Reflections on Sparkle 2014

• Posted by Pauline Smith July 15, 2014 2,042 views
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  This year Sparkle was a bit of a curate's egg - good in parts and not so good in others.  The great thing about Sparkle is meeting all your old friends and making some new ones, the bad parts are if you have unpleasant experiences like we did on Saturday night when our dinner was not up to scratch. Its all part of the Sparkle experience - like blistered feet and spending too much !!  

   

  For me this was my 6th Sparkle and so far every one has been rather different. And always in Manchester rain plays a part in the proceedings, with the exception of last year when it was dry and very hot - so then copious quantities of Pimms needed to be imbibed by me and my friends during the daytime.  I also thought that less people were there on the Saturday day than in 2013, partly I suspect because of the new full programme on Sunday.

   

  Many girls stay in hotels for Sparkle - it is rumoured that fleets of pantechnicons arrive, during the day on Friday outside places like the Ibis and Britannia, full of racks of clothes and suitcases of shoes - ready for their wearers' many changes of outfit.  Maybe next year I will stay in town, rather than coming in from home every day, so that I too can have more changes of clothing than 1 outfit per day and night - plus a place to rest my weary feet in the afternoon before venturing out again. And a bed to stagger back to rather than a taxi.

   

  In the 6 years I have been going to Sparkle its gone from starting on Friday nite to starting on Thursday nite (it was very quiet and nice to see old friends last Thursday) and from finishing at lunchtime on Sunday with no real Sunday programme to a full Sunday programme in the Park.

   

  There are a small group of unsung heroes and heroines who work all year to make Sparkle happen and to ensure that it runs smoothly.  All of those people on the organizing committee put in many hours of work during the year before, and work closely during the event to make sure there are things like enough stewards and policing to make it smooth and hassle free. And all of them from Bella Jay downwards deserve our thanks and appreciation for making it a special event for the TG community.

   

   

  Big thankyous from all of us.

   

   

  Even the local paper - the MEN - recognizes how important Sparkle has become as a yearly event in Manchester, please take the time to read their report from last Saturday and look at all the photos, which were taken - maybe you will see yourself or someone you know? 

  http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/sparkle-park-transgender-sackville-lgbt-7413394

   

  For a flavour of one person's Sparkle photographically please take a look at Liz Arlington's Sparkle album http://www.transtastic.com/se4/albums/view/11690

   

   

  Sparkle is about transgendered people in all our varieties across that TG rainbow spectrum. I was lucky enough to hear Tony's speech on Saturday about why he as a gay guy, a "fat old puff" were his words, supports Sparkle and the TG community in the way that he does. He is the owner of Via on Canal Street, which of course takes lots of £££s from all of us. But he gives back by supporting Sparkle as a backer...and in so many other ways...

   

  He told this story about why he supports the TG community.  Back when he was 18 he had a friend called Wendy, who was in the process of transitioning and was waiting for the operation. Sadly she died before it could take place and her family refused to recognize Wendy and buried her as Dave. I guess this would have been almost 30 years ago and since then he has been a prime supporter of all of us special girls. So much so that he pushed for the memorial statue in Sackville gardens, so that there is a permament memorial for Wendy and all TG people who died. So all the Wendys have a special place.

   

  I was standing next to Mary Lunan of Manchester Concord when he said all of this and both of us had never heard this story before.  Tony was crying by the end - and there were a lot of very moist eyes in the audience.

   

  Sparkle is so special as it gives all of us the chance to mingle with people like ourselves and see those friends who don't live nearby, even if it's only once a year.  Yes we can meet at other times, but its not quite the same - there isn't that same zip...that Sparkle.

   

  And it enables the TG community to become more accepted in the mainstream.  My taxi driver on Saturday night asked me what should he call the Tgirls that he drove, as mate is not appropriate from his perspective - or ours. We agreed that "love" or "luv" is acceptable as lots of people say that to women they dont know - bus drivers, check out people in Asda call women "love". And he said I can't call you trannies - that is something you can use but we can't. So "love" it is - rather apt.

   

  I have already started putting away money for Sparkle 2015, and will be there - rain, poor food, whatever....and I for one will be looking forward to meeting my old friends and having a great time.

   

  hugs

   

   

  Pauline xxx