The first thing I have to note about Pride over the weekend is just how much I was thrown in the middle of it. Having only started my charity placement for Support U last week I only saw the very end of weeks of hard work that the Support U staff had put into preparing for Pride, and yet it was enough to leave me stunned. Everything needed to be planned, laid out and sorted with precision. From getting the marquee set up only the night before to ensuring that all the free sweets were packed and ready to be handed out there was no end of activity among the Support U staff as the final week drew to a close.
So too then finally turn up on the day of the parade, exhausted from the preparation (as well as possibly losing my Rocky Horror Picture Show virginity late the night before) was overpowering. The noise as you walked around the corner of the station struck at your nerves with a jolt of energy and the warm glow of excitement and general belonging began to sink in. This made it hard not to just simply smile. Why? Because the atmosphere was just too wonderful to do anything but.
The fact is the whole LGBT+ spectrum seemed to have turned up from far and wide including manygroups that rarely gain much media attention. There were asexuals, bisexuals, pansexuals, homosexuals, polysexuals as well as people who were genderqueer, genderfluid, transgender, transsexual, androgynous, as well as many others and of course those who were simply allies.
The parade began with a crowd cheer as they descended the steps by Station Hill and made their way towards Broad Street. Many people cried out or honked their horns in support as the crowd passed. Businesses came out to greet us, welcoming the event with a smile and an open mind. Even the Maiwand Lion seemed to greet the diverse march as it passed through Forbury Gardens towards Kings Meadow where the pride’s fairground had been set up
There was already a hubbub of activity at Kings Meadow by the time those from Support U who took part in the parade arrived. Our stand was wonderfully highlighted by the Reading Buses’ double decker bus which sported advertisements for Support U. From here and the neighboring marquee we were able to distribute information about LGBT+ issues as well as the charity’s contact details, increasing our chances of helping people through increasing public awareness of the charity.
Among the various things we handed out were the sweets which had been expertly packed by hand by the Support U volunteers. Holding the bag closed were an array of stickers, each sporting a quirky slogan or joke such as; ‘Nut Free/Lesbian Friendly’, ‘WARNING: May Attract Bears’ and ‘Half Way to a Sugar Daddy’. The parents in particular seemed to enjoy the slightly risqué humor that went over the heads of their children. Suffice to say they all went down a treat.
Then there were the new Support U postcards which are part of our #UseLessHate campaign. There are four to collect, each displaying a different aspect of the LGBT+ community e.g. marriage, identity, family and support. We also went around gathering photographs of people holding up the Support U frame, artfully crafted with enough glitter and rhinestones to question whether LGBT+ individuals are in fact some long-lost subspecies of magpie. (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.916340341780883.1073741833.118925234855735&type=3).
But in the end Pride acted to remind us all at Support U of why we continue to offer high-quality LGBT+ support services to the Thames valley area. Each face there that day only felt confident enough to come to an open LGBT+ march because of the work put in by previous generations to further social equality. Yet whilst the turnout was excellent and beat all expectations, there are still those who feel unable to attend or even associate as LGBT+ due to various reasons. The simple fact is that nobody should feel they have to hide that part of them, simply put they should take pride in their identity.