Not going shopping
Harry Hillery , a veteran of Prides past and , opposite , Loulou Novick , newly out and ready to enjoy her first Pride as “ who she is ”, talk about what Pride means to them
I moved to Brighton in 1988 to setup a small business and decided that setting myself free should also be part of the adventure . In London I ’ d lurked in the shadows , fearful of what people might think .
This might sound over the top nowadays , but it was different then . I remember testing the water with a ‘ friendly ’ boss once , only to be told that if my news went public , any hopes of progression would evaporate if I wasn ’ t sacked first . So , I came to Brighton to be reborn and vowed to never lie about myself again .
In 1991 I met Alf in the Black Horse and we soon fell very much in love . Looking back , I owe so much to his gentle nudges and knowledge of all things queer . He introduced me to new ideas , new writers and helped me navigate a new queer reality . My first Brighton Lesbian & Gay Pride with Alf was in May 1992 if memory serves .
I remember how moved I was by the spectacle and how overjoyed I was to be holding hands with my boyfriend . At the time , Brighton was gripped by the AIDS epidemic and the fallout of Section 28 , which made it doubly important to shout our presence and challenge a tsunami of hate and misinformation .
As we walked along Western Road towards Churchill Square , chanting ‘ we ’ re here , we ’ re queer , we ’ re not going shopping ’ there was a tangible sense of loathing from the pavements , that sometimes turned into abuse or occasionally a missile . Although I was nervous and a little frightened , I felt a belonging that I ’ d never had before as a queer man – a kinship with those who ’ d trailblazed for me – Marsha P Johnson , Sylvia Rivera , Antony Grey , Jackie Foster , Peter Tatchell . Lesbian & Gay Pride had to be loud and angsty to be heard above the din of hatred - we were under attack and our friends were dying .
I haven ’ t been to a Pride event for many years now for a number of reasons . Apart from getting older and a general dislike for crowds and mess , for me that sense of kinship and a link to the past has gone . Dropping ‘ gay ’ and ‘ lesbian ’ in the title and the rebrand to Brighton Pride made me uneasy . Although queer as I prefer to call it is thankfully less siloed these days , the dropping of these words still felt like a watering down and a betrayal of sorts . A bowing down and compliance that was perhaps necessary to attract
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corporate sponsorship from banks and other institutions that would not have been welcome ( or wanted to be associated with us ) in days gone by .
The event struggled for years due to alleged financial mismanagement and in fighting , so things had to change , but I for one would be happier if the activism backbone was more prominent and given centre stage . I recognise things are better now , but gay marriage and the proliferation of rainbow flags to sell anything and everything , hasn ’ t made everything OK .
Our hard-won rights can be taken from us in a heartbeat , and there are many out there who still wish us harm . Queer Pride ( or LGBTQ Pride if you prefer ) is not just about getting horny and high or listening to Britney Spears , it ’ s about kinship and remembering how we got here . There ’ s also still so much more to do – look at all the venom around Trans rights for example - that ’ s surely what ‘ Pride ’ still needs to focus on .
On a final positive note though , it is wonderful that Pride is now so fully embraced by the city . It ’ s also wonderful that it raises such large amounts of money to help organisations close to my heart like Lunch Positive and Mind Out continue their amazing work . And lastly of course , whatever we call it , it continues to be the best of parties , and a great excuse to be loud and proud .