The people helping to create a safe space for LGBT+ people from ethnic minorities

  • Watch the report by Mike Griffiths

A support group for LGBT+ people from South Asian and BAME communities is celebrating five years since it was established.

Founded by mental health worker Vish and scientist Dr Numair Masud, Glitter Cymru wants to help its members "shine, sparkle and feel visible".

"I'm from a very traditional South Asian family and we don't talk about LGBT+ identities" explains Vish.

Glitter Cymru was formed after Vish and Numair met five years ago

"I went to study away in London and I got to see what other communities were doing. What the wider LGBT+ community was doing was very inspiring to me."

"Five years ago we started Glitter Cymru, and it's it's very much for for all ethnic minorities in South Wales.

"We have refugees, we have asylum seekers, we have local residents like me born and brought up in Wales, international students. We all get to learn from one another".

Numair, who works at Cardiff University, said the group can play an important role in bringing people together.

"I come from Pakistan where the penal code over there does criminalise people who are gay, so for me there were unique challenges that coming out could potentially be a threat to my life, which is why I am now a refugee here in the UK" he says.

Glitter Cymru organises weekly meetups, along with training and wellbeing workshops

"I was extremely fortunate that my parents were quite open minded so even though I was very conscious about using the label 'gay', I could talk about sex.

"When you take all the labels away, we're fundamentally just human and we want to be treated as humans with dignity and with respect. And who wouldn't want that?"