A Manchester drag performer who said he was subjected to a ‘belittling and mocking’ post from a TikTok star about his appearance has told them ‘not to come back’ to the city.
Earlier this week, influencer Chef Dave Marshall, who has more than 350,000 followers on TikTok and 11,000 followers on Facebook, shared a now-deleted photo on their public social media following a recent night out on Canal Street.
The photo, of the Newcastle-based influencer posing next to local performer Rodger, was captioned to say he had taken ‘the wrong turn when in Manchester and accidentally ended up in the Gay Village’. He added: “Bumped into this… I’m calling it ‘This’ as I have no idea what it is.”
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Referring to their gothic-inspired make-up, Dave, who regularly reviews food at restaurants across the country, added: “Maybe he/she identifies as a ghoul. Surprised I made it back to Nottingham alive. I am walking a bit funny now tho.”
The post was instantly shared across social media, with some people accusing the TikTok chef of being ‘transphobic’. One person said: “What an absolute *****.” Another said ‘This is so repugnant’, whilst one more added: “Hope he got back to the early 1970s safely.”
Re-sharing a social media post of the photo, broadcaster India Willoughby said she felt the post had ‘empowered’ trans hate. Speaking to the M.E.N, drag artist Rodger said he was approached whilst working at a bar on Canal Street for a photo with the influencer. Rodger said the chef had been talking ‘nonsense’, and was ‘clearly very intoxicated’.
“Having worked in Canal Street and nightclubs for five years, I have a lot of tolerance for intoxication and drunk people having a good time but this man specifically was annoying me,” he explained. “He was saying how he would share my social media content to his many followers to which I said no as I learned a very long time ago that a stranger’s audience is not your audience and you will be opened up for scrutiny.”
In Rodger’s original comment to the now-deleted post, the performer told Dave to ‘stay in Nottingham and don’t come back’. Speaking about the original post, he explained: “His objective was belittling and mockery to poke fun at my presentation and use it as a catalyst for making a mockery of pronouns. This is clear in his use of emojis and hashtags and suggestive grammar, which, in this climate, is harmful to the trans community more than ever.
“I am a cis male drag artist, I am not trans, but many of my loved ones and important people around me are trans. They are the reason I have been able to make a career out of drag and why so many of us have the rights that we do today, even though it is still a constant fight to keep them and make sure we get more protections under the law.”
In a statement to the M.E.N, TikTok star Dave said his post was not transphobic and it had ‘nothing to do with their sexuality’. He said his comments were entirely in reference to the drag performer’s make-up, but said he apologised for causing offence.
“His statements were microaggressions,” Rodger said. “They are subtle and suggestive remarks which lead to a harmful narrative or relate to derogatory stigmas. There is no protection for marginalised communities when it comes to this.”
Rodger said he had been blocked by Dave since the incident was shared online, as well as others who have ‘asked him to take accountability for his harmful narrative’.
“LGBTQIA spaces are inclusive because we welcome allies,” Rodger said of the importance of areas like Canal Street. “These are predominantly our safe spaces where we can have fun and exist without fear of prejudice and it should be that way.
“I would love to say change can happen quickly for everyone but it can’t, ignorance can’t be educated overnight. These people need to hear our words and experiences and why microaggressions and suggestions are dangerous. For as long as people degrade us to “it” and “this” for mockery, it normalises it for the next person to do so.
“Especially if people like Dave are seen doing it and following it up by posting a picture it says ‘hey, I have these opinions and I went and did this and it’s okay’. What’s to stop his followers thinking they can go do it? And what’s to say one of his followers wouldn’t go and do it with bad intentions.”
Speaking to the M.E.N, Dave said that he felt the situation had been ‘massively taken out of context’. He explained: “It was a post regarding me bumping into someone dressed like they were undead or ghostly. It had nothing to do with sexuality as, to be fair, I didn’t even know what he was meant to be, apart from dressed up quite spooky with black eyes and scary face paint. That’s what the post was about.
“People have just jumped on it thinking I’m being transphobic, which isn’t the case as I went there with all my gay mates and they know I am not like that at all. I wouldn’t hurt anyone, let alone discriminate. It was just a post about bumping into someone who looked really scary, that was all.”
He added: “I even asked the person if I could post [the photo] as he looked awesome with his makeup. I didn’t even know he was gay to be fair, I just thought he was like an entertainer on the street so I had a selfie with him and did a funny post.
“But if it did cause him any offence then I would like to apologise. It definitely wasn’t my intention to. It could have been anyone, but because it was at the Gay Village people have jumped on it like I’m attacking someone which is not the case at all.”
Rodger said he had decided to speak publicly about the incident to raise awareness of the situations that many LGBTQ+ can find themselves in today. “To be the catalyst for his mockery and negative narrative is fine by me because I am a Scottish bisexual man from Fife, who has dealt with real men,” he explained.
“I am a tough person who can take this on easily, but he easily could’ve targeted someone else who maybe wouldn’t have been tough enough mentally that day. At my core, all I want to do is amplify these issues, especially for those within the trans community, as I’m tired of innocent lives being lost.
“My community is a community of love, understanding, artistry, family, and, most importantly, tolerance. We are very, very tolerant always have been and always will be. Sometimes fighting back and defending our community is necessary. We have been and always will be pushed, but we will push back when we need to.”
