Southampton hasn’t had a Pride event for around a decade. This event came about following the awful attack in Orlando, when a few friends got together and decided to create a happy event to celebrate all the diversity in the city, to show that love wins.
By the 11am start time on Sunday 28 August a crowd of several hundred had gathered to hear the Lord Mayor of Southampton welcome and open the inaugural Southampton Pride. It was fantastic to see so many families taking part and highlighting the inclusive nature of our City.
Andy Cast and James Allen from the Network teamed up with Nic Eldred, Student Activities Manager from Union Southampton, to promote the University’s agenda of equality and diversity on a stall in the Guildhall Square. The team had baseball caps to decorate and gave away pride flags and magnets. Kat Carter from the Office of Development and Alumni Relations team joined us to tell Pride goers about the University’s Cancer Immunology Fundraising Campaign.
Whilst the weather could have been better, the clouds and showers failed to keep the crowds away, the sun came out for the afternoon and over a thousand people took part in the Pride Parade which marched its way from the Guildhall down the High Street to Bargate and back again where shoppers were greeted by banners, flags, whistles, vuvuzelas and the sight of the Mayor in a cowboy hat!
The LGBT+ Staff Network paraded proudly displaying the University banner with a number of our students from the LGBT+ Student Society flying flags representing transgender and bisexual people, along with the more familiar Rainbow Pride Flag.
The parade returned to West Marlands where a crowd of several thousand continued to party into the early evening and night entertained by acts including Marcus Collins (The X Factor), Harry Fisher (The Voice) and the Southampton Gay Men’s Chorus.
