Liverpool to install permanent statue of The Vivienne in Pride Quarter

Liverpool will honour The Vivienne with a permanent life-size statue at the entrance to the city’s Pride Quarter, in recognition of the drag artist’s enduring influence on the local LGBTQ+ community.

The statue is planned for the junction of Victoria Street and Stanley Street, the recognised gateway to Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ district, Attitude reports. From this location it will overlook the area where James Lee Williams first experienced acceptance and the freedom to become The Vivienne.

The initiative is led by House of The Vivienne CIC, formed by James’s family following his death in January 2025, in partnership with Liverpool-based LGBTQ+ platform Proudly Said. Liverpool Business Improvement District has provided initial funding that enables the project to move forward and launch a formal community fundraising campaign, which aims to raise around £100,000 for the commissioning and installation of the statue.

The Attitude Magazine Foundation has pledged £5,000 to support the effort. An initial £2,500 donation will help start the public fundraising drive, with a further £2,500 to be released as the campaign approaches its final target. Organisers say the statue will ultimately rely on contributions from LGBTQ+ people, allies, businesses and others whose lives were touched by James and The Vivienne.

Early concepts present the statue as a welcoming, accessible figure at the Pride Quarter threshold, looking across Stanley Street and acting in the words of those behind the project as a permanent “guardian angel” for the community. The plan is to create a space where people can gather, sit and talk, creating a social focal point rather than a monument viewed only from a distance.

“James gave everything to Liverpool and Liverpool gave everything back to him,” said Chanel Williams, James’s sister and a director of House of The Vivienne CIC. “This city saw him, accepted him, and helped him become The Vivienne. A permanent statue in the Pride Quarter feels like the right way to make sure nobody forgets that, and to remind anyone who might be struggling that they do not have to do it alone. That was what James believed, and it is what we are going to keep saying.”

James moved from North Wales to Liverpool at 16, quickly joining the city’s established drag scene and performing at venues including Garlands, GBar and Superstar Boudoir. Within the Pride Quarter, The Vivienne became a defining presence, known for commanding performances, sharp humour and support for LGBTQ+ people who sought community and belonging in the city’s nightlife and social spaces.

National prominence followed in 2019 when The Vivienne won the inaugural series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. James later appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and reached the final of Dancing on Ice, becoming the first drag performer to do so. Throughout this visibility, Liverpool remained central to James’s identity and story, both personally and artistically.

“The Vivienne was the Pride Quarter, and James had a way of making everyone who walked through any one of those doors feel like they belonged,” said John Hyland of Proudly Said, who is leading the project.

For many in Liverpool, the statue represents both a tribute to a much loved performer and a clear public commitment to LGBTQ+ visibility at the heart of the city. As communities and workplaces place greater emphasis on inclusion, initiatives that honour queer figures connect closely with efforts to create safer, more supportive environments in everyday life and employment.

Individuals inspired by projects like Liverpool’s tribute to The Vivienne, and employers seeking to reflect similar values in their hiring and culture, can sign up to myGwork to access LGBTQ+ friendly job opportunities and demonstrate clear support for equality at work.

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