Proud to be one of the organisers of Pride parade

In our weekly Friday Politics column, independent councillor Jo Rust discusses the weekend’s Pride event…On Saturday I was proud to be one of the organisers of the Lynn and West Norfolk Pride parade.The feedback from this year’s event was that it was bigger and better than ever before. The weather was perfect and people’s spirits were lifted by the display of rainbows, glitter and smiles.

But behind the beautiful display is a very real message about why we need Pride because it’s not merely a chance to have a nice day, a dance and a drink with friends, even though it is all of that.The first Pride was a riot following what was considered to be a routine police raid on June 28, 1969 on the Stonewall Inn, a bar that was a hang-out for gays, lesbians and the newly self-aware transgender community.In America at that time gays and lesbians faced a legal system more anti-homosexual than those of some Warsaw Pact countries and the riots that followed that raid were the start of efforts to change society and the way it viewed people of the LGBT+ community. Sadly, despite more than 50 years of Pride parades and celebrations, members of that community still face prejudice, discrimination and fear of violence.It is only by coming together at a Pride event that many people who are LGBTQ+ can feel safe and accepted. For our young people, that’s incredibly isolating and can have a significant and detrimental impact on their mental health, feelings of self-worth and willingness to interact with the wider society. Taking part in the parade as it walks through our town centre helps foster acceptance and promotes equality and diversity and for those who are LGBTQ+, it is that opportunity to be their real selves.Lynn Pride also tries to be as accessible as possible, so that everyone can participate. We have a signer, lay down portapaths and have an adult changing facility.This led to some positive responses, with one family saying it was the most wheelchair-friendly Pride that they had ever been to. One of the comments we often hear asked is why there is no straight Pride, but straight people can go to any event and know that they’re going to be welcomed and not discriminated against.The work that goes into arranging Pride is considerable and all the costs are covered by sponsorship and donations. We reach out to the business community and those who have like-minded aims and objectives and ask them to support Pride by way of funding or services.Without our amazing sponsors, none of it would be possible. You’ll have seen all our sponsors listed on our Pride posters – these are organisations that actively promote equality and diversity and all the things that Pride stands for – tolerance, acceptance and kindness.We’re so lucky that our local council, while not supporting us with money or funds, does provide a lot of support in the way of using the stage and providing bins, fencing and road closure signs. Our outdoor spaces team are amazing and we can never thank them enough, along with everyone else who gives up their time to make it work so well, like Nat, who does our sound, and those who volunteer to act as stewards for the event.All the organisation is done free of charge by volunteers who are passionate about equality and human rights because trans rights are human rights. So, while we take a deep breath and a moment to relax, our work to arrange Pride 2025 actually starts immediately. Save the date, Saturday, August 16, 2025.