Young queer protesters gatecrashed the opening event of Manchester Pride 2008 in Albert Square. Pride had organised a balloon release by a group of 18 year olds, in recognition of it being 18 years since the first August Bank Holiday event.
However, as officials, the city’s tourist chief and Manchester’s Lord Mayor looked on, protesters surrounded the balloons, unfurled banners and waved placards in protest at the commercialisation of the city’s Pride, high ticket prices, low charity amounts and Pride’s lack of inclusion.
Queer Youth Network present the voices and experiences of some of their 10,000+ membership of young LGBTQQIAP (Queer) young people volunteering all over the UK… Due to price hikes by the Manchester Pride Organisers, the previously FREE stalls in the Lifestyle Expo now cost unfunded groups like Queer Youth Network over £70 and the inflated wristbands costing £22.50 exclude most of the uvlnerable young people QYN supports anyway… The solution? Make Your Own Pride and don’t be a sucker for gay capitalism…
After the feedback from everyone, I sent the following message to the Pride organisers, and have recieved their response, shown below. They make their position pretty clear and I think it will be hard to have our ‘pride is a protest’ ideology if we are part of the march itself. What do people think we should do?
Hi Katy,
The placcards/banners will have messages such as ‘Pride not profit’,
‘pride is a protest’, ‘queer is not a dirty word’, ‘in 7 countries it
is punishable by death to be gay’ and lotss about how we shouldn’t be
Info-sharing, skillsharing, help + advice for setting up your own DIY pride events wherever you live; queer food for though...
Thinking about taking part in the parade but wish it was like old times where marching for our rights came before entering as walking advertisements for greedy corporate sponsors and boistrous self-publisist gay charities?
Join us in declaring “Pride IS a Protest”!
Taking inspiration from Birmingham’s amazing Pride is a protest event, there is now an organised group of queer activists working to ensure a similar event takes place during the Manchester Pride Parade on Saturday 23 August 2008.
