Sparkle - the national transgender

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

based in the United Kingdom that is best known for organising the annual Sparkle Weekend in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, which aims to celebrate the

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

community. The event claims to be the world's largest transgender event.

History

Sparkle was formed in 2005 by Kimberly Nolan and was granted registered charity status in 2011 by board member Sophie Summers.

Sparkle Weekend

Sparkle Weekend occurs in the second weekend every July, with the 12th weekend celebrated in 2016., where over 12,000 people attended It is based around Manchester's Canal Street, with local bars and restaurants sponsoring and advertising the event, and various talks and workshops are run. On the Saturday and Sunday,

Sackville Gardens Sackville Gardens is a public space in Manchester, England. It is bounded by Manchester College's Shena Simon Campus on one side and Whitworth Street, Sackville Street, the Rochdale Canal and Canal Street on the others. The land was purchased by ...

hosts a stage and stalls.

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR)

Sparkle also hosts the Manchester Transgender Day of Remembrance every November on the Sunday nearest to the 20th to remember victims of

transphobic Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...

crime as part of the

Transgender Day of Remembrance The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually (from its inception) on November 20 as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transp ...

Other activities

In addition to organising the Sparkle Weekend, the charity aims to promote awareness and acceptance of the Transgender community. In November 2014, Sparkle organised a candle-lit vigil to remember victims of

crime as part of the

Trustees and Patrons

Sparkle has a governing body of trustees who are led by Joanne Mason (Chair) and Lee Clatworthy (Interim Vice Chair). Sparkle currently has three patrons Professor

Stephen Whittle Stephen Thomas Whittle, (born 29 May 1955) is a British legal scholar and activist with the transgender activist group Press for Change. Since 2007, he has been Professor of Equalities Law in the School of Law at Manchester Metropolitan Univer ...

OBE, LGBT Rights Activist Rebecca Fox, and Actress

Annie Wallace Annie Wallace (born 6 May 1965) is a British actress, known for portraying the role of Sally St. Claire in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', a role she has portrayed since 2015. She is the first transgender person to portray a regular tran ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Sparkle
LGBT organisations in the United Kingdom LGBT culture in Manchester