Elle Kennedy is interviewed by Ten Harber. She speaks about coming to Brighton for university in 2010 and choosing it as a place to transition. She speaks about nightclubs such as Legends, The Queens Arms and Revenge, and the issue of unisex toilets in club spaces. She speaks further about passing and dating as a transwoman, including the challenges of being translesbian in women’s spaces.
Elle also talks about straight people attending Pride and how it brings a higher security risk. The Clare Project is mentioned as a space to meet and speak to other trans women, also noting The Marlborough and The Zone as trans-friendly spaces. Though self-identifying as right of Labour, she does support Caroline Lucas and the Green party in Brighton.
Brighton is mentioned as a place that introduced Elle to gender beyond the binary, now regarding the term queer as a ‘conciousness’ rather than as a sexual preference.
Elle speaks about transitioning and how Brighton uniquely helped with that.
Roni is interviewed by Ten Harber. Roni moved to Brighton in 2009 from Rome after previously visiting Brighton Pride. She speaks about the origin of Tramfrau as a response to Brighton’s nightlife being primarily geared towards students. She talks about how an activity space was included in the event to encourage interaction and socialising beyond the dancefloor. She talks about the risks taken to include different types of performance and music and how that has been unappreciated or misunderstood. Feedback is an important part of the process and has shaped how this event has changed over time.
As the night became more successful it moved to a larger venue and some measures were taken to counteract antisocial behaviour, such as through the marketing of the event as well as featuring politics as part of the decor. She speaks further about the sensitivities around the language used to describe and conceptualise the night and how this has evolved alongside the event itself.
Tiffany (Tiff) Ansari is interviewed by Ten Harber at The Fountainhead. She came to Brighton from Doncaster to study at Sussex University in 2010. She speaks about having a gay housemate who introduced her to her first LGBT event. She recalls Revenge being a strange first experience and that she now works there. She speaks of the celebrities she has met during her time there, and the performers she has seen. She also speaks about joining the women’s football team and the initiation process it takes to join as a fresher.
Tiff talks about her experience as a volunteer for Switchboard and being a representative at different events. She gives examples of the types of calls received and the challenges of working in the role.
She speaks about her coming out experience while living in Brighton and the discrimination she has faced on nights out.