NYX Professional Makeup speaks to this club night about why we need more spaces for Black queer people
ADVERTORIAL, BY DIVA STAFF
“Loud, ratchet and family.” Those three words are how founder Mark-Ashley best describes what a night out is like at Jungle Kitty. The London-based club night allows queer people of colour to dance, groove and connect over afrobeats, jungle, R&B and more. It’s about authenticity, inclusivity and celebrating diversity.
Jungle Kitty is one of the trailblazing events that are being celebrated by NYX Professional Makeup’s Proudly Pro-You brand initiative this year. Created in 2019 and launched in 2022, NYX Professional Makeup’s initiative aims to help uplift and platform the LGBTQIA+ and the LGBTQIA+ people of colour, alongside support organisations that are creating queer-safe spaces and places for our community.
Mark-Ashley started Jungle Kitty in 2018 after falling out of love with club promoting. “I did a one off summer day party,” Mark-Ashley told NYX Professional Makeup. “At the time it was important for me as a DJ as well as a promoter because I had felt like I was the token Black queer boy to play that type of music in white queer spaces. It was nice to have a safe space, where queer, trans, non-binary people could come.”
More than a club night, Jungle Kitty has been helping queer people of colour to formulate community. “Jungle Kitty is a space where you can enter, dance, laugh, kiki, express yourself and to meet and grow with your community.”
Combatting the closure of some of London’s beloved queer venues, Jungle Kitty is creating a place where Black queer parties can take up space.
As one of the organisations supported by NYX Professional Makeup’s Proudly Pro-You brand initiative this year, Jungle Kitty has been able to put on bigger, louder and prouder events like their Carnival Afterparty back in August. “[People] can take something away with them rather than it just being memories.”
Mark-Ashley also told NYX Professional Makeup about the importance of allyship through work like the Proudly Pro-You brand initiative. “[NYX Professional Makeup] have shown allyship via acknowledging that there are Black queer people in the world and they need as much support as anybody else. I think this is exactly what brands need to be doing forward, investing more rather than pulling out.”
Learn more about Jungle Kitty and more about the great work that NYX Professional Makeup’s Proudly Pro-You brand initiative is doing at https://www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk/proudly-pro-you
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