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Watch Munroe Bergdorf address Britain’s LGBT+ community in her Qween’s Speech

Kemi Alemoru

26 Dec 2018

Even though it has become a stalwart of our festive season, The Queen’s Speech is not relatable content. Sitting in an opulent palace behind a very expensive-looking piano, Elizabeth told us that we all need to pull together through this difficult time yet didn’t outline a plan to share or help redistribute her enormous inherited wealth.

Having lived such a life of privilege she knows nothing of the suffering her speech laments, which is what has led to the creation of this alternative film: The Qween’s Speech. This poignant short, starring Munroe Bergdorf, hopes to address the 1.3 million LGBT+ Brits whose needs are too often sidelined in the Christmas conversation of how to unite Britain.

Since 2014, hate crimes have almost doubled in London, according to figures from the Metropolitan Police. Online and in our national newspapers, transgender people are subjected to vile abuse and their very right to exist is constantly put up for debate. Since being dropped from a L’oréal campaign for speaking out about race, Bergdorf has continued to call out racism and transphobia. Donning red latex gloves and a tiara, Bergdorf’s speech traverses urgent issues such as the lack of support for queer students in our education system, racism, sexism and transphobia in our society, and how we can tackle the lack of PreP for potential HIV sufferers.

As the Queen is the symbol of empire this film also takes the time to look at the anti-gay laws which still repress LGBT citizens across 36 countries in the Commonwealth. It’s not often that the nation is ever asked to face up to how our colonial footprint still impacts queer people of colour worldwide.

Watch the film below: