Trans Pride Brighton launch investigation into 'incidents'

In a now-deleted post, the charity, which organises the annual Trans Pride march through the city, said they are undergoing “management changes due to a number of challenges the charity is experiencing”.

In the statement, Fox Fisher, co-founder of Trans Pride Brighton, said: “We want to reassure you that we are aware we have lost your trust and we are working on fixing this, which means a reshuffle and an investigation of the incidents that came to light.

“We sincerely hope that Trans Pride Brighton emerges from this difficult time, stronger and with full confidence from the public.”

The charity also encouraged people to “save the date” for July 19-21 next year, suggesting that will be the dates of next year’s event.

Trans Pride Brighton has been approached for comment.

This year’s Trans Pride event was marred by extreme weather, which forced organisers to move away from their planned outdoor venue in Brunswick Square, with events instead taking place across several indoor venues across Brighton and Hove.

The since deleted post from Trans Pride Brighton (Image: Trans Pride Brighton)

The statement came just hours after launching a winter fundraiser to save its community centre on St James’s Street from closure.

Trans Pride Brighton said: “Last year, we signed the lease for the Trans Pride Centre, the only trans and non-binary-focused community centre in the country where we provide radical support for community needs.

“Unfortunately, our two post-pandemic Trans Pride Brighton events have taken a massive hit through unforeseen circumstances, one year with an event-wide card machine failure and then the next with weather warnings, forcing us to cancel the entire park event.

“As our annual events are where almost 100 per cent of our fundraising happens to help us continue operating over the next 12 months, we are now talking about closing the Trans Pride Centre for good in March next year.

“We are launching our winter campaign to raise £27.500 to keep this vital space open for a year. All we need is to get through the next year, keep the doors open and have the space to plan our next steps to secure our future.

“Only with your help can we reopen the centre for the most vulnerable this winter season for those in need of our support.”

The charity’s cryptic statement has prompted questions from members of the LGBTQ+ community.

One Instagram user commented: “What is going on? You have said you have lost the community trust but haven’t said anything - you should tell us what has happened, so we know whether the centre is still safe to enter and use.”

The protest and community festival, founded in 2013, was the first trans-specific pride event to be held in the UK.

More than 30,000 people braved the bad weather and took to the streets at this year’s event in July to call for equal rights for trans and non-binary people.