A crazy, colourful outpouring of Pride
A CLOUD of colour launched an outpouring of Pride at the weekend, as hundreds of islanders of all ages and all sexual orientations celebrated their respect for themselves and each other.
To mark the official opening of Pride 2021, revellers threw several hundred kilos of environmentally-friendly powder paint into the sky to create a bold and beautiful spectacle.
Master of Ceremonies Oli Bailey-Davies invited the crowd to ‘go crazy’, and they did, and the atmosphere was joyous with the focus on fun, as people affirmed their identities, celebrated their culture, and demonstrated their solidarity.
Ellie Jones, the chief executive officer of LGBTQ charity Liberate, said it was great to see so many young people.
‘We’ve purposely made it a family fun day.
‘If the younger generation know that they are accepted for who they are it makes a huge difference to the way that they grow up and they don’t have to grow up in at atmosphere like I grew up in where being LGBT wasn’t accepted.’
Jersey and Guernsey take turns to host Channel Island Pride, and this year was meant to be Jersey’s turn so Guernsey had been planning a small sideshow event.
When Jersey had to cancel their event because of Covid-19, Guernsey needed to fly the flag so the sideshow became bigger, although the march through Town was saved for next year.
With so much progress, and Guernsey now regarded as a pretty accepting place, Ms Jones said there was still a need for Pride.
‘We always get asked the question “do you still need a Pride?”, and I’m at the point where we still need a Pride until people stop asking that question.
‘When you have governments that make legislation that welcomes LGBTQ people it sends a big message out to other governments saying that this is human rights.
‘And it sends a big message out to LGBTQ people that they are accepted in places, even if it’s not where they live.’
One of the highlights of the day was the unicorn racing.
Guernsey Police Special Constable Shane Harvey represented the emergency services team in the steeplechase event and managed to come second on a unicorn decorated with disposable gloves.
‘My technique was just to not fall over, and I prayed I would make it to the end.
‘I love these events, it’s the perfect time to really engage with the community, speak to children, show that we are approachable.
‘We’re the people you can come to if you need help, bringing the car along with the blue lights gets the children engaged, it’s a lovely event to be at and it’s one of the best parts of duty.’
