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On a positive note of Pride, Euro Pride 2006 is being held in London, and there have been events on for the past fortnight. The Pride March is on Saturday (1st July) and for the first time will be going down Oxford Street - the main shopping street in London. This is pretty much unique for a march, and reflects the excellent working relationship the Gay community has built up with the police over the past three decades of Pride Marches in London.
The organisers are expecting up to half a million people to attend (last year London Pride had 250,000 across all events) - if you're within reach of London, do come and join us! I will be helping to steward the event, as I've done in a number of previous years.
For anyone in the UK, "The Independent" newspaper had a twenty-page "diversity" supplement today produced in association with Europride ... it makes interesting reading if you can get hold of a copy, with articles covering topics from Pride in Eastern Europe to employment pactices in the UK (eg http://education.independent.co.uk/careers_advice/article1117295.ece , but the link is only valid for 72 hours).
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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Hmm... that's interesting. Apart from you, NW -- I assume you'll be pretty busy all day? -- is anyone else from round here going?
I'm free on Sunday, and I'm within reach of London, but I'd have no idea whether I "ought" to go or not -- I've never been to any sort of march in London or elsewhere, much less a gay one. Is it to be recommended?
I ought to add that in real life I'm inclined to be rather shy, sometimes a bit socially naive, and I'm not much good in a crowd unless I know the crowd. That sort of thing is not usually my cup of tea. But I'm willing to give anything a try once.
David
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Well, if you go, go on saturday 1st.
Advice is to go and explore. Be a quiet participant. Enjoy the diversity around you and simply drink in the atmosphere.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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Hi Deeej
Pride is Sat not Sun. If you're interested, Pride still welcomes volunteers for stewarding - see http://www.pridelondon.org/getinvolved/volunteer.asp
I find this is a good way to see some of Pride (because I'm doing something, so am not standing around like a spare pr*ck at a wedding, and because I'm used to stewarding but am totally useless at socialising in a crowd). Stewards work in small teams of around half a dozen people: just all the basic stuff like directing marchers, and keeping fire gangways in Traflagar Square clear (which I did last year) My days of being involved in any kind of organising are long gone, so I just do ordinary steward stuff like that, from around 0930 to about 1500h.
If you fancy being a steward, let me know - we could meet up in advance on Sat morning, so we would be put in the same steward team which would give you a friendly face, anyway. Anyone else fancy coming? Otherwise, as usual, I'll enjoy myself on my own with 500,000 others, as my one token thing a year that I do which is part of the "scene".
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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Oops -- I misread the date. It doesn't matter: I'm free all weekend, but if the march's on Saturday then there's not a lot of point in turning up on Sunday!
NW, I'm considering stewarding -- the only problem I can think of is that if it turns out to be completely, absolutely not what I expected (and I'm really not sure what to expect, never having been to one of these things before) I can't make an easy escape. It'd probably be fine if I knew exactly how it worked, but I think I'd probably rather wait 'til tomorrow morning just to see if anyone else is thinking of going before making a decision.
Thanks for your help,
David
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cossie
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On fire! |
Location: Exiled in North East Engl...
Registered: July 2003
Messages: 1699
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... to be in London for the start I'd either have to stay overnight - and I can't, because I have a meeting on Friday evening - or I'd need to get up at 3.00.a.m. and drive into Newcastle for the 4.35.a.m. train. I plead geriatric decline!
Deeej, if you are in any way uneasy about getting involved, don't stay away; follow Timmy's advice and just drink in the atmosphere. Treat it as practice for next year!
For a' that an' a' that,
It's comin' yet for a' that,
That man tae man, the worrld o'er
Shall brithers be, for a' that.
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In the end, I've decided not to go: it would be different if I had someone to go with, or knew what to expect, or it wasn't going to be so hot tomorrow.
Yup, sorry everyone, I'm a coward. Though, to be quite frank, there are fewer places I would rather less be on a hot July afternoon than central London (and the Tube)!
It's a pity there's no-one who's young and from southern England round here...
Good luck, NW; I'm sure we can arrange a meeting some other time.
Deeej
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Can you tell us what we missed?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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timmy wrote:
> Can you tell us what we missed?
Well, I was stewarding in Whitehall, opposite the gates to Downing Street. We were spead pretty thin - as usual, a lot of people who had signed up in advance to be stewards just didn't turn up (last year around 50% of those who had registered in advance wrere no-shows, this year was definitely worse).
For some reason, by the time the parade got to us (nearly at the end of the route) it had got seperated into 4 chunks, with a delay of around fifteen minutes between chunks. The parade has got split in previous years (when fire engines and ambulances need to cross the route of the parade, for example), but nothing quite like that.
OK, impressions. Lots of floats and marching groups from large employers - I was pleased to see the Royal Navy in uniform (a first this year), as well as police, fire, ambulance, NHS workers, doctors. Floats sponsored by some large companies, including Ford, Mitsubishi, Nationwide Building Society ("proud to be different"). An effective and eycatching float from Gay Muslims. Lots of marching groups and banners - the usal range of stuff from gay choirs to churches, the Kings Cross Steelers (rugby), Left-Footers (soccer). Lots of individuals doing their own thing: a young lad with a look of complete shock and terror and joy (as though he could not believe what he was doing) on his face marching with a home-made placard saying "God Made Me Gay", several variations on the "proud parent" them (gay parent of striaght kids, straight parent of gay kids, whatever).
Very hot for London (around 30C) - much stripping off of T-shirts and spraying of anti-perspirant & deodorant at the end of the march (yum!).
There was a really nice couple on the same stewarding team as me - my age or a bit older: one of them had been married ("very happily and companionably", as he put it) for over 20 years to an older wife. She died a couple of years ago, he "came out" in May last year, met his current man in June last year ... last week they got married (formal civil partnership). Very much a honeymoon couple, all handholding and shared glances and giggles - I found it heartwarming.
Stalls afterwards: the gay community / charity stalls were in Trafalgar Square, which I managed to vist. Commercial and travel stalls were in Soho Square / Leicester Square, and I didn't manage that far.
The march having got split into chunks made it last a lot longer than usual - so I didn't sign out from stewarding until nearly 1600h, around an hour later than normal. I'd reached the limit of what I'm physically able to do. Got home around 1800h. As usual after this level of exercise, I've been virtually immobile today: as usual, thankful for strong painkillers and the TENS unit that gives me enough control over pain and disability to undertake stewarding for Pride, even if I do have to pay for it afterwards!
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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