Pride means different things to different people. To some it’s a celebration, a safe place where they can be themselves. For others, it’s a protest, and a chance to have their voices heard louder than ever.
In the heart of the village at this year’s event, the M.E.N asked ‘what does Pride mean to you?’
Lee
“I work around the corner at The Goose six nights a week, kind of looking after the Village on a regular basis. But this is the first Pride I’ve ever done. It’s a fantastic atmosphere, and beautiful people. Even as a straight male, I love the fact that everyone can be themselves, embrace who they want to be. I’ve learned things too. Pronouns, he, her, they, them. I’ve had to learn this. Everyone’s so lovely, they educate you, so you know how to show the right level of respect. One of my best friends in the world was struggling with coming out. Bit of an alpha lad, suicidal at one point. Two years later, he’s engaged to most lovely guy in the world, I’m going to be best man at their wedding.”
Emily
“The parade is the really important thing for me, it’s so special for to see people supporting each other. But I love the quiet times of Pride. I’m not a massive party animal, so I find the quieter things that are going on, the talks and things, they’re always really valuable for me. Pride for me is about hearing those authentic voices and stories. That’s the true essence of Pride.”
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Stephen
“It about the whole community coming together with solidarity, and remembering there are still things that we need to fight for. Yes, we’ve got marriage, yes, we can adopt, yes, we can do a lot of things that we couldn’t do before, but we’ve still got so much further to go. Pride is a protest. There’s a party side, and a party element to it, but having Pride here in the village, it’s a way of educating people, saying this is where we are, but letting people know where we’re going too.” Stephen
Gurty McThunderflaps
“It’s celebrating different people coming together. But it still a protest. It’s still about reminding people that not all that long ago it was illegal to kiss a man in public. They forget that the age of consent used to be 21. We have to remind those young gay gays, and lesbians and trans, and all the crew, that Pride is still important and we still have to move it forward and we still have to remember our history.”
Sharon
“All my best friends are gay, and have been from a very young age. I’ve been coming to Pride since I was 18 years old, and I’m nearly 50. It means a lot to me because it means a lot to them. It’s a celebration of them. And it’s like a reunion. People I don’t see from year to year, I see them here. It feels better than last year, more relaxed, it felt a little more tense because of the restrictions.” Sharon Fisher
Kamaldeep
“This is my first ever Manchester Pride, but I went to London Pride by accident once. I’ve been out for three years, but what Pride means to me is that it used to be a protest about getting our rights, but now it’s as much about protesting for people who still don’t have them. It’s also a celebration of how far we come, and the fact we can be who we are, we can dress how we want to dress, and we can be everything all at once. ”
Star
“It’s about getting to be who you actually are. It just means getting to be you, just for a minute, and I love that. Everyone is just letting everyone else just be. Social media is so f**ked, everyone judges everyone. And this is the only place where people don’t do that. I saw someone in a Britney Spears all-in-one red leather outfit, and it was safe. No one else batted an eyelid. This is my first time, but I will be back.”
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