Shaan Knan, Consortium’s trans-specific worker, reports back from Trans Pride Brighton
Spending a sunny day at the 7th Trans Pride in Brighton last Saturday was an absolute joy.
It was an amazing turnout for #TransPrideBrighton. According to the organisers, around eight thousand people took to the streets of to celebrate Trans Pride – two thousand more than was anticipated.
This year’s mile-long parade kicked off at the Marlborough Pub and Theatre in Prince’s Street,and finished at Brunswick Square Gardens in Hove where we could enjoy community and food stalls, a stage featuring trans bands, musicians and spoken word artists as well as sports in the park programme.
The slogan for this year’s festival was “putting the T first” – a reference to the LGBT acronym in which Trans appears near the end.
I felt the huge amount of love and pride all around, and I was also very pleased to see so many visible allies from all walks of life.
Armed with a brand new set of Trans Organisations Network business cards and a Consortium staff member rainbow lanyard, I meandered from one stall to the other, chatting with members old and new about – of course – all things trans. I was keen to keep everyone up to date with Consortium and TON activities, including current campaigns such as ‘Ask your MP/MSP to support GRA reform’ and our ongoing London strategic roundtables and mapping exercises.
It was inspiring to see so many new local initiatives springing up such as a support group in Ashford, and I was happy to tell them about the many benefits of a Consortium/TON membership.
This year, Northern Ireland held its first ever Trans Pride, and London will hold a Trans + Intersex Pride in September.
It gives me hope for a better future for trans communities in the UK.