The LGBTIQ+ List 2022: Cloe Gregson, Manchester Pride

The LGBTIQ+ List 2022 – IQ Magazine’s second annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – was published in the Pride edition (issue 112) last month.

The July 2022 issue, which is available to read now, was made possible thanks to support from Ticketmaster. 

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each individual on their challenges, triumphs, advice and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Catch up on the previous interview with Troy Suda, chief product officer at Ticketmaster in the UK.

The series continues with Cloe Gregson (she/her/hers), senior events manager at Manchester Pride in the UK.

Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.
A big personal triumph for me is curating the lineup for the Gay Village Party in 2021. It was my first year leading on the programme and it ended up being the queerest and most diverse lineup Manchester Pride had seen to date.

The pool of talent in Manchester is incredible and I created the programme by working with some of the absolute powerhouses that reside here. Co-designing with Fat Pride, Trans Filth and Joy, Black Pride MCR and some of the best queer females and femmes.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?
Support each other! Accepting the support offered to you is the best advice I can give – you will learn and grow from it. If you have an idea, ask as many people as you can about it and take their feedback because it’s priceless. Gaining others’ insight teaches you how to offer that same support to others. Someone once told me to always told me to pick another letter from LGBTQI+ to support, if you’re L…support the T!

Tell us about a professional challenge you’ve come across as a queer person in the industry
Before my time at Manchester Pride, I worked mostly in live music and events and in a cis-white-male-dominated industry and it often felt like a fight to prove my worth and to feel respected. When I joined Manchester Pride, it felt like home and I’ve felt championed in everything that I do.

“If you have an idea, ask as many people as you can about it and take their feedback because it’s priceless”

One thing the live industry could do to be a more inclusive place?
We need to make sure we are paying all artists fairly and trying our hardest to ensure we meet fee expectations. No artist should be expected to work for free or for less than they are worth. Sticking by this will mean we see more local and up-and-coming artists featured.

A cause you support
Supporting our trans community…all year round. Ensuring our trans and non-binary family are represented in all of the events that we do, as producers, technical team, hosts, panellists, photographers dancers, singers, poets and more. Representation across every area is super important.

The queer act you’re itching to see live this year
We have some amazing artists joining us for this year’s festival. I’m looking forward to checking out what Black Pride MCR do this year, NIMMO who are joining us from London and Bimini! I’m also really excited to see some of the incredible programme for Superbia! that Beau-Azra Scott has produced.

Your favourite queer space
Fat Out Festival, which is three days of continuous experimental music and art performances. It’s queer, grassroots and based in Manchester. What more could you want?

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.