Pride is off to a fabulous start - check our Pride month calendar if you don't believe us - and today we're highlighting a brand new Pride event on the Oxford scene. Taking place on Sun 15th June, Oxford DIY Pride is a community-led, grassroots alternative to sponsored Pride events; in their words, "Pride doesn’t belong to sponsors, it belongs to us".
The event is spearheaded by local performance groups Oxfordshire Drag Collective and TART Productions; we got talking with organisers Cairo Ali, Jillette Blade/F*ckboi Jeff and Anna Sturrock to learn more on what the day has in store.
Daily Information: So let’s start from the beginning - how did Oxford DIY Pride come about?
Jillette/Jeff: It started when we noticed mainstream local Pride events were becoming larger, more corporate and more heavily sponsored by organisations that are complicit in global injustice. For instance it’s difficult to find, even in smaller cities like Oxford, bigger Pride events that don’t have sponsorship ties to the military industrial complex, or more recently companies and organisations with a financial interest in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. We feel that prioritising these companies at the expense of the concerns of the local queer community, many of whom have stood in solidarity with the people of Palestine, goes against the principles on which Pride was founded.
In response, I got in contact with Oxfordshire Drag Collective and a few other local performers to figure out how we could mobilise. We decided to step up to the challenge of creating our own DIY Pride in the image of Reading’s wonderful event last year. On Easter, I went to Reading DIY Pride’s fundraiser, sat down with the organisers with an open notebook, and took every bit of advice they could offer. In tandem, we reached out to several Palestine action groups across Oxford, as well as T(ART) Productions, and received overwhelming support. In the end, T(ART) joined the organising committee, and have contributed their wealth of expertise to every stage of the planning process since then.
Since we announced the event, we’ve seen a huge amount of interest - it’s only been a month and our Instagram page already has over 640 followers. It is clear the Oxford queer community has been longing for an accessible, non-corporate Pride. We’ll do our best to provide that!
Cairo: As someone who’s Arab and from the Middle East (Egyptian and Sudanese) I’ve always been somewhat aware of the injustice, displacement, and violence faced by Palestinians. Last year, I stepped away from Reading Pride, where I was due to host a stage for the second year running, because of their ties to sponsors linked with Israel. I was later invited to host at Reading DIY Pride, which aligned much more closely with my values.
Reading has a much larger Pride scene compared to Oxford, and there are groups like Reading Queers for Palestine who were able to respond quickly and vocally. Oxford, in contrast, is much smaller and more close-knit. When Jillette/Jeff reached out to me I had already hosted a fundraiser with the Oxford Drag Collective, where we raised over £200 for Care for Gaza.
When we raised objections to other Pride events’ sponsors, we’d get responses like “Pride doesn’t align with party politics” or be told that sponsors were vetted based on their policies protecting LGBTQIA+ people in the local area. But this isn’t about party lines; Pride has always been political. There can’t be liberation for some of us without liberation for all of us - if our freedom is bought with Palestinian suffering, it’s not freedom, it’s oppression. That’s how Oxford DIY Pride came about — a space shaped by community care, accountability, and solidarity with all oppressed peoples.
Anna: We've always been passionate about creating accessible and inclusive community spaces for queer folk, so when we were approached we couldn't say no! Moreso, we want to show our support for bold activists working to ensure Pride is about solidarity. We are horrified at what is happening in Palestine, and by the organisations involved in funding the genocide. This feels like a small way for us to stand up and say “This is not who we are. We stand with Palestine”.
DI: The day is obviously more locally-led and homegrown than your more mainstream Pride events - tell us about the organisations that have come together to make DIY Pride happen.
Jillette/Jeff: There are so many! On top of T(ART), the Oxfordshire Drag Collective and me (which I suppose includes This is Kingland, but we’re just a monthly drag show rather than a proper organisation), we have Hot Rats, Sapphic Bison, Oxford Poetry Library, Oxford 4 Trans Rights, Oxford Trans Social, Proud Voices Choir, a few Oxford college JCRs, Oxford Palestine Solidarity Coalition, Oxford Divest for Palestine, Reading DIY Pride, Undercover Comedy, Fyrefly Studios, Arts at the Old Fire Station, Written Off Publishing, SolidariTee, the RCP, Scraps Collective, Damascus Rose Kitchen, Land Justice Oxford, Oxford Mutual Aid, Florence Park Community Centre and many local independent artists. We should also shout out The Library pub, YWMP, West Oxford Community Centre, Rose Hill Community Centre and South Oxford Community Centre for offering support and potential partnerships for next year.
Cairo: There are so many amazing people involved — like Jillette/Jeff, I want to thank all of them! At the start of creating DIY Pride, it felt pretty lonely and almost like a mission impossible, even though we were doing it for the community and a good cause. We just believed in what we were standing for, not knowing how people would react. But everyone has been incredible and so supportive.
I personally run the Oxford Drag Collective, so it was really important for me to reach out to lots of performers and keep them in the loop about what was happening and the plans moving forward — especially those who were originally meant to perform at Oxford Pride, which was myself, Sera Tonin, and Duniya Dhoom. Beyond us, there are plenty of other local artists, activists, and community members who’ve come together to make DIY Pride happen and to everyone we want to say thank you!
DI:What can attendees expect from the inaugural DIY Pride?
Jillette/Jeff: We have quite a lot planned! During the day, we’ll be at Florence Park Community Centre from 1pm to 5pm. Inside, there will be an open mic hosted by a member of the Oxford Poetry Library’s Hip Crowd event, live music from Proud Voices, a family-friendly cabaret show, some dancing, and a raffle. The raffle prizes will range from art commissions from some of the wonderful artists at our fair, as well as physical artworks, and drag workshops. In the Centre’s lounge there will be an art fair and quiet wellbeing space for those who need a little break; in the garden outside you’ll find our community market, featuring the organisations we mentioned in the previous question. Weather permitting, there will also be a queer yoga session. Back in the hall, in the kitchen we’ll have Damascus Rose providing excellent Lebanese food. We will also have soft drinks and baked goods available.
We should note that the daytime component of DIY Pride is a sober event, and that there is level access throughout the Centre.
In the evening, we’ll head to the Old Fire Station for an evening cabaret. This will be 18+, and feature drag performers, comedians and some excellent local talent!
You can read the full itinerary on our website.
Cairo: DIY Pride will feature so many local artists, local talent, local organisations and members of the community, all coming together to really celebrate the true meaning of Pride. There are so many moving elements from drag performances, live music, food, workshops, artwork. It’s going to be fab!
Anna: It's going to be a gorgeous day of people from all walks of life, coming together and proving we are better and stronger when we stand alongside each other. I'm disabled myself, so it's been really important to make sure the day is as accessible as possible, with wellbeing areas, level access, and a range of ways for people to get involved.
DI: What does Pride mean to you?
Cairo: Pride, for me, is about visible, joyful disruption. It’s not just a rainbow party — it’s a declaration: we are here, we are queer, and we are not going anywhere. As someone who exists at the intersections of being queer, person of colour and a drag artist — Pride events are where I reclaim space that was never made for people like me.
Jillette/Jeff: I’d echo what Cairo said! Pride is adamance, it’s defiance, it’s pride in contrast to shame (and you don’t have to look very far to find shaming messages and attitudes towards queer people, both presently and historically). But also, to organise a Pride event means to speak up for all oppressed peoples because our identities coexist. We are not just marketable demographics; you can’t do something fun and colorful in an attempt to appease queer people while ignoring the plight of Palestinian people.
Anna: Pride is a moment for us all to come together and celebrate the gorgeousness of queer lives. And I mean queer in a broad sense, not just talking about sexuality and gender, but also our history of solidarity, of community, of being at the forefront of change. We're talking radical acceptance and kindness to one another, and lifting up any other marginalised groups. Look at the Lesbian and Gays support the Miners movement from the 80s - we have always stood in solidarity and love and support with people who need us, and we will never stop!
DI: What can people do to support the event, both this year and in the future?
Jillette/Jeff: This year, the main thing you can do is stop by on the 15th, either at Florence Park or at the Old Fire Station (or both!)
You can also donate to our Givey page to help us cover expenses.
Anna: take a look at the amazing organisations involved. These are all people dedicated to making their community a better place - find out ways to get involved and support them all year round!
DI: And of course, Pride doesn’t stop after June ends - what can we do to show up for the queer community all year round?
Jillette/Jeff: Once you come to DIY Pride (or if you can’t make it, at least look through our website and Instagram page for all of the orgs/people involved), take a moment to support the many queer-led organisations in town! Attend a drag show or drag bingo/brunch (and make sure that, if you buy a ticket, you actually turn up! But that’s a whole other problem I won’t get into haha). Attend other DIY Prides that aren’t taking place in June; for example, Reading’s is at the end of August.
More importantly, join organisations that fight against pinkwashing and stand up for the community. Oxford Mutual Aid, Oxford for Trans Rights, the RCP, Land Justice Oxford — these organisations will have stalls at our market and would love to chat with you about their work throughout the year. And make sure you research the sponsors of other Pride events you attend this year to see if they’re on official boycott lists: sites like bdsmovement.net or masjidalaqsa.com are great resources to find out which companies have ties to occupation. On a personal level, there are many ways to be what is called an active bystander.
Anna: Support queer events! There are so many really cool grassroots queer organisations in Oxford. There's something for everyone, from arts and crafts, to drag shows, to socials - it’s all here!
Be willing to constantly educate yourself and grow. I love following lots of really cool activists online so I'm constantly learning a bit more every day.
And see if you can make a difference in your tiny patch of the world! What is your workplace, school, community centre etc doing to support queer people? Can you offer suggestions or signpost them to places, to help them become a Beacon of queer rights too?
Describe Oxford DIY Pride in 5 words.
Cairo: Grassroots, Joyful, Community, Liberated and Camp!
Jillette/Jeff: Took the words right out of my mouth!
Oxford DIY Pride takes places on Sun 15th Jun from 1-5pm at Florence Park Community Centre and 8-10pm at the Old Fire Station.