“I suppose the trans community would describe itself as a hidden community, because we’ve always been in that kind of space”
Jacquie Gavin, BEM, shared with Mancunian Matters what prompted the creation of Sparkle as the local charitable organisation marks 20 years of the event, and its year round work for the trans community.
Trustee, Gavin, explained that in the spirit of togetherness, in the back of a pub, the planning of a dedicated trans event took place.
She said: “Sparkle isn’t just a weekend, it’s a mirror of who we are and how far we’ve come.
“And, of where we must still go because, following the Supreme Court ruling there are so many things coming at this from so many different places and so many emotions being felt right now.”
Created in 2005, the concept of a dedicated trans event was finally prompted by the arrival of the Gender Recognition Act 2004. It came into effect in ’05 which allowed trans people to seek to obtain legal recognition of their preferred gender.
Gavin said: “Then, it was about how do we make sure that we drive the agenda forward.”
The path to gaining the GRA though far predates its titular year of 2004.
Gavin said: “1990 was one of the main turning points when Caroline Cossey, the former Bond girl who is one of us, came out and said, you know what, I want to do something to allow us to be recognised legally.”
Cossey went to the European Court of Human Rights because she could not obtain paperwork with her preferred gender in the UK, under the then-existing laws, but the ECHR did not find a violation of her rights.
Gavin said: “The momentum, then, was like we need to find a way to allow ourselves to be an active part of society rather than this invisible group of people who go through a process to be ourselves, only then not to be recognised.
By early 2000 the fight to gain recognition was gaining traction. British Empire Medal holder, Gavin, said: “With the onset of the gender reassignment regs within the Sex Discrimination Act of 1999, things really, really started to move.”
“So, gaining the Gender Recognition Act in 2004, it was almost like seen as a celebration, but suddenly here we are, we’ve got to a point where now we’re legally being recognised in law, for who we are, and very much based on the binary, i.e. going from A to Z, i.e. male to female or from female to male.”
Gavin told us that a lot of trans people have always been about Pride events, however, she said: “Let’s not kid ourselves. I think we were always seen as two different facets. We weren’t seen as togetherness.”
“Pride was always a protest around the denial of our rights, denial of our existence, and obviously set up in terms of everything else that went on. So it was very much built around that.
“Trans wasn’t part of the Stonewall movement at that time. So I suppose we always did things on our own.
“Creating Sparkle – It was our opportunity to say, you know what, we can make this something specifically for a community.”
It didn’t take long for Sparkle to outgrow its origins of canal street venues and move to Sackville gardens, fit with a main stage and entire weekend schedule to boot.
Jacqui Gavin explained that it was in 2011 things really started to take off for the trans community.
The cause was helped along by the introduction of the Equality Act 2010 and a certain trans T.V. phenomenon that was in development for Channel 4, at the time.
Gavin said: “We had My Transsexual Summer and suddenly there was, like, celebrity trans people out there who suddenly became the celebrity face of trans.
Nina Sosanya, Lewis Hancox, Fox Fisher and Drew-Ashlyn Cunningham became household names when the show hit screens in November 2011.
“It was a wake up call for many people,” said Gavin.
Sparkle celebrates its 20th anniversary in the same year that the Supreme Court ruled the terms woman and sex, in the Equality Act 2010, refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
Gavin believes the upcoming sparkle will be a year of reflection.
She said: “It’ll be a year of understanding where we did things well, where we need to change things, how we regroup and how we go again, because we will go again.
“I think this year will be a little bit sombre. But we need to find a way to make this better, about understanding what does the (Supreme Court) ruling actually mean? Where Is it actually creating a barrier? And how do we break that down?”
Sparkle is now the longest-running free-to-attend event in the country that celebrates the transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse community.
From its grassroots origins the event has blossomed into a full three-day community festival, known today as Sparkle Weekend.
Jay Crawford, Sparkle’s Chair of Trustees said: “Twenty years ago, Sparkle was just an idea – a space where trans people could gather safely and joyfully.
“Two decades later, it’s grown into a weekend of pride, power and love.”
Radio Presenter and former face of Sparkle in 2008, Lucy Lush, said: “I’ve been going to this event for many years and it has turned into one of the most spectacular places where everyone is accepted for who they are.
“There’s no judgement and a great space for some amazing trans artists to perform.”
There’s not much organisers of Sparkle haven’t thought about when planning this year’s event. Starting on Friday night, expect entertainment, DJ sets, workshops, networking and a family and youth space.
Stars waiting to entertain this weekend include Divina De Campo, Lucky Roy Singh, Solstice, Amrick Channa and Rain McMey.
There are even sensory sessions on Saturday and Sunday morning. Then, there is no live music and less people in attendance, giving people a chance to explore the marketplace and speak with wellbeing professionals at quieter times.
New for 2025 is a peace lounge – said to be a tranquil environment to relax in, an expansion of the Sanctuary into the Velvet Event space and bringing back Sparkle solos for those attending alone to connect with others.
Sparkle has always placed a high importance on access and always ensured the weekend is indeed accessible to the community and allies. Measures include BSL interpretation on the Main Stage, assistance dogs welcome, accessible toilet facilities including baby changing, a step-free event site, and seating available.
The 20th annual Sparkle Weekend begins on Friday 27th June.
A full guide to the weekend, from Sparkle, can be found here.
Images courtesy of Sparkle, protest image by Ian Sanderson, Unsplash
Join the discussion