There is something right special about my hometown Pride. Maybe it’s the sunshine, the salt, the sea, the queers but something about Brighton Pride gets to me every year.
I’m always so bloody proud of my city as we gridlock traffic, sashay through the streets and dance to Daft Punk on buses and since 1993 Brighton Pride has provided me with memories I’ll never sell, new mates I’ll never beat and a real sense of pride in my city.
And the best part for me? Every Monday after Pride (or Tuesday depending on how Rebelious we’ve been) when the streets are cleaned, the hangover fades and the Pride outfits hit the washing line, there’s always the promise that all that proud partying, that work, promotion, dancing and prancing has raised funds for our local LGBT charities and voluntary organisations. That was until last year when the Pride trustees announced there would no be donations. Nowt. Zilch. All that gay glitter for nothing.
And although 2010 saw a disjointed queer community back the event in a last ditch attempt to save Pride (and face), this winter a new proposal to reclaim Brighton Pride for the LGBT Community from the two main community organisations who work with Pride in Brighton & Hove each year, Calabash and the Women’s Performance Tent organisers, is being put before Brighton and Hove City Council. And I for one urge you to back their alternative bid and email your concerns to Brighton Council. (See emails below). No matter how you take your Pride, no matter what your focus; community or clubbing, politics or party, something has to change.
This city of ours has too much to lose if we can’t raise much needed funds for our local voluntary and charitable sector. With cuts threatening services and the so called big society as yet to appear, it is more vital than ever that we work together to refocus our Pride on what matters. Our community, our local LGBT charities, organisations and services. Because without them Brighton is nowt and without Pride Brighton is, well, not Brighton.
For this proud Brightonian if such major contributors to our Pride have decided to voice their concerns in an alternative bid, its time we supported them.
To help reclaim Brighton Pride for LGBT Community please email your concerns to Brighton Council.
Leader of the Council Mary Mears: Mary.Mears@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Leader of the Lib Dems Paul Elgood: Paul.Elgood@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Leader of the Labour Group Gill Mitchell: gill.mitchell@brighton-hove.gov.uk
The Convenor for the Greens Bill Randall: bill.randall@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Any comments you make need copying to each of the leaders.
Further information.
The two main community organisations who work with Pride in Brighton & Hove each year, Calabash and the Women’s Performance Tent organisers, have tabled an alternative bid to stage Pride 2011, which has a central focus of raising money for LGBT community and voluntary sector organisations.
The bid has been prepared in partnership with Wilde Ones Ltd who were the production company for Pride on Preston Park until last year when the production contract was given to Fishers Events Ltd after a controversial tendering process. Pride became in dispute with Fishers Events Ltd following this years event, due to disagreements concerning the delivery of the contract. It is not clear if the dispute with Fishers Events Ltd has now been settled.
The final partner on the bid, Aeon Events Ltd ran the bars contract on Preston Park till last year when they were sacked by Pride after asking to see Prides accounts before they handed over any money as part of their contractual obligations.
You can download the Business Community Partnership Bid from the Gscene website at http://www.gscene.com/health/index.shtml
Wildblood and Queenie 
Kate,
As one of the new Trustees on the board for Pride in Brighton & Hove I would like to add some comments if that’s ok…….
Pride in Brighton & Hove is financially secure and we have already secured sponsorships for Pride 2011.
The old trustees have all resigned with the exception of two.
Seven new trustees have been appointed to the board bringing a total on the board to nine people.
All of the new trustees are involved in the local LGBT community in one way or other through businesses or community organisations. These seven new impartial trustees have the majority vote for any decisions proposed.
With the exception of myself and my Partner none of the new trustees had met each other before we became Trustees.
We are all impartial, have our own ideas, have no financial or business interest in Pride and are making decisions for next years event as a group – not just rubber stamping the previous administrations decisions.
We are committed to rebuilding the mutual trust and confidence that previously existed between local businesses, the community and Pride.
The new board of trustees have been in office less than a month, we intend to make Pride sustainable and safe on the day whilst also raising valuable funds for local LGBT charities. We just need to be given a chance to prove this.
I promise you,the new administration only have the best interests of the local LGBT community at heart, to make Pride sustainable and raise funds for local LGBT charities.
Pride at the moment is run by a charity – this alternative proposal would mean that pride is run by a commercial organisation who are unaccountable to anyone – do we really want to lose our Pride to a commercial organisation??
When the new board of Trustees had our first meeting, as a collective we decided that our primary aims as Trustees were:
1) To make Pride sustainable and raise much needed funds for the local LGBT community and Charities in a time when the Goverment are cutting back on support for them. Manchester Pride raised £110,000 for LGBT charities this year – our goal is to raise similar amounts in the future. All of our profits will go back to the LGBT community – not just £1 per ticket with the rest going to shareholders as would happen with the other proposal.
2) Rebuild the mutual trust and confidence that used to exist between Pride, local businesses and the community. The previous administration may have made mistakes – but please give us a chance to try and resolve this and don’t judge us on our predecessors’ mistakes.
3) Ensure Pride is a safe, secure environment which reflects the ethos of celebrating our sexuality or sexual orientation whilst still integrating the community regardless of race colour or creed.
4) Try and deter the ‘Chav Straight’ element from using the festival as an excuse to party excessively.
5) Be entirely transparent regarding our finances, tendering and contracts. As a new administration we have to honour contractual obligations agreed by the previous administration, we cannot turn back the clock.
We all became Trustees knowing that we will be subjected to abuse and be criticised by some within our community. On Facebook several of the people who shout the loudest whipping up hatred towards Pride are actually former contractors of Pride/Wilde Ones using false names who have lost out financially so have a vested interest in the new proposal with Wilde Ones.
On a personal note having been married and witnessed homophobia whilst previously working in the Police service and corporate sector I am passionate about Pride, it’s ethos and what it means to my community.
Yes I have put myself in the firing line by becoming a Trustee of Pride in Brighton & Hove, but my strong beliefs are such that I really do not care about the abuse or criticism. As long as OUR community benefits at the end of the day.
Dave Bettelley
david@emergencyequipment.co.uk
Thanx for your comments Dave. I hope transparency and communication continues and that the entire LGBT Brighton and Hove community can grasp this chance to reassess what our Pride should be, what it should deliver and how that can be made possible.
As for your claim regarding false names on Facebook whipping up hatred due to their vested interests I really hope the time for “he said, she said” has passed and we can move on to what really matters. Providing Brighton with the Pride it deserves and raising the funds our local charitable and voluntary organisations need.
Interesting piece and good to hear from Dave as one of the new trustees… of course if last year hadn’t been such a disaster there would be no risk of “losing our Pride to a commercial organisation”.
Just one point… I hate the word chav and think it’s inappropriate for a charitable trustee to use it when discussing who should and should not be coming to Pride. As you know not all gay people are the same, and it would be very wrong to discriminate against youngsters coming to the park because they’re wearing hoodies or don’t look ‘gay’ enough.
Yes there are troublemakers on the park and some of them are straight kids who want to get off their heads and don’t care about gay pride, but having some sort of 80s entrance policy where you ask people if they know it’s a gay event and how they feel about that is just silly, and won’t work.
I still reckon fencing off and charging for part of the park (the tents, WF, etc) and having the stalls (which bring in revenue) open to all would be good.