On Saturday 1st August Green councillors will be joining thousands of others for the ‘Carnival of Diversity’ celebrating 25 years of Pride in Brighton & Hove.
The parade will set off from its new starting point on Hove Lawns at 11am for one of the most colourful and popular events in the city’s calendar, with over 160,000 people expected.
Green councillors, including Phélim Mac Cafferty, Alex Phillips, Louisa Greenbaum & Leo Littman will accompany the Green Party float which will be driven by their busman colleague Cllr Tom Druitt.
Cllr Alex Phillips, joining the parade, said:
“I’m proud to say that, alongside Pride’s achievements and those of many lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) groups across Brighton & Hove, our City Council has become an award-winning and pro-active advocate of LGBT rights, promoting equality and understanding while tackling homophobic discrimination and bullying in our communities and in our schools. As Greens, we have fought for the law to change so that gay men are not discriminated against when giving blood; we have fought for equal gay marriage; we have worked in schools with organisations like Stonewall and Allsorts youth project so that children learn that some people are gay and that’s fine; and we have done ground-breaking work on the needs and discrimination faced by people who identify as trans through the council’s cross-party Trans Scrutiny Panel.”
“In spite of all this, there are no grounds for complacency. Even in cities like Brighton and Hove there is LGBT hate crime and some people still live in fear just because of their sexuality or gender identity. We have lead the way on LGBT rights both here and abroad and we will continue to do so.
“In the next 25 years our vision is for a city where people are treated as equals regardless of their sexuality or gender identity and no one is ever afraid to go out because they are in fear of their safety. There is still much more work to be done and as Greens we will continue to fight for it.”
Cllr. Phillips added:
“Pride at 25 has become a fun, energetic celebration of human rights, diverse relationships and resistance to intolerance and bigotry on a scale that would have been unimaginable in the early days. All the Green councillors wish Pride HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND CONGRATULATIONS at reaching 25 in such style!”
Notes
Brighton & Hove City Council was granted the following awards for work, under the Green administration, with LGBT communities:
- Top local authority in UK for supporting lesbian, gay and bisexual(LGB) staff and supporting the LGB community according to Stonewall, (January 2013 & 2015).
- Top local authority for tackling homophobia & biphobia in schools, according to Stonewall, for work with the Allsorts youth project to introduce measures to tackle discriminatory attitudes towards pupils who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer or intersex, and equip teachers to support them (July 2014)
- Centre for Public Scrutiny Award for ground-breaking work of the cross-party Trans Scrutiny Panel which examined the needs and discrimination faced by people who identify as ‘trans’. (June 2014)