Our story
Queer Roots Collective is one of several grassroots charities which have emerged in Manchester in recent years to challenge the commercialisation of pride. Sadly, we see too much ‘pinkwashing’ – corporations cashing in on pride with no true support for the queer community. We see companies rush to churn out rainbow merchandise for the month of June, driven mainly by self-interest or reputational concerns. Then July rolls around, the rainbows are pushed aside and normal service resumes.
Hate crimes in the UK surged by 268% between 2013 and 2022; trans rights are under constant attack; and a survey by the charity Just Like Us found that young LGBTQ+ people are twice as likely to contemplate suicide as their non-LGBTQ+ peers. And yet, despite this clear need for change, pride can feel more of a party than a protest.
We think pride has lost its roots. We are a regenerative group that’s helping to shift the focus of pride back to community rather than corporations, and to maintain the recognition that pride was and is a protest. We work to build and celebrate queer community through our regular events, as well as our Alt Pride Festival in September, serving those who feel safest in outdoor, quieter, more community-focused spaces where authentic connections can be made and explored. Connecting with nature is a really important part of what we do and the spaces we create, because it’s integral to community care and our wellbeing.
Our advice
Promoting radical care of one another and for the environment of which we are a part go hand in hand. They are so interlinked, and we have found that facilitating spaces for queer joy, connection, growing and sharing food is a very effective way of nurturing and regenerating people and planet.
We take huge responsibility in how we fund Queer Roots Collective to not be taken advantage of by organisations to pinkwash their links to environmental destruction or humanitarian issues, discrimination and disasters, unlike many of the ‘big pride’ events that we see across the country. For our Alternative Pride Festival, we are completely self-funded through ticket sales at sliding scale prices from free to our solidarity ticket price. This has meant that we currently rely on the generosity, kindness, and support of volunteers, artists, and organisers. It is our long-term goal to not only pay our artists their full fees but also ourselves as organisers. We have previously run workshops for groups that we are associated with to have a financial buffer and support putting on our events, these have included lino printing workshops with Haven and LGBT Foundation.
Our metrics
Attendance at our regular events and our annual Alt Pride Festival. Growing community and wellbeing. Number of people who volunteer.
