Drag duo The Vegan Queens join Rochdale’s first Pride celebrations

Rochdale’s first ever Pride celebration, Rochdale in Rainbows, will welcome The Vegan Queens on Thursday 21 November.

Paul Burgess and Stuart Crowther are drag duo The Vegan Queens, from Oldham and Rochdale, respectively. As part of Rochdale in Rainbows, the queens will be performing cabaret and show tunes at the local museum and art gallery, Touchstones Rochdale.

As The Vegan Queens, Paul takes on the identity of Gemini and Stuart, Creeping Miasma.

Of taking part in Rochdale’s very first Pride celebrations, Paul said: “We always look forward to performing wherever it is, but it’s always more poignant with Pride.

“It’s an honour really. Pride festivals is where the core of our careers lie.”

The queens have spent years performing their drag act and are looking forward to bringing the fun to Rochdale. At Touchstones, the audience can expect to see live music, comedy and a couple of dazzling drag queens, in Paul’s words.

He added: “We are very excited for the first ever Pride event in Rochdale. We hope it becomes a regular thing.”

Paul said that hosting is a specialty of The Vegan Queens and they recently had this year’s chance to host Stockport Pride in its entirety after a successful show in 2018.

He said: “We’d love to host Rochdale Pride one day.”

Stuart, who is from Rochdale, has performed in the town before but Thursday will be the first time he performs in drag here. He became involved in the drag scene three years ago, when he and Paul were involved in ‘Now We’re Talking’, a segment on television channel That’s Manchester.

Paul was a host on the show where Stuart was a regular guest. After doing the show in drag for a Manchester Pride special, the two decided to continue and went on to create their successful drag act.

Paul said that it is still important that Pride celebrations continue.

“I can’t walk through most town centres holding my husband’s hand, who I’m legally married to because of prejudice towards the LGBT community.

“That’s why we still need Pride.”

He said that there is 'still a way to go' which is why The Vegan Queens take part in Pride celebrations all over the UK.

Paul also has a Youtube channel, ‘Those Vegan Guys’, which he runs with his husband, Jason. They create vegan recipes and taste test products which also occasionally features other drag queens, including Creeping Miasma.

 

 

Those Vegan Guys has seen a large following recently, with almost 2.5k subscribers to their YouTube channel and over 132k views.

Paul and Jason champion “down to earth veganism” while helping to highlight vegan shops, restaurants and businesses in the North West.

As well as practicing veganism in their personal lives, Paul and Stuart shop as sustainably as they can by sourcing almost all of their drag garments from second-hand stores around Oldham.  

Touchstones Rochdale will play host to The Vegan Queens at a LGBT+ Late Night Gallery Social with music from DJ ARThouse on Thursday 21 November from 7pm – 11pm.

The event is free, and ticketholders must be over 18 years old.

For more information about the LGBT+ Late Night Gallery Social, please visit:

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/search?searchtype=text&searchvalue=rochdale+in+rainbows