Good morning. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first ever Pride march in London in 1972, and after a three-year pause because of the pandemic, there is much anticipation for Pride in London on Saturday.
Celebrations are set to be bigger, bolder and louder than they have been in a long time, and the Guardian has loads of great coverage in the buildup, like the story of the very first event, three writers on why it matters to them, and readers’ memories of Prides gone by. There’s also news that the organisers have said uniformed police are not welcome because of Scotland Yard’s “homophobic” handling of the investigation into the serial killer Stephen Port.
Feted as the event in the capital is, it can draw so much attention that you could be forgiven for thinking it’s all there is to the LGBTQ+ community in the UK. So, for today’s newsletter, we wanted to explore the lesser-told stories of Pride up and down the country, from North Ayrshire to the Isle of Wight. First, though, the headlines.
Five big stories
Conservatives | The Conservative deputy chief whip has resigned after admitting he had “embarrassed myself and other people” following reports that he drunkenly groped two men. In his resignation letter, Chris Pincher did not directly address the groping allegations, first reported by the Sun.
Climate | The US supreme court has sided with Republican-led states to, in effect, hobble the federal government’s ability to tackle the climate crisis, in a ruling that will have profound implications for the government’s regulatory power.
Defence | Boris Johnson has said the UK will spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by the end of this decade, after a cabinet row over the military budget and claims the government would ditch a key commitment on the issue.
Ukraine | Troops have pushed Russian forces from Snake Island, a strategic Black Sea island near the city of Odesa. The development will weaken any Russian plans for a future land attack nearby, Ukrainian officials say.
China | Chinese president Xi Jinping has sworn in former security chief John Lee as Hong Kong’s new leader on the 25th anniversary of the territories handover from Britain.
In depth: The LGBTQ+ people flying the flag across the UK
Pride in London is the largest LGBTQ+ Pride event in the UK. The spectacle is unparalleled: in 2019 an estimated 1.5 million visitors came to the city that was filled to the brim with rainbows and glitter to sing and dance with their friends. In recent years, however, many have started to complain about the “corporatisation” of the event; indeed, it is impossible to avoid the logo-mania that has gripped Pride marches, particularly in big cities.
So, away from the mixture of protest, party and careers fair in London, what does the notion of Pride represent for those living in smaller or more rural or remote areas? I spoke to three organisers from across the UK to find out.
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Isle of Arran: ‘When I was young, you had to go to the Big Smoke’
“We got there in the end, it just took us 50 years,” says Michael Gettins with a chuckle. Gettins, an organiser who helped put together the first ever Pride on the Isle of Arran this year (pictured above), tells me about the “resources, information networks and communication” that were needed to bring Pride to the Scottish island. “Arran is a small community of about 4,500 to 5,000 people and it swells to around 20,000 in the summer when we have a lot of people who come over for the holidays.”
The community that Gettins describes isn’t what many people might imagine a small, remote island to have. “It’s a diverse and welcoming place,” he says. “All kinds of people come here.”
In Gettins’ mind, it was time. He and six others started organising the first Pride in Arran with virtually no money. They were so strapped for cash that Gettins had to pay for insurance for the event on his credit card. He wasn’t worried, though: he knew they would make the money back, and they did. The organisers decided to tap into their local resources, with “raffles, coffee mornings, and pop up events outside our local big supermarket. It was a community effort.” The event itself was eclectic; there were information booths from organisations like the Terrence Higgins Trust and the Equality Network, a parade along the seafront in Brodick, a picnic open to the whole island, and a cèilidh that went on all night.
“When I was a young man, you had to go into the big smoke to be able to meet with other people who were like you,” but that’s not the case any more, he says. Pride can and will come to you now.
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Doncaster: ‘At first it was largely an LGBTQ+ audience, but that’s changed’
Jenny Dewsnap has been the chairperson of Doncaster Pride since 2016, although Pride in the newly minted city of Doncaster has been running since 2007. Dewsnap points out that back then it was quite “unusual” for Pride to just set up shop in a post-industrial northern town. But people still showed up in droves, with 1,500 attending that year. A lot has changed in 15 years, and the event has grown massively (while it’s hard to measure scale because the event is unticketed, the team has filled capacity at a square that holds 7,000 people, and are expecting 15,000 people this year.)
At Doncaster Pride there’s something for everyone. Those who want more traditional entertainment like tribute acts and drag queens will have somewhere to go, those with children will have a family zone, those who want to party will have a silent disco. Dewsnap says this is all because the profile of the people who attend Doncaster Pride has changed so much over the years.
“At first it was largely an LGBTQ+ audience but we’ve become very aware over the years that that has changed,” she says. And for those running Doncaster Pride, inclusion goes beyond activities. “We’ve included, for the first time, sign language interpretation on all our stages, there are more facilities for disabled visitors, we’re putting in a quiet space,” Dewsnap says, “we’ve really gone for it.”
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The Isle of Wight: ‘A lot of people preferred a more local event’
Discussions about having a Pride event on the Isle of Wight started six years ago, born out of a vigil that was held in Newport after the 2016 Orlando shooting at Pulse nightclub. “It was quite heartwarming to see the number of people who attended and who were also representative of so many different parts of the island community,” says Andy Newman, a trustee at Isle of Wight Pride. “In a way, something tragic in Orlando sort of created the opportunity for something really positive to happen here.”
It was challenging for the organisers at the start, but they pulled it off – so much so that just two years into its existence, the Isle of Wight hosted UK Pride which attracted 15,000 people. “You don’t host UK Pride more than once, so in 2019 we went back to being a much more local community event”, Newman says, “and actually there were a lot of people that preferred that.”
For Newman, Pride on the island was by the community for the community. Everyone involved is a volunteer, most of whom are balancing full-time jobs with their Pride responsibilities, and the events are sponsored by local businesses who offer services or money to help get the event across the line.
After a three-year wait, the next Pride is right around the corner in just five weeks. Even though Newman says there are still a few loose ends to tie up, he adds that it’s all worth it. “Attitudes have changed for the better,” he says. “Equality and diversity is very much an important part of life on the island now.”
What else we’ve been reading
Babies have been banned from the House of Commons, other than the ones who got elected. Stella Creasy, who has brought her daughter to votes, writes that the decision shows parliament “isn’t a 21st-century workplace, but a rarefied debating club for the elite”. Archie
As the invasion of Ukraine rumbles on, Vincent Mundy explores Kyiv’s club scene, talking to the people who say that war will not stop them from living and partying. Nimo
Anne Applebaum’s piece for the Atlantic about the January 6 hearings frames them as a canny exercise in persuasive storytelling. “The hearings offer not just a single point or argument … but instead seek to embed all of the different facts into a coherent narrative,” she writes. “This is an evolving story.” Archie
The episodes for Netflix’s Stranger Things are growing longer and more complicated with combined budgets that match blockbuster Hollywood films. Stuart Heritage asks if it’s it time to start thinking of the show as the next MCU? Nimo
Emma Brockes never meant to share her bed with her twins for seven years. It took Covid to break the pattern. “I have my room back,” she writes. “I read. I scroll. I stay awake until 11pm.” Archie
Sport
Tennis | The UK’s Katie Boulter, ranked 118 in the world, reached a grand slam third round for the first time in her career with a superb 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory at Wimbledon over last year’s finalist Karolina Pliskova. Heather Watson and Liam Broady also went through.
Cricket | Jos Buttler has been appointed Eoin Morgan’s replacement as captain of England’s limited overs team. Morgan said Buttler “commands tremendous respect” in the team.
Football | Tottenham have concluded a deal to sign Richarlison from Everton for £50m plus up to £10m in add-ons, provided the forward passes a medical.
The front pages
The Guardian splashes on “Tory deputy chief whip resigns amid sexual misconduct claims”, and many have similar. Sun: “Tory whip quits over drunken ‘gropes’, Telegraph: “Tory whip quits over drunken groping”, Mail: “Top Tory resigns ‘after groping two men’”. The Express covers the murder of Logan Mwangi: “How could this tragic little boy be failed so badly?”, as does the Mirror: “Innocent lost in house of evil”. The Times has “No 10 plans VAT cut to ease pain of rising prices”, while the i has “Theresa May urges Johnson to ban trans conversion therapy” and the FT goes for “Pressure mounts on sterling as trade figures drop to worst level on record”.
Something for the weekend
Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read and listen to right now
TV
Atlanta (Disney+)
“Donald Glover’s peerless series has evaded expectations and rejected the norms of episodic television. Just when you think you’re watching a whimsical stoner-comedy, season three grabs you like a dead hand reaching up from a haunted lake, and reminds you of the absurdist horror beneath.” – Ellen E Jones
Music
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Seven Psalms
“Seven Psalms features seven prayers, written in 2020, with a musical accompaniment by Cave’s chief collaborator, Warren Ellis. Cave’s changing thoughts about God are a connective tissue that runs throughout his body of work, and this is an extremely powerful album – even if you wonder how often you’ll listen to it.” – Alexis Petridis
Film
The Railway Children (in cinemas from 3 Jul)
“The Railway Children from 1970 is now rereleased, as a curtain-raiser to a forthcoming sequel – The Railway Children Return – which will be set 40 years on. Robustly and adroitly directed by Lionel Jeffries, who also adapted the Edith Nesbit novel, it continues to exert its grip on our collective teatime imagination, with its unworldly sweetness and gentleness.” – Peter Bradshaw
Podcast
A Positive Life: HIV from Terrence Higgins to Today (BBC Sounds)
“Sam Smith presents this series about the legacy of Terrence Higgins, one of the first people to die of Aids in the UK. The opening episodes tell the story of Terry, with friends sharing their grief and confusion at his death. There’s optimism, too, as Smith hears from those who fought to make treatment available, and those living with HIV.” – Hannah Verdier
Today in Focus
50 years of Pride and why we still need it
In 1972, members of the LGBTQ community marched through London demanding equality and celebrating their identities. Five decades on, Ted Brown from the Gay Liberation Front recounts his memories of that time
Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
After fleeing civil war in Sierra Leone as a child, Fatmata Binta spent two years living as a refugee in Guinea, and formed a relationship with food that was resourceful, communal, and wasted nothing. Now she is a chef in Ghana – and her remarkable food has made her the first African chef to win the prestigious Basque culinary world prize.
Her cuisine explores nomadic food culture and west African cuisine – but to Binta, food is also about cultivating “a space where women can grow economically and socially”. She plans to use her €100,000 (£86,000) prize money to build a centre where women can practise arts, crafts and other activities – including growing fonio, an ancient grain – rooted in her pastoralist Fulani heritage.
Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday
Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until Monday.
