Why one of the UK's only black drag artists believes the arts will come back stronger after Covid

• James Bartholomew as Yshee Black

Lockdown means that all of Birmingham's Gay Quarter venues have barely opened since March, completely changing the lives of drag artists in the city.

But, James Bartholomew, Birmingham's only black drag artist with a residency, believes the Arts will come back stronger after Covid.

"A pandemic can't kill creativity, it can't kill art. It can stop us and halt us a bit, but realistically, you are the artist, and as long as there are people around with hopes and dreams and creativity and performance, then there's always going to be, there's always going to be a stage."

Owner of the Nightingale nightclub, Lawrence Barton said his venues are crucial for the LGBTQ+ community.

February marks LGBT+ History Month, with this year's theme being 'Body, Mind, Spirit'.

To mark the occasion, James Bartholomew, also known as Yshee Black, has been speaking to ITV Central.

• Pablo Taylor reports.

Useful links to charities and information:

• MindOut - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Queer Mental Health Service

• akt - LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity working with young people aged 16 - 25

• Galop - LGBT+ anti-violence charity

Explore more of ITV's LGBTQ+ History Month coverage:

• LGBTQ+ Month: Transgender rapper speaks of his fears when coming out

• 'Be your own kind of beautiful': Transgender woman speaks out about self-acceptance this LGBTQ+ History Month

• How have attitudes changed towards the LGBT+ community since the 1980s AIDS crisis?

• Russell T Davies on It's A Sin: 'The 1980s AIDS crisis has been ignored, it has been set aside'

• Eddie Izzard: 'If you're miffed about my pronouns - relax, sit down, and have a cup of tea'

• 'I wanted a space where we could represent, honour and celebrate black queer life in the UK'

• First same-sex marriage takes place in Northern Ireland during LGBT history month