Attitude Editor-in-Chief Cliff Joannou: ‘Britain is burning. How did we get here?’

I’ve been thinking a lot about kindness recently. As a community, we often espouse camaraderie with our queer family, showing support for all the letters that make our rainbow so vivid, be they the L, G, B, T, Q, I, A or beyond. It’s always uplifting to see this amplified on social media, but when we really do show up — in person, physically present and shoulder to shoulder — it feels like nothing in the world can stop us. The power we generate in each other’s presence is electrifying.

Late last month, more than 55,000 people attended the London Trans+ Pride march, making it the biggest show of solidarity with trans people in the world ever. That’s a remarkable achievement in the face of a world dominated by a media that loves to platform anti-trans voices, championed by the hateful rhetoric of a billionaire book author. The power of that kindness — and the show of allyship — was truly beautiful.

That same day in Trafalgar Square, thousands of far-right protesters gathered to share their hate. Googling images of the event shows a mob of white faces of all ages showing support for the heinous Tommy Robinson. Meanwhile, a few streets away, Jeremy Corbyn spoke at an anti-racist counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism.

It was a peculiar day in the capital on the doorstep of government, with a protest designed to stoke fear and intolerance sandwiched between two gatherings calling for inclusivity and freedom for all. A thousand Met Police officers were in attendance to ensure peace between the rival protests, it said, while no conditions were imposed in advance of the Trans Pride event.

It’s almost like queer liberation is the path to unity, love and the celebration of individuality, as opposed to the divisiveness of Tommy Robinson and his mob of hatemongers down the road.

One week later, as 300,000 people gathered in Brighton in a fabulous show of colour and joy to mark LGBTQIA+ Brighton Pride, the streets of Liverpool, Rotherham and other cities and towns across the UK became cauldrons of hate and intolerance. The contrast between the inclusive best and vicious worst of the UK has never been more apparent.

I am the son of immigrant parents who came to the UK to contribute to society, work hard, pay their taxes, and build a better life for themselves. But these facts are lost on these rioters. They would likely walk past me on the street, because I pass as what they perceive an acceptable Britishness might look like. (Maybe. Who knows what goes through their narrow minds?) They simply seek to target a person because the colour of their skin is different to theirs.

There’s a multitude of reasons how we got here. Without doubt, Brexit fuelled xenophobic views, while the increasing gap between the wealthiest in society versus those struggling at the opposite end has been a catalyst for these sentiments. The media’s platforming of extreme views from the likes of Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson has given legitimacy to a tiny, hateful faction of Britain. All the while, the ongoing blame game by successive governments deflecting their own failings by pointing to immigrants has fanned the flames. There is no immediate solution to these issues — the seeds of this discontent have been sown for decades.

While a welcome change after years of unsettled leadership, Labour’s new government has much work to do to create a proud United Kingdom. For us queers, its promises to the gay community have been plentiful, while its understanding of the trans community is woeful.

What is increasingly apparent is that as long as we in the queer community – alongside our allies – continue to be our best and most authentic selves, walk tall beside each other, show up for one another, and serve kindness to others, we will at least be in a more solid place to stand true against the rising tide of unease that may be simmering around the corner.

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Cliff Joannou is Editor-in-Chief of Attitude magazine