I Wish You Were Queer!

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I Wish You Were Queer investigates how LGBTQ+ community members navigate the global city of London, England, which has reached a record high in hate crimes against sexual orientation, with anti-trans offenses more than doubling by 2022. Questioning if “The rise of hate crime in England reflects on the right to belong for members of the LGBTQ+ community in a global city like London?”
According to the Gay Times (2022), "hate crimes reach record high in England and Wales as anti-trans offenses double." On 6 October 2022, the Home Office website published the "Official Statistics" for the year ending March 2022, noting that "sexual orientation hate crimes increased by 41% (to 26,152), [...] transgender identity hate crimes increased by 56% (to 4,355). Shocking statistic considering we live in a global metropolis like London, the year is 2022, and members of the LGBTQ+ community live with the mistaken belief that hate crimes no longer affect them.
This body of work consists of a short film including performance, linocut prints printed on discarded makeup remover wipes, and recordings of LGBTQ+ community members' journeys home with audio accompanying testimonials and sound recordings from queer venues, as well as a Drag Queen removing their make up after a performance.
This body of work aims to bring to life the hardships that this community continues to endure in an era when it is considered "safe to be queer." Using data and images as a protest, delivering genuine testimonials and performances to the spectator to highlight the reality we still confront in 2022 in a global city like London.