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Ophelia Payne’s Big Night In raises £1,900 for MindOut
SheSays Brighton announces International Women’s Day event
JOHANA RIQUIER
RACHEL MCCONNELL
MICHELLE STEELE
) SheSays Brighton has announced an evening of free online talks and networking for International Women’s Day on Monday, March 8 from 6.30pm with three speakers, including Michelle Steele from Trans Pride Brighton, talking about their extraordinary journeys in the digital world.
) Ophelia Payne’s BIG NIGHT IN raised £1,900 for LGBTQ+ mental health charity MindOut last month. MindOut said: “Thank you so much to everyone who attended and donated, and a huge thanks to Ophelia Payne for hosting. We had such a laugh taking part in bingo and hat-making, and watching all of our fabulous performers. We raised an amazing £1,900 thanks to Lloyds Bank Rainbow Network which matchfunded the ticket sales.”
Ophelia Payne added: “We did it! I want to say a huge thank you to all my wonderful performers - Misty Van Cartier, Sperm Donna, Sweet Boy, Richard Energy and Jess Robinson. You made it such a special night. Also, thank you to everyone who bought tickets and donated. MindOut is a fantastic mental health charity supporting the LGBTQ+ community.” D For more info on MindOut, visit: www.mindout.org.uk/
Dysphoria is a Drag online fundraising event on Saturday, March 6 at 8pm
Michelle Steele is a lead software engineer with 25 years of experience, currently at Brighton tech company Avalara. She coaches at Codebar, is a STEM Ambassador and is the head of volunteer coordinating at Trans Pride Brighton. Michelle is also the drummer in indie band Slum of Legs. Rachel McConnell is a content designer, strategist and consultant who’s also used to building and leading content teams. She’s worked with brands such as Deliveroo, M&S, John Lewis, Nationwide and Virgin Holidays to determine strategy and design content, and also trains UX professionals in UX writing. She’s currently content strategist at BT, and was the content strategy lead for Clearleft, a design agency based in Brighton. Rachel is also the author of Why You Need A Content Team.
RIFA THORPE-TRACEY
Johana Riquier, business strategist at Unity, is a prominent advocate for the widespread use of Unity Technologies, promoting minorities in the gaming space and works to bring awareness of the African and Middle Eastern gaming industry. Rifa Thorpe-Tracey, SheSays Brighton organiser and host, said: “Now more than ever, we want to be inspired by women thriving in the digital sector. I’m so excited to hear from this line-up of speakers - expect a few surprises! This event might not be the same as meeting in person, but I’ll do my very best to recreate the SheSays vibe. I can’t wait to reconnect with this amazing community of bad-ass Brighton women to celebrate International Women’s Day!” SheSays Brighton is part of global group supporting women in digital through networking and events with inspiring speakers. This free event is part of Spring Forward Festival, which encourages women to take a greater role in digital by creating a platform that promotes digital community events organised by women for women, and is open to all backgrounds, ages and genders. D To register, visit: https://shesaysbtn-march-2021.eventbrite.co.uk D For more info on SheSays Brighton, visit: www.weareshesays.com/ chapters/shesays-brighton/
) Join Corn Roberts and a starstudded cast of drag-tastic talent for DYSPHORIA IS A DRAG – a one-off online cabaret event, raising funds for the host’s gender-affirming healthcare fund on Saturday, March 6 from 8pm. With fabulous performances from: Alfie Ordinary, Alik, Alistair, Chub Rub, Crusty, Daphne, Dick Day, The Elizabeth E Crawford, Fran
Sparklypants, Scarlett Fever, Prince of Persia, Rococo Chanel, Prinx Silver, Lydia L’Scabies, Tayris Mongardi and Twinkerbell. D For tickets (£4) visit: http://bit.ly/ dysphoria-drag D To make an extra donation or to read Corn’s story, visit: www.gofundme. com/corns-top-surgery
Allsorts Youth Project service update ) For LGBTQ+ and unsure children & young people aged 5-25, Allsorts Youth Project is still here for you, offering Youth Groups, One-to-One Support and Advocacy online. D Visit www.allsortsyouth.org.uk, or e youth@allsortsyouth.org.uk
