During the pandemic, shot-girl Nicolle Mozfi had to stop working in Cardiff’s LGBTQ+ clubs. Now she’s witnessing the struggles of getting ‘back to normal’
When asked to describe herself in a word Nicolle Mozfi says, “Perfect, talented, intelligent, beautiful, iconic, the list goes on. You need a dictionary for me darling.” The 23-year-old transgender woman has been selling shots for almost five years and has become synonymous with Cardiff’s LGBTQ+ nightclubs.
“I’m like the furniture, it’s like I live here,” Nicolle says when explaining her involvement with local LGBTQ+ clubs Kings and Pulse. She exudes a natural confidence that not only lifts the atmosphere in the room but also makes her impossible to reject when she asks you to buy three Jager bombs for a fiver.
One time someone offered me £20 to pee on them
From shot drinker to shot seller
She explains how she got hired on a whim. “I was on a night out, I was drunk and out of nowhere I had a job the next day,” Nicolle says before thanking her now co-workers.
She says, “Nicki Knockers, the drag queen, she kind of pushed me to do it.” And it’s clear she found a place to express her gender identity freely at Kings and Pulse; it’s more than just a job.
Then the pandemic hits and she loses both of those things. Uncharacteristically at this point, Nicolle doesn’t have much to say. “It was just a blur for me, very stressful” she says, explaining she lived with her Slovakian mother in Cardiff throughout the lockdowns.
It’s when talking about getting back her eyes brighten up again, but she admits the unlocking process brought her anxiety as well as excitement.
It felt like when everything went back to normal it really wasn’t normal at all
Getting the party started again
“I was very nervous at first,” Nicolle says in an off brand way for her. It became clear to her that being at home for 18 months made people forget how to interact with others politely, especially bar staff.
She says, “It felt like when everything went back to normal it really wasn’t normal at all.
“Seeing everyone shouting at everyone it was horrible, a lot of people hit on me, they forget I’m working.”
Some of the things she says customers have said to her are beyond belief. Nicolle recalls, “One time someone offered me £20 to pee on them.” She maintains that she loves her job but other staff members confirm the abuse levelled at them and Nicolle has gotten worse since the pandemic.
One bartender revealed Nicolle had been referred to as a “tranny” on several occasions and door staff said they felt they had never seen so many predators as they do now.
This comes as the BBC reported this year, that there had been a 25% increase in transphobic hate crimes since last year.
But Nicolle, as bold as ever, doesn’t plan to quit bar life anytime soon. When asked about the future she says, “I’m not rushing anywhere.
“In my 30s I want my own nightclub, called Nicolle’s Fantasy Land.” Explaining that people would have to do a Jager bomb with her in order to be allowed entry. But as she says herself, “I’m irreplaceable darling.” Irreplaceable to Kings and Pulse, but also to Cardiff’s LGBTQ+ community too.
Getting to know Nicolle: Asking fellow Kings and Pulse employees to describe her in as few words as possible
"Terrifying but my icon" "Gorgeous darling" "A true princess" "Mental, but I love her" "Eccentric, actually I take it back, flirty" "The words I'm thinking of you wouldn't be allowed to print"