This is a post I have been meaning to write ever since I came back from Brighton Pride a few weeks ago. When I started to write down my ideas I was just about to go on holiday and had only a short time to finish it. However I didn’t want this to be a post that was rushed, I feel it deserves more than that. Gay Pride is defined on Google as an event typically held during LGBTQ+ Pride Month or in a period that often commemorates a turning point in a country’s LGBTQ+ history. Pride events come in all shapes & sizes, ranging from rallies, LGBTQ+ pride parades, marches, community days, commemorations and festivals. Pride is seen as a celebration but there is still very much a battle going on for equal human rights.

The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community against the routine police raids that took place at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village Neighbourhood in New York. They are considered to be the most imprtant event leading to the gay liberation movement & modern fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. This year NYC Pride commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which saw over 5 million attendees in Manhattan alone. Stonewall was the start of the Pride gatherings/protests for equal rights & the freedom to live their lives as they choose. In an amazing documentary I watched the other day commemorating Stonewall, when asked why they were marching one protester replied ‘You’re not only fighting for yourself, you’re fighting for the people coming behind you’

In 2019 I have been to two prides; one in London & one in Brighton. The main question I will be deliberating around in this post is… Does a cause have to become mainstream and commercialised for it to be successful? 

This was my first year attending Pride in London & it was amazing to be able to attend on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. The day itself was a lot more organised than any other Pride I have been to, and the sheer size of it was so overwhelming. There were many different aspects of London Pride, aside from watching the parade I went to Trafalgar square mainstage. Performances from Becky Hill, Saara Aalto etc graced the stage. Although what stood out was the amazing tributes to the struggles that LGBTQ+ people go through everyday. The performances showcasing the fight that is still very much going on, brought tears to my eyes. I resonated more with the performances from members of the community as I could see & feel their struggle. For me they are the true stars of the stage & should be the headliners, always.

This was the first time I had been back to Brighton Pride since 2016 when I went for my first ever pride. Pride in 2016 was one of the most amazing weekend’s I’ve ever had. The energy, the people I met, it’s truly something I’ll never forget. This year we decided to go down to Pride last minute, I was apprehensive but excited. The day as always was an incredible celebration of wonderful people standing up for who they want to be. Although things felt different from 2016, over the course of the weekend I spent over £250, it was £40 alone to get into one of the street parties, drinks were around £15 & cigarettes went up double in price. I couldn’t help but feel it was more about how much money could be made, rather than why we were all gathered there in the first place. It’s great that local business are thriving but charging extortionate prices for things, I feel is just people using Pride to their own benefit. Seeing people on the streets that evidently just came for a piss up, without understanding why Pride is happening in the first place. So a question comes to mind… Does Pride give up some of its true meaning by becoming a social event, to appeal to a wider audience? 

What I have always loved most about Pride is the amazing people it brings together every year, that will never change. People from all walks of life, different sexes, ethnicities, backgrounds, all coming together as a declaration of peace. On Brighton seafront I got talking to John an openly gay man who has lived in Brighton since before he can remember. We exchanged stories & he asked me why I came to Pride, I replied ‘to see my friends from Brighton and enjoy a celebration like no other’. We got to talking about how Pride has changed over the years, but the meaning behind it all remains the same. He expressed his worries about how commercialised the ‘Pride’ name has become. John also described to me some of the homophobia he has faced over the years & that despite Pride being a celebration there is still a fight going on. His outlook on life & the way he is unapologetically himself was one of my main reasons for writing this blog post. Life is full of random people we meet along the way, and I’m so grateful that I bumped into him.

Earlier this year the story of two women who were attacked on a bus hit headline news. These women were travelling home, minding their own business & doing nothing wrong. Sitting on the bus they were harassed by a group of males, who told them to kiss each other. Because they refused, the women were verbally and physically attacked, all for refusing to kiss for the entertainment of these men. Children aren’t born homophonic, racist or ignorant, these are things they have to be taught. So who is raising them to believe it is okay to behave this way to another human being? 

It can be legal to be homosexual in a country but that doesn’t mean that it is seen as socially acceptable and bigotry and homophobia are still issues. A friend from Romania has spoken before about about how he fears holding hands with another man in the street. Regardless of the legal status of homosexuality in Romania, that ingrained homophobia is still there. The situation is even worse in some parts of the world. As of 2019, 14 countries or jurisdictions impose the death penalty for homosexuality. These include Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and parts of Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and Iraq. This statement alone proves that regardless of whether it is illegal or legal, there is still a fight going on around the world for people to be able to love who they choose.

I am aware that when I walk out the door I face little to no scrutiny or discrimination. This is why it’s even more important for me to speak out against prejudice, to acknowledge the privilege I have. So this means going to Pride not just for the party but to support & stand with my friends/strangers from the LGBTQ+ community. To go there with the knowledge behind why this event is taking place. It means dismantling homophobia head on, spotting prejudice in everyday life. Not shrugging off that homophobic joke, instead calling out the person making it. Doing my best to contribute to the break down of discrimination in every form.

So whoever you identify as, whoever you decide to love, you are valid, acknowledged & amazing. A quote I saw the other day on some Pride merchandise was ‘True bravery is being yourself in a world that tells you to be someone else’. The bravery that the LGBTQ+ community has shown over the decades and continue to show, is something that most couldn’t even begin to imagine. 

Hopefully one day Pride can be a celebration and not a protest as well but that depends on us all working to overcome prejudice and homophobia. I look forward to that day.