Pride In Trafford returns for five days of 'queer joy and fun' featuring powerful trans portraits, goth comedy and pop-up flower shows

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Trafford’s annual Pride celebration of LGBTQ+ arts and culture is coming back for a third year this May. Pride in Trafford will return to Waterside Arts Theatre in Sale for a five-day festival from May 17-21.

The event will feature cabaret, performances, art exhibitions and even a floral pop-up show. Celebrating the diversity and broad range of queer arts, the festival features a host of names including stand-up comedian Bethany Black, photographer Allie Crewe and author Emmy Clarke.

Launching at Pride In Trafford will be an ongoing series of portraits of transgender and non-binary people from award-winning photographer Allie Crewe. As part of the new Your Own Light exhibition at Waterside (May 20-July 30, free), Allie said the exhibition was ‘more important than ever’.

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Speaking to the M.E.N, Allie said: “There are beautiful stories being told throughout the whole series of portraits. To me, the portraits are about humanity and how we have the right to be our authentic selves.

“The majority of people I've captured are in transition and that to me is a really, beautiful human thing. It shows that even after experiencing trauma, there is still a chance to grow and live our lives authentically.

“There was a person I photographed called Dorian who just had a beautiful phrase when I asked them about their pronouns. They just said ‘At the moment, I'm using he/they and that may change as is my right’. It was something that was said so calmly and it was really powerful to me.

"I can’t think of anything more healing than the idea that we may have fluidity in our lives and how change is always available to us. I think that is something, especially at