For example, despite the wins for many queer stories being told across the stages of the UK, many trans performers and actors still struggle with clunky and outdated casting processes. With anti-trans sentiment becoming more normalised across the UK, trans performers have to weather additional risks – even when simply heading to work. Emmanuel Akwafo, who appeared in the show as Pitch, can attest to the plays significance as a queer Black performer themselves. “A director once told me to create the roles I didn’t see, and unfortunately in this industry I didn’t see a lot of queer Black roles, especially plus-sized, queer Black roles,” he says. Who knows, maybe one day there might just be a queer Black Romeo with thick thighs.”As an audience, our appetite for authentic, evolved and new queer stories is vast.

Source: The Times October 10, 2023 07:15 UTC