On the day that gay marriage was ruled constitutional by the US Supreme court, Dodo Charles recounts PGS' participation in Portsmouth's pioneering Gay Pride event.
Saturday marked the first Portsmouth Pride since 2003, and PGS Pride was lucky enough to be involved.
If you’ve never witnessed a Pride before, I feel the best way to emulate the mood and experience would be to actually just explain what it is: a sort of party. There are very few other occasions where you will march to the beat of a samba band, with a series of dancers, all whilst carrying giant banners.
We actually happened to be situated behind the samba band, at the front of the parade, complete with banners, and a mixture of pupils and teachers. The main purpose of Pride however, is not just to have fun and enjoy yourself, but it is part of a greater aim to spread acceptance and diversity, something that was shown prolifically by the turnout to the event.
After the march, there was an event on Southsea Common, where PGS had a stall, the main highlight of which was the free cake (although donations were welcomed…) that we were giving out. There was, of course, naturally, a stage where speakers such as Peter Tatchell spoke about the event and LGBT issues, and of course music classics (Hairspray incl)
Whilst it is easy to get carried away with the fun and spirit of the event, it is also important to remember the purpose of it, and I feel so fortunate to have been part of such a pivotal event in Portsmouth.
So thank you, Mrs. Morgan, for helping to organise this, complete with rainbow cakes and lollipops, and thank you to the city for organising such an incredible event.
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