Your say / LGBTQ+
‘I’m already looking forward to the next Bristol Pride’
Saturday, July 13 was Bristol Pride, and it’s the day in the year that I always look forward to most.
I had a lovely day filled with lots of flags and good people (and walking). I first went to Pride in 2017, and that was my first official Pride event. I couldn’t go last year because I was on holiday with family and we didn’t get back until the day after (woe is me). But this made me more excited about Bristol Pride this year and I had a lovely day.
Casey Browne is a LGBTQ+ blogger
Here are some things I loved about this years Pride:
is needed now More than ever
The atmosphere: Bristol Pride had a lovely atmosphere, and I felt so safe because I had a whole community behind me (plus I was marching with my youth group, Freedom, so I know they would have my back if anything bad happened).
All the flags: What I love about Pride is seeing all the flags. That’s mostly because I’m a massive flag nerd.
The people: All the people I saw, met and interacted with at Pride were lovely, so it added to my enjoyment of the event. I love seeing complete strangers and friends showing pride.
Togetherness: Pride is about supporting all members of the LGBTQ+ community – not just during Pride season, but all year – because pride is all year round. The chance to be my authentic, queer self around other members of the LGBTQ+ community added to my sense of pride, which I also try and practice everyday.
The signs and chants: I did see some signs and partake in some chants, because we still have a long way to go in terms of having rights. Equality takes standing up to people who are actively and openly homophobic, transphobic etc. We are reminding ourselves that Pride was originally a riot. The chants at Bristol Pride created a real sense of togetherness and community, which is a nice reminder given the current political climate surrounding our community.
Casey enjoyed seeing all the signs at Pride, photo by Jack Joseph
The location: To celebrate ten years of Bristol Pride and 50 years since the Stonewall Riots, Bristol Pride was located at The Downs. Besides being a convenient spot for leaving (for me at least, since I can walk home from there), it is just a lovely location – and it really added to the overall atmosphere.
What I’m trying to say is that Bristol Pride was a blast, and it’ll continue to be my favourite event of the year. It’s such a great event for the reason listed above – but the biggest reason for my enjoyment was the people I spent time with.
I’m already looking forward to the next Bristol Pride event because I really enjoyed this year, and I’ve already planned for what I’m doing next year. Here’s to the next season of Pride!
Main photo by Jack Joseph
Read more of Casey’s work at www.dearbiary.com
Read more: Bristol Pride parade – in photos
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