Performer 'shocked' at alleged 'transphobic' conversation heard in Pride accreditation hotel

A performer says he was ‘shocked’ to hear an alleged transphobic conversation at the hotel hosting Manchester Pride’s media accreditation suite.

Dev Mistry was staying at the Malmaison Hotel in the city centre on Friday (August 25) for Pride weekend, where he was performing burlesque. The 30-year-old says he was having a coffee while wearing headphones in the hotel lobby when he overheard the alleged conversation.

“I picked something up and I took my headphones out to confirm that I could understand what I heard over the music,” Dev told the Manchester Evening News.

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

Join our FREE Manchester City Centre WhatsApp group by clicking here

“It was [a staff member] talking to others about trans people. It was not necessarily malicious but it was that ‘men are men’ and ‘women are women’ and there’s no in between.

“It felt like a one sided conversation with the others. It was in the coffee shop, that’s shocking.

“If you have those beliefs, that’s on you. To voice them out loud is one thing, but to do so while hosting accreditation for Manchester Pride felt very reckless and ignorant and disrespectful, for me.”

Dev says he complained to a receptionist, and the individual who allegedly made the comments spoke to him. Dev went on: “[They] said I misheard the conversation and apologised for any offence.

“They said it was about everything changing and they/them. It felt like an apology to get out of jail scot-free.

“It made me uncomfortable having that conversation. Even if I got it out of context then it should not be in public.”

Since then, Dev says he contacted the hotel's head office. They said the hotel has ‘launched an HR