University celebrates links to Trans Pride Brighton 2021

Co-founded by Fox Fisher in 2013, Trans Pride Brighton is the first and the largest Trans Pride event outside of America. You can see a film about its early years on YouTube.

This year's Trans Pride Brighton online event aims to be even bigger and better than the 2020 online celebration, which featured over a dozen trans, non-binary and intersex musicians and spoken word artists performing to an audience of over 10,000 viewers throughout the day.

Sarah Savage, organiser of Trans Pride Brighton 2021, said:

“Trans Pride is about discovering people like me. Before transition I genuinely had never met another trans person, and I couldn’t imagine being happy as a trans person. But now if a newbie comes to Trans Pride they see that everyone is so happy, it’s so joyous to be with a group of people who are like them.

Fox Fisher

Inclusive Pride flag

“A lot of people who transitioned in the 80s and 90s come up to me and say they’re amazed that something like this can exist, because they remember when trans people were so marginalised that they couldn’t even find each other. Now people can come to this one place and that’s their people, that’s their community. It’s more than just one day in summer. We actually change lives.”

Fox Fisher remains a trustee of the event. After graduating in 2007 with MA Sequential Design and Illustration at the University of Brighton, they received an honorary Doctor of Arts in 2017 from the university in recognition of their contribution in raising the profile nationally and internationally of issues affecting trans-people, and their contribution to arts for LGBTQIA+ advocacy.

Speaking after receiving their honorary doctorate, Fox Fisher said: “While a lot has happened for trans people in the past years I feel that we are still struggling with the same issues. Trans people’s identities aren’t respected as much as they should be and we constantly have to prove, explain and justify our experience. I hope that in the future trans people will be respected and recognised for who they are.”

Fox Fisher also founded My Genderation, a film project that celebrates intersectional trans lives and experiences, creative over 100 short films. Their films have won awards at various film festivals, including Outfest, BFI Flare, Toronto International, New York International, and San Francisco Frameline. They also create created LGBTQIA+ films for businesses and organisations.

Fox is also the co-creator of children’s book Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl, The Trans Teen Survival Guide and Trans Survival Workbook. They’ve contributed to several books, and have written for The Guardian, Independent, Metro, Gay Times and more.

Twitter: @TPrideBrighton

Facebook: Trans Pride Brighton 2021

Instagram: @transpridebrighton