The north of England has a long history of welcoming migrant communities, despite a growing far-right movement growing in the region. Indeed, immigration is an integral part of the history of the UK. While that’s in part due to a horrific colonial past, today we would hardly be anywhere without it. The well-loved national dish of Fish and Chips was brought over by Spanish and Portuguese migrants, and popularised by the Jewish migrant community in the mid-1800s. The iconic mini cooper was invented by a Greek engineer, who came to the UK to study. Chicken tikka massala, development of Marxist theory, 4am shawarma after a night out. Adrian Collins heads to Bradford, to speak with Trans+ refugees and migrants to find out what it's like on the intersections of being Trans+ and a migrant.
Episode Credits: This episode was produced by Adrian Collins. Mastering and executive production by Amber Devereux, with additional executive production by Jamie Wareham. Music: “Echoes”, “Dandelion” and “Earth” by SyncMusicTracks, vocals by Ivan Fryman from Manchester Central Library archives. Thanks to interviewees Amelia Pearson, Ayman Eckford, Mya Skylar and “Hazel” from Rainbow Migration. An additional thanks to the help of LASS (Lesbian Asylum Seekers Sheffield) for their collaboration. This episode was produced as part of QueerAF's Trans+ History Week mentoring programme with thanks to Trans+ History Week's Creative Talent Sponsor, Publicis Groupe UK.