Joy Is An Act Of Resistance

Words by Lauren Regan

Photography by Christopher Owens

With social media increasingly filled with hate and misinformation, political agendas and polarisation slicing through communities and anti-queer rhetoric on the rise, you would think that Phil Douglas, founder and director of Curious Arts, would be despondent, but he’s anything but. 

I find Phil sitting in the corner of an independent café, sipping on a latte and reading the news that the UK government has announced an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for under 18s, impacting those with gender dysphoria - a move that various groups that work with trans youth have criticised. 

“The world is a noisy place, and sometimes it can be tempting to think we are moving in the wrong direction,” says Phil. “People ask whether there is still a need for events like Pride, and then you read the responses and comments to news like this and it just shows how polarised we are becoming as a country and the importance of bringing people together to have real, thoughtful, honest and hard conversations.”

“It’s more important than ever for the LGBT+ community to open our doors to people who have positive intentions to learn and understand, even if they’re not doing everything perfectly or we don’t see eye to eye on every issue.” 

“There are a lot of words being thrown around out there and adding more isn’t always helpful. I believe that having a means of creative output can often help people navigate what the world looks and feels like for them when they can’t always find the words to express it.” 

Curious Arts was formed back in 2016 when Phil started to notice the lack of cultural activity for himself and his friends in the queer community in the North East. These events were happening frequently in other areas of the county. Speaking about his drive to build Curious Arts, it’s now one of the leading arts organisations in the region, developing events and delivering global inclusivity training to businesses like Twitch (Amazon) and Sky. Phil said, “Over the past nine years, the world we live in has changed many times over. The artistic community plays an important part in allowing people space to reimagine their part in society or imagine a brighter, less divisive future. Now, more than ever, visibility for trans, non-binary, and queer artists is important and there is a real opportunity for us to galvanize and create joyful, safe, and positive spaces for people living in the North East.” 

Curious Arts is the organisation behind the popular Curious Festival, as well as a host of pop-up Pride events in Tees Valley and a thriving programme exploring and celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual culture through the arts. The charity has grown and evolved through years that have been particularly chaotic for the queer community, and Phil and his team have worked tirelessly to curate experiences that platform work and create positive spaces that are open and welcoming for everyone. 

Phil isn’t one to shy away from uncomfortable conversations. “Our work started because of a lack of representation and a desire to be more understood, but it is now even more important to foster kinder hearts and minds as new challenges are thrown up. There’s an importance in having uncomfortable and, at times, challenging conversations for both sides. We will always need spaces where our community can be their most authentic selves, but the world is changing and a lot of people are relying on half-facts or misguided stereotypes, rather than taking the time to ask questions because they’re too afraid to say the wrong thing or they don’t have a safe space to ask them – that pushes people apart and gives harmful, negative agendas room to persist. It’s more important than ever for the LGBT+ community to open our doors to people who have positive intentions to learn and understand, even if they’re not doing everything perfectly or we don’t see eye to eye on every issue.” 

I look at most boards of trustees for LGBTQIA+ charities across the UK and you will find a distinct lack of “straight men” represented, something that Phil is keen to change to make real progress. 

“First of all, I think there is some major myth-busting to be done about who can and can’t become a trustee of a charity generally”, Phil says. “People think that you must be academic or have a specialist skill when really you simply have to have a willingness to share your opinion, a new perspective, or different ways of approaching a problem. There is no blueprint to what makes a great trustee, and the power comes from the diversity of opinion, thoughts, and experiences that are around the table.” 

“I do think there is still a fear from straight men that people will think that they’re “gay” if they sit on a board of an organisation like Curious Arts” explains Phil. “You don’t have to go back that long and that was a pretty common insult in the playground up here, and that bias, the stigma, it  sticks, consciously or not. You see the same thing with rape crisis organisations or domestic violence charities, where trustees are predominantly women and there is an assumption that there is some kind of lived experience that has driven them to want to volunteer their time to a specific cause. I don’t think there is malice in a lot of cases, but we need to ask ourselves where are we turning up? Equally, take some ownership to acknowledge and understand the limitations of the echo chambers that the queer community sits in if we want to make meaningful and wide reaching change.” 

“I am fortunate to have built a career doing something which I love and see purpose in, but it does also link directly to my identity, so it can be difficult to read hateful comments on our social media pages or emails sent directly to me.”

A 2021 report by Just Like Us showed that LGBTQIA+ young people in the North East are the loneliest in England, with over half (57%) of young people identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community reporting feeling lonely or separated from those they are closest to on a daily basis – more than anywhere else in England. Phil believes that there is an opportunity for Pride organisers to combat this issue by moving away from only holding events in major cities.

“Without access to art and culture, we aren’t thriving, we are simply surviving,” he says. “Every town deserves its own relevant and appropriate Pride - obviously doesn’t have to be every year. I grew up in Stockton and lived in Tees Valley most of my life, and it’s pretty shocking that the closest large Pride festival was Newcastle until 2023 when Curious put on the first pop-up Pride in the town. Events do have to be appropriate to the community and the people that will be part of it though, so I don't think Kylie Minogue should be doing every town and village, that isn’t the heart of what a Pride event is. Success should be measured on whether everyone feels welcome, whether they are part of the queer community or not.”

Phil believes that we need to see more consistency with events celebrating and showcasing LGBTQIA+ stories across the whole year, rather than just during Pride month. 

“Quite often events happen once a year and then for the rest of the year, there isn’t anything else for people to feel part of, which can leave people feeling even worse. Next year we will spend more time turning up to where people are in their towns and villages, rather than assuming that they have the want or means to travel to more central spots. More than anything I want to design an offer that didn’t exist when I was young and use our event and youth programme to create a momentum of change and acceptance across the region. The North East has a reputation for being a welcoming and warm place, but sadly that isn’t always the case for everyone, and what we have to remember is that LGBTQIA+ people don’t exist in a silo. All of the other issues that we face as a region, like cost of living or employment opportunities, still play a factor. People identify as so much more than their gender or sexuality, we are parents, colleagues, siblings, and friends. This year, Curious will be working alongside charities like food and baby banks so we can support our communities across all of the issues that they might be struggling with, not just those connected to their identity as part of the queer community.” 

Circling back to the question of whether Phil envisions a future that doesn’t need Pride events, he pauses to think and consider the question. “That’s difficult,” he concludes, adding, “Pride started as a protest, and while, yes, I would like to live in a world that doesn’t need it, I don’t think that’s realistic. I do think Pride events in the future will look very different to how they look today as communities evolve and we need to keep finding new ways of looking at who is on the fringes; finding ways to see and invite them in on their terms, to make space for them to be heard.” 

As we get ready to leave, I ask Phil something that I’ve thought during many of our conversations: “Does it all ever get too heavy?” Phil smiles, “It can”, he admits. “I am fortunate to have built a career doing something which I love and see purpose in, but it does also link directly to my identity, so it can be difficult to read hateful comments on our social media pages or emails sent directly to me. I have to consider all of the possible risks to the safety of my team when we are delivering events. I was recently chosen for the CLORE fellowship (a cohort of exceptional leaders in the global arts and culture sector) and as part of that I am trying to work on resilience and fragility in a way that is authentic to who I am as a person.”  

“The world is changing, and as a society, we need to be strong together. Strength and power can come in lots of different forms, and making space for joy, community, and art is an act of rebellion and resistance against the challenges ahead.” 

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