We, as a community, are appalled at the disgusting treatment of our QTIPOC House of Spice community members, by Via Fossa staff and owners. 

On Friday 29th July members from The House of Spice gathered on Canal Street to conduct a meeting about upcoming shows. Once concluded, decided to go to Via Fossa for the rest of the evening.

Soon after entering Via, the House Moma, Lucky and Chacu went to the bar for the drinks whilst others went to the dance floor, at that point noticing that a bouncer was staring at the group. 

One of the house members hadn't considered dancing at Via as being part of the evening plans and so was wearing a jumper which became quite warm. Knowing they were wearing a modestly covering bra, they took the jumper off to cool down, given that a number of male presenting people in Via were also topless.

The bouncer then proceeded to approach the group and demanded that the jumper be put back on. The group asked the bouncers why they should put the jumper back on because there were a number of male presenting people in Via who were topless at the time. 

The situation began to escalate and Lucky stepped in to ease the tension, it was then that the bouncer pinched Lucky and discreetly said 'Get Out Paki.' Shocked a hurt the group left the bar. The staff apologised but did not question the actions of the bouncer or challenge them. 

The group then headed to BarPop and sat in the outside area of the vacant tables. Ten minutes later they were approached by the bouncer from BarPop who informed the group that the owner wanted them to leave. They asked for the reason why and the bouncer said they didn't know, but that they felt it was bullsh*t, but it was what the owner had requested.

The entire ordeal left the group understandably very upset, targeted and angry; no one was intoxicated and the group were simply out on Canal Street wanting to enjoy the evening in what should be a safe space for all Queer People of Colour. 

The village has major issues with racism and incidents like this are another example of why queer people of colour are resistant and often afraid to be a visible part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Proximity to whiteness should not be a necessary shield when wanting to enjoy a night out in the village. QTIPOC bodies should not be policed in a misogynistic way that tells the world that certain bodies are presentable and celebrated while others need to be censored. 

This is not an isolated incident, since releasing our initial statement, other community members, groups and individuals have been in touch to share their experiences of racism within Manchester’s Gay Village, and it is not acceptable. Our community are tired of having to fight this fight, but also recognise the importance of raising this issue, that it is still very relevant and needs to be addressed correctly.

The Village should be a safe space for all LGBTQIA+ community members and these issues cannot go unnoticed and ignored. The issue of racism within our queer spaces is an issue that belongs to everyone and should not weigh solely on the shoulders of our QTIPOC community members. Community members cannot access safe spaces if the people who are supposed to protect the community in those spaces are the ones who are causing harm.

We are therefore asking you to sign this petition to call upon Manchester’s Gay Village for the following action to be taken:

• Via Fossa and Bar Pop to meet with House of Spice members, alongside a third party to facilitate an apology 
• We are seeking a stakeholder led meeting with all venues within Manchester’s Gay Village including Via and Bar Pop to facilitate an independent, properly funded review of venues and what improvements can be made to make them more diverse and genuinely inclusive spaces.
• All venues in Manchester’s Gay Village to introduce equitable hiring practices, to ensure venues hire more diversely than they currently do, which includes security that is used throughout the Village.
• Support for sustainable inclusion of trans and people of colour performers in venues throughout the Village.
• Paid employment position across venues in the Village to facilitate this work and ensure it is prioritised
• Venues in the village to begin the process of accreditation to certify venues as welcoming to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex + People of Colour.

With love, 

House of Spice