VIDEO - Ru Paul’s Drag Race finalist supports York LGBT Charity

Leading UK drag queen Divina De Campo, as seen on The Voice UK and Ru Paul’s Drag Race, has announced her support for York’s local LGBT charity fundraiser. 

York LGBT Forum, a charity that works with the most vulnerable parts of the LGBT community, has launched a new fundraising campaign under their creative subgroup QueerArts, coined “Share The Rainbow”.

Having a predicted shortfall of £9000 income owing to coronavirus, York LGBT Forum are now pulling out all the stops so that they can continue to offer their services. 

The premise of the fundraiser involves an online music video challenge, where people are asked to make a small donation to the fundraiser and submit a video of themselves lip-synching to York’s LGBT Choir’s charity single “Through The Storm”.

Having launched the fundraising campaign a fortnight ago, it has already started to gauge a lot of interest online.

People have been getting very creative, with renditions of the challenge being done as the hulk, as Tigger, and there has even been a submission of a dinosaur with over 27,000 views!

The challenge has now been picked up by Ru Paul’s Drag Race finalist Divina De Campo.

She has posted a video online showcasing her support for the fundraising campaign and is set to release her challenge in the next few day.

Anyone who now submits a video will be in with a chance of being in a music video with her!

The fundraiser hopes to raise money to create the music video, which will involve a film editor and 2D animator, and thereafter, profits will be split between the NHS and York LGBT charity.

Creative director of QueerArts Wayne Dawson says: 

“The rainbow has always been a distinctive symbol for the LGBT community.

It’s a symbol of safety, of hope, of solidarity and of community.

The rainbow has now also started to be widely used as a symbol of support for the NHS.

With our charity and the people we work with being drastically impacted by coronavirus, and knowing the incredible work that the NHS are doing in helping to save lives, we made the decision to split the profits of the fundraiser with the NHS.

With the rainbow being an important symbol for both the NHS and the LGBT community, we decided to coin the campaign “Share the Rainbow”. We hope the community involvement in the creation of the video, as well as the final product, will send a message of support to both the NHS and the LGBT community.”

Jake Furby, Health and Wellbeing coordinator of York LGBT said:

“As a small grassroots charity our activities have been hit quite hard by the Coronavirus crisis.

We lost 1/3 of our volunteers but have had an increase in people wanting to access our services.

We have no staff.

Our members have faced many challenges since lockdown was announced, this includes people who are fleeing from homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic abuse at home, those who have mental ill health and some who are struggling with addiction.

Many of our members rely on our services and are not in contact with statutory services and see our projects as lifesaving and vital especially during this time.

At times we have found it hard to justify why we deserve funding as some of our projects which support some of the most marginalised people in society is seen as "nice to have" and not an essential service.

I can tell you and I am sure our members would agree that our services keep people going and in many cases the only contact they have with people who are like them, who understand and who can support them.”

Local resident Micheala Lovell who access York LGBT Forum services has said:

“It is no mean feat to be able to say that, the LGBT Forum has changed my life for me.

Since developing fibromyalgia, I had lost a lot of things; my job, my partner, my Dad, some friends, my mobility and normal way of life was gone and with it all my confidence and feeling of self-worth.

With the help of York LGBT Forum within their Confidence Workshops, I slowly rebuilt that life.

The workshops opened up other avenues, one of which was my becoming a member of the, Colours of the Rainbow.

Joining has significantly enhanced my life.

My social life has flourished because I am part of the LGBT Forum and can take advantage of as many of the events organised, that I can, especially the Coffee Socials.

The people I have met are really friendly and we all support each other.

Most of all, I find that we laugh a lot when we are together, which is so wonderful after going through such dark times.

We are all very respectful and supportive of each other.

We are a very special group and I’m so lucky to be part of it. I now have my spark back and, despite my chronic illness, am feeling like the person I used to be again, but better.

I have made, what I believe will be, lifelong friends who I can be myself with and feel accepted for who I am. It’s the most wonderful feeling! I thank York LGBT Forum from the bottom of my heart."

Here is a link to the fundraiser:

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