Proud
Due to the legal work and support provided by Mayo Wynne Baxter to Pride we were invited to a celebratory breakfast followed by a ride on the open top bus leading the Pride procession through Brighton. As a family lawyer I regularly deal with issues arising from LGBT relationships and have played an active part in our Equal Marriage survey therefore I was delighted to attend on behalf of the firm.
to be part of
This year I swapped my usual place amongst the crowds to celebrate Pride with the organisers of the festival, the Mayor, the Sussex Police Commissioner, local councillors - oh and not forgetting George from Rainbow, Priscilla and Dorothy!
Pride
homosexuality and that 40 years later the festival took place just weeks after the legalisation of same-sex marriage and now has massive support from the press and the local council. It was clear that there has been a big step forward for equality and human rights in Britain and the day made me really appreciate how lucky I am to be living in Brighton where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated. However, in amongst the flamboyancy, glitter and happiness there was also a more serious message that many LGBT communities are still battling against homophobia and discrimination, the parade helped to highlight this in particular by including a walking tableau in the parade featuring 100 posters declaring Brighton’s support of the Russian LGBT community. By Gemma Hope
The morning started off with a delicious breakfast at the Brighton Metropole and one of the Directors of Pride, David Hill, provided us with his “Gay to Z of Pride” which was entertaining, heart-warming and uplifting and really set the tone for the day. We then jumped on board the open top bus, covered in a huge rainbow flag, and headed to Madeira Drive where we were welcomed with a VIP trip on The Brighton Wheel. David opened the festival followed by a blessing from the vicar of Kemp Town. We then hopped back on board the bus and made the journey through Brighton to Preston Park. I was overwhelmed by the sense of solidarity and joy throughout the parade. It is amazing to think that the parade was borne out of political objection to the government passing laws to ban the ‘promotion’ of
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