Iconic drag race outfit goes on display for LGBTQ+ History month
Cheddar Gorgeous' 'Pink Triangle' look was designed to highlight the activism around HIV and AIDS in the 1980s
Last updated 2nd Feb 2023
An outfit worn by Cheddar Gorgeous on the latest series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK has gone on display in Manchester to highlight LGBTQ+ History Month.
The 'Pink Triangle' outfit was worn by the Manchester drag queen in the latest series, referencing the symbol used to identify homosexuals in the holocaust.
Later on the symbol was used by the queer movement in the 1980s with the slogan "Silence equals death" when fighting against the lack of help for the community during the HIV/AIDS crisis.
On the show at the time Cheddar said, "For me, it's a metaphor for the way gay identity works full stop. This look is absolutely dedicated to everyone who is fighting the stigma around HIV."
Last night the outfit went on display at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in conjunction with George House Trust and will be on show throughout February to raise awareness in the ongoing fight against HIV and break down the stigma that remains in society today.
"Drag is all about using the attention we get to educate people"
At the event, Cheddar told us: "For me, drag is all about using the attention we're able to get to educate people a little bit, drawing attention to things that we find important.
"The outfit was always designed to draw attention to the ACT UP movement, to the relationship between gay identity, shame and HIV and in addressing the needs of people living with HIV today."
She continued: "As queer artists, we get given a lot of love, we get given a lot of praise and I think it's really important to remember where the very idea of the gay community came from, which was about supporting each other and looking after each other in one of our times of greatest need, which was the HIV crisis.
"It's just about reminding ourselves of that and turning the attention that people like me get into action that can actually help the people who are doing the really hard work."