18/02/2024
We have often reported how the LGBTQIA+ communities overlap with other countercultures such as the punk and goth scenes. Well, this week that was writ large in the Liverpool Echo newspaper, as their community correspondent Paul McAuley visited Heaven, a queer drag punk rock club in the City. Paul writes "A growing Merseyside community is giving “misfits and outcasts” the welcoming space they’ve always been looking for... Heaven Nightclub - the host venue of the city’s latest drag alternative competition. The punk-inspired event was created by Shuv Light, the self-proclaimed “goth queen” of Liverpool’s Pride Quarter scene. The 27-year-old, from London but living in Bootle, wanted to create a space where others who don’t fit in with social norms could feel safe and not go through the experiences she faced alone. Shuv, a costume designer at Bold Street’s Albert Schloss, added: “When you’re emo or goth, you’re automatically looked at as an outcast and that’s okay because we now have a space where all the misfits can come together and not be by themselves.” One community member who was thankful for Shuv’s initiative was Charlie Lucely. The 25-year-old from Wallasey, Wirral, said “preconceived notions and outdated stereotypes” are something she can forget about when the event is running. The drag artist told the ECHO: “There’s such a sense of community that it just makes you feel much more comfortable in yourself and you don’t have to worry about judgement. You’re in an environment where people just want to enjoy themselves. To be able to walk into a room where everybody is doing something a bit different to the usual, a bit alternative, it just made me feel so much more accepted and welcomed. There are no rules or certain criteria you have to follow to be part of the family.” Thanks to local small business radio station Mersey Radio for alerting us to that excellent article.
