Plymouth Pride 2008. An Update!

Plymouth Gay Pride 7th June

Ed & John the publicans of the LGBT venue “The Clarence” have indicated to the Pink Pasty that this year they will be supporting the Plymouth Gay Pride March & Picnic on the Hoe.

I quietly think Ed & John are rather hoping to get up there with their own picnic hamper.

The Plymouth Gay Pride informal collective march/walk/bimble will move off, 3pm from outside the Plymouth Guildhall making its way up to the Hoe for a community gathering Gay Pride LGBT picnic over looking the historic harbour.

Bring your own picnic, drink, and rainbow flag & prepare to make new friends & meet some old ones!

A slightly grey cloud.

Astoundingly, there are those gay people in certain places who do not want the march & picnic to go ahead. There have been those who have actively attempted to stop it from happening!

The Plymouth pride forum website recently closed down on direct dictate orders of the chairperson of the plymouthprideforum, effectively stifling the voice and freedom of open & honest discussion between gay & lesbian people in the southwest. In a similar fashion Cornwall lost its Gay PRIDE Beach Day this year as a direct result of Police attitudes & practises against gay persons, causing the steering group to disband in fear of further police reprisals against gay persons.

“There have been some concerted efforts of a few powerful grant funded individuals to try to curtail & restrict gay people from celebrating PRIDE in the manor they wish to. Some on committees and within certain organisations are trying to dictate to lgbt persons in Plymouth. Deciding who can be involved and that gay people CANNOT have a Gay PRIDE march, but must remain herded like sheep closeted within the dictated confines of the Guildhall on the day, because THEY, a secret committee say so!” said one disgruntled gay person disillusioned with certain gay organisations in Plymouth

There are also growing rumbling of gay discontent about the way in which considerable public funds have been spent by some of those controlling the purse strings on gay events in Plymouth & the southwest. Questions are also starting to be asked regarding costs surrounding the 'Queen of Hearts Ball'.

“We don’t want Plymouth lgbt events turning into the same sort of scandal as has hit some HIV organisations in London regarding funds spent on loss making events which only appeal and are intended for a select elitist few” said another gay person from Plymouth, concerned if they openly express their discontent, they too will be targeted for exclusion

The concerns have even been spilling into the readers’ letters of the National Pink Paper & other Gay publications about the way some gay & lesbian people excluded from particular organisations & committees. Last year two members of the Cornwall PRIDE group who had been elected by the PRIDE steering group members to represent the group on the Devon & Cornwall police lgbt liaison group were told by ‘Intercom Trust’ that Cornwall gay PRIDE elected members may not be eligible to be on the Devon & Cornwall lgbt police liaison group?

If democratically elected Gay Pride members were not eligible, so who is?

The Intercom Trust has become involved with many organisations which have traditionally been discriminatory & homophobic towards gay persons, but at what cost?

As increasing numbers of lesbian & gay persons, express their dissatisfaction at being excluded & marginalised by the Intercom Trust! The Intercom Trust has received considerable funding and publicly claims to support & help LGBT persons, yet increasingly some gay people are being ostracised & isolated by those very people running the organisation.

On a more positive note the Clarence which recently won a Bronze Award in the National Gay Pink Paper for best gay venue, has indicated that they already booked and lined up some excellent entertainment later on in the evening of The Plymouth Pride Day.

Comments were tried to be obtained from both the Plymouth Pride Forum committee & the Intercom Trust...but it still seems emails are not responded to from gay persons who are not part of the elitist click.