Asifa’s dress
I asked Asifa if she would like to contribute an item to be photographed for the queer archive. She told me that doing drag helped her to better understand her true self, so she contributed a dress that she has worn for various performances and has played an important role in her career so far.
The following dress was donated for documentation in July 2020
“I think i would like to contribute a gold sequin dress that I wore when I first hosted Croydon Pride In 2018. This dress was given to me by Channel 4 when I was featured in their ‘True Colours’ TV advert. This dress has been a significant part of my journey as visible queer Muslim figure.”
Here you can see Asifa performing in the dress for an advertisement on Channel 4’s True Colour TV diversity campaign, which was set up to provide an alternative voice and reflect Britain in all it's diversity.
She also made an appearance on Channel 4’s documentary 'Muslim Drag Queens’ in 2015, directed by Marcus Plowright.
“There is a whole community that is living in Britain which is hidden. Now is the time to come out. You’ve got to be big. You’ve got to be bold. And you’ve got to have balls of steel.” -Asifa Lahore: Muslim Drag Queens (dir: Marcus Plowright/Swan Films 2015)
