This weekend sees the return of Manchester Pride – undoubtedly one of the biggest celebrations of its kind in the country.
But while the four-day festival will of course feature big, rousing performances from artists such as the Sugababes, Jessie J, Rita Ora and Danny Beard, as well as plenty of good vibes, parties, parades and community spirit, Pride has a deeper meaning that must never be forgotten.
Pride was based on activism. The most famous incident that led to the birth of the Pride movement was the Stonewall uprising in New York in 1969.
This started because members of the LGBTQ+ community were tired of being ostracized and attacked.
READ MORE: Manchester Pride 2024: Dates, tickets, parade and everything else you need to know
It is therefore particularly fitting that this year’s event comes just months after the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn raids. In addition, this year’s Pride also marks 60 years since the formation of the North West Homosexual Law Reform Committee, later the National Campaign for Homosexual Equality, which helped to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting men here in the UK.
These anniversaries become even more relevant when you consider the efforts that are being made today to roll back the progress that has been made and to stop the progress that is still needed. As one of the Manchester Evening News’ As a reporter who has regularly covered Manchester Pride over the years, one of the most common comments I hear from some (not all) readers is: “Why isn’t there a Straight Pride?”
While it’s no longer an original comment at this point, it’s one that comes up every year and that some people still feel the need to seek justification for. The fact, in short, is that homophobic hate crimes still occur in large numbers and trans lives continue to be the subject of heated debate among those who should know better.
Trans healthcare and the very existence of transgender people are frequently questioned in headlines and social media posts that seek to do more harm than good—and that are, unfortunately, easily visible to the people at the center of the discussion through no fault of their own.
Some of the hard-won rights the LGBTQ+ community has fought for over the years, such as gay relationships, are also being denounced as “not normal” by politicians who claim to represent our hometown. George Galloway, who ran for the Rochdale district earlier this year, said during a podcast appearance earlier this year that he did not want to teach his children that “gay relationships are exactly the same and just as normal as those between a mother, father and children.”
That’s why events like Manchester Pride exist. But I also don’t want to hide the fact that the event is far from perfect. While changes have been made to bring the festival back to the Gay Village and present a lineup that is more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community, there are still people who believe the event is too expensive (FYI: Manchester Pride says that money from the sale of loyalty wristbands goes towards covering the cost of the event, while £2.50 from each ticket goes directly to the Manchester Pride Community Fund).
There are also discussions around corporate involvement and sponsorship. Corporate support means that events like Manchester Pride can attract big names, which in turn bring more money into community coffers. However, many feel that the corporate aspect of Pride threatens to overshadow the spirit of the event – especially this year.
The involvement of main sponsor Booking.com has led to a number of acts dropping out of the program this year amid suspicions that the platform is profiting from the ongoing conflict in Palestine. Research by knowledge and research organization SOMO found that the accommodation platform had 51 listings in the occupied Palestinian territories on its website between March 2021 and May 15, 2023.
Both Manchester Pride and Booking.com have said they remain in discussions about the situation, but protests against the sponsor’s involvement are scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon at the same time as the annual parade.
Ginger Johnson and Bimini, two major acts who have cancelled their participation, stated that they could not perform “in good conscience” due to the sponsor’s involvement. Drag acts and performers such as Bollyvvitch and Dan Chan have also cancelled their participation in the event.
But as I said at the start of this article, protest has always been a part of the Pride movement. While the scope of Pride itself has changed from a small knick-knack stall outside a Manchester hotel to a large-scale, four-day event, that message is no less important today than it was in the immediate aftermath of the Stonewall riots.
And as Indoor Arena headliner DJ Paulette told me during our interview earlier this month, if we can maintain the activist side of the festival while still celebrating and enjoying each other’s company – as well as celebrating the successes we’ve achieved as a community – what better way to do that? And what better way to show the younger generation and others that being part of the LGBTQ+ community can be a wonderful thing?
Over the years, the LGBTQ+ community has grappled with the decriminalization of homosexuality, Section 28, healthcare inequalities, and the right to marry, but there are still hurdles to overcome. If we can raise awareness while dancing in a safe space with our loved ones, then to me that’s a good reason why we still celebrate Pride today.
