Bombastic dance and drag artists from the country's only Pan-Asian cabaret collective exploded onto the Liverpool stage to mark the beginning of "three weeks of unadulterated queer joy".
The Homotopia Festival, the UK's longest-running LGBT+ arts festival, started with a bang at the Tate gallery on the historic Royal Albert Dock on November 4.
Drag, burlesque, circus and variety performers, led by comedian Lilly SnatchDragon, were the stars of the launch party for the event, which runs until November 20 under the theme “Queer Joy is a Protest”.
READ MORE: Homotopia Liverpool 2022 full event guide
Festival director Char Binns, who grew up under Section 28, a series of British laws that prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" said: "Section 28 came into law the year before I started primary school and was repealed the year I graduated sixth form college, so I had this very narrow view of the world as a child. I believed there were only two genders, and that men and women would eventually find each other and get married and have heterosexual children - preferably a boy and a girl.
"At this time, this view of the world as devised for me by a cynical Tory government, but it pervaded into my life.
"I always find it quite funny we ask children what they want to be when they grow up as if children have some inner knowleldge of the world of work. When I was a kid I loved animals, so if you asked me what I wanted to be it was either a vet or an athlete... I had no idea that a job like this one existed.
"I didn't really until five years ago. I had no idea that I could have a job that involved working with some of your best friends. I had no idea that I could have a job that would involve meeting some of the coolest artists you've ever seen and I had no idea that I could have a job that would put me at the heart of a community as beautiful as this one."
Every year, Homotopia selects four budding LGBT+ artists from Liverpool for the Queercore artist development programme, which provides support, a busary, mentorship and professional opportunities.
This year's artists include theatre-maker Marcella Rick, textile artist Rhiannon Mat, illustrator and activist Rosa Kusabbi, and dancer and choreographer Kolade T Ladipo, creator of Black queer platform Noire Gayze.
A Noire Gayze meet-up for creative LGBT+ people of colour will take place at the Unity Theatre Bar at 6pm on November 11.
Rhiannon's quilting and embroidery art exhibition, "Please Touch The Art", can be seen at the Everyman Theatre on Hope Street until November 12, while Rosa's "Historical Queers", exploring LGBT+ figures throughout history, will take place at SEVENSTORE on Norfolk Street until November 20.
Finally, Marcella can be seen performing in "Where are all the Lesbians? The Trans Ally Edition" on November 19, with tickets priced at £4/6.
The full festival programme is available online .
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