Legal Defense Fund for Transgender Lives, which is raising money to help provide legal funds to defend the rights of transgender people.
Wear them with pride. Show your support for trans rights. Be an ally. Raise funds to help drive change.
Take a selfie and post your wearing your merch on social media with the hashtag #lgbtglitterati and we’ll repost via our social media channels.
This is just the beginning...
We have lots of exciting plans moving forward. We’d like to invite some more LGBTQ+ designers to join us and help create new lines and merchandise so we can raise more money for more LGBTQ+ causes. We’ll also be adding more campaigns as we go to provide a one-stop shop for all our queer clicktivism needs. Finally we’ll be inviting different contributors from across the community to tell their stories via this blog and celebrate our diverse and inclusive community.
If you’d like to contribute to the blog, design some merch or tell us about a campaign get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
Yours proudly,
The LGBT+ Glitterati Team