Brighton Pride could charge for entry to event (From The Argus)

Brighton and Hove is gay tolerant yes? So why have a massive festival promoting and celebrating gay tolerance in Brighton and Hove at Preston Park. Brighton and Hove is already well known throughout the world as being gay tolerant. The disruption this causes to regular Brightonians (which include the lesbian and gay community who don't attend) is becoming unacceptable. The closure of A&E at RSCH last time for instance. Let it go, it has had its day.

Another thing Saturday 6th August 2011 is probably pencilled in for Pride. Dependent on Football League generosity this could also be the first league game at Falmer. Who gets precedence then?

We're also tolerant of art so I think all galleries should close forever too.

Paying entrance to Pride: What a sensible idea, then they can afford toilets and 'revellers' may not defecate on the Preston Road and outside our houses and local shops, or urinate through our letterboxes and against our garden walls (and naturally threaten us en masse, and slur that we are homophobes if we complain). Of course Pride could have afforded toilets for years, what with all the booze that gets sold to people who aren't even interested in homosexuality and are just there to get tanked up. However they seem to think that they shouldn't have to spend money on this basic necessity for any well organised event, unless it is grant funded. Presumably on account of the noble and philanthropic act of organising a superfluous Pride event for a gay friendly city in the first place (kudos to Tim, above)
I wonder if the open drug dealing, including cocaine and heroin, which the police acknowledge that they ignore every year on account of officers being deployed elsewhere in town or possibly on a float (when I telephone them to report it on my doorstep, so this is not speculation) will reduce?
And maybe less people = less rubbish and broken glass which we as residents have to then put up with for the rest of the year. Our local football team may officially be allowed to play on the grass in the park for more than 6 months of the year.
Maybe, just maybe, some gay people might come to Pride if its pay only, people who are actually interested in the subject matter and not just in partying and causing chaos and being 'gay for a day'. And with less people attending, people who live in Preston might actually be able to get to and from their homes on public transport, or maybe even use their cars without fear of having to park 3/4 of a mile away. We might even be free of the people who sleep in Lauriston Road in their camper vans and pour their urine and excrement onto the pavement before driving back to wherever they come from.

We can but hope.

Preston Village Popular Front wrote:
Paying entrance to Pride: What a sensible idea, then they can afford toilets and 'revellers' may not defecate on the Preston Road and outside our houses and local shops, or urinate through our letterboxes and against our garden walls (and naturally threaten us en masse, and slur that we are homophobes if we complain). Of course Pride could have afforded toilets for years, what with all the booze that gets sold to people who aren't even interested in homosexuality and are just there to get tanked up. However they seem to think that they shouldn't have to spend money on this basic necessity for any well organised event, unless it is grant funded. Presumably on account of the noble and philanthropic act of organising a superfluous Pride event for a gay friendly city in the first place (kudos to Tim, above) I wonder if the open drug dealing, including cocaine and heroin, which the police acknowledge that they ignore every year on account of officers being deployed elsewhere in town or possibly on a float (when I telephone them to report it on my doorstep, so this is not speculation) will reduce? And maybe less people = less rubbish and broken glass which we as residents have to then put up with for the rest of the year. Our local football team may officially be allowed to play on the grass in the park for more than 6 months of the year. Maybe, just maybe, some gay people might come to Pride if its pay only, people who are actually interested in the subject matter and not just in partying and causing chaos and being 'gay for a day'. And with less people attending, people who live in Preston might actually be able to get to and from their homes on public transport, or maybe even use their cars without fear of having to park 3/4 of a mile away. We might even be free of the people who sleep in Lauriston Road in their camper vans and pour their urine and excrement onto the pavement before driving back to wherever they come from. We can but hope.

Preston you have got a big chip on your shoulder over an event that lasts about 6 hours on the park. You talk about the disruption to the lives of Preston Park residents... Try living near the seafront when the Labour Party is here 2 weeks of disruption then, not being able to drive/move around town freely. You did not speak up then!!!! Or is it just Pride you have an issue with??

Tim Hodges wrote:
Another thing Saturday 6th August 2011 is probably pencilled in for Pride. Dependent on Football League generosity this could also be the first league game at Falmer. Who gets precedence then?

Same as this year. The club lost an excellent friendly against Sheff. Utd. because these people were in town and Plod would not deal with both.

Preston.

do people really pee through your letterbox, or is that an exageration? I have done many silly and often thoughtless things when drunk, but I have never or know nobody else who would ever pee through someone's letterbox.

No, no exaggeration about the peeing through letterboxes and defecating in gardens etc. I couldn't believe it either. Re: the seafront, it pretty natural to feel more strongly about issues which affect one directly, but I totally feel for you, Steve. Although having been born here one gets used to having one's environment commandeered for events, due to the popular nature of this town. But it still does grate when it goes to extremes. I suppose we as Preston Village residents do have a big chip, because we feel I that we should not have to put up with such revolting behaviour. The excrement, drugs, litter, glass and general drunken rudeness hardly endear us to the Pride.

I must apologise for the appalling diction of my last post, by the way!

Have to agree with Tim that it seems a little superfluous to "promote gay tolerance" in Brighton. They would earn a lot more of my respect if they held the parade in Iran.

Mmm well I see the report has attracted the usual range of comments whenever Brighton Pride is discussed ! Mind you, those fretting over whether a football game may or may not be able to take place 2 years hence, gets my vote for the most off-track blog.
As far as the pride parade and festival is concerened, I have been to it year after year, and I am happy to now let the fate of whether it continues or dies out in the hands of those in charge of the finances - at least it wont be like Beachdown and leave people out of pocket.
As far as "peeing through letter boxes", I suspect this amounted to a few drunk idiots out of the whole crowd, whereas those people - straight/gay/bi/fami
lies who enjoy this colorful spectacle year on year and behave impeccably, must number 100,000 or more.
Good luck Brighton Pride - I wish you well in survival !

Preston Village Popular Front wrote:
Paying entrance to Pride: What a sensible idea, then they can afford toilets and 'revellers' may not defecate on the Preston Road and outside our houses and local shops, or urinate through our letterboxes and against our garden walls (and naturally threaten us en masse, and slur that we are homophobes if we complain). Of course Pride could have afforded toilets for years, what with all the booze that gets sold to people who aren't even interested in homosexuality and are just there to get tanked up. However they seem to think that they shouldn't have to spend money on this basic necessity for any well organised event, unless it is grant funded. Presumably on account of the noble and philanthropic act of organising a superfluous Pride event for a gay friendly city in the first place (kudos to Tim, above)
I wonder if the open drug dealing, including cocaine and heroin, which the police acknowledge that they ignore every year on account of officers being deployed elsewhere in town or possibly on a float (when I telephone them to report it on my doorstep, so this is not speculation) will reduce?
And maybe less people = less rubbish and broken glass which we as residents have to then put up with for the rest of the year. Our local football team may officially be allowed to play on the grass in the park for more than 6 months of the year.
Maybe, just maybe, some gay people might come to Pride if its pay only, people who are actually interested in the subject matter and not just in partying and causing chaos and being 'gay for a day'. And with less people attending, people who live in Preston might actually be able to get to and from their homes on public transport, or maybe even use their cars without fear of having to park 3/4 of a mile away. We might even be free of the people who sleep in Lauriston Road in their camper vans and pour their urine and excrement onto the pavement before driving back to wherever they come from.

We can but hope.

How strange - clearly the hundreds of toilets I saw there this year were a figment of my imagination ! While I don't excuse the behaviour of the idiot minority, I think you shouldn't tar everyone who goes to the event with the same sweeping generalisations. As for the person stating that the RSCH was closed because of Pride - no it wasn't, it did indeed close but not because of Pride.

The RSCH was, however, bombarded with drunks and people o drugs requiring help and wasting valuable resources which could be better spent on people who are actually from Brighton with genuine health problems.

Even if there were loads of toilets there this year, there certainly weren't last year. I think the rain put people off their annual fecal rituals, as I did not see as many people squatting down to defecate on the pavement this year. Sorry if I seem a bit anally fixated, but once you've seen people behave like that it is kind of hard to forget.

The simple truth is that Brighton & Hove Pride has lost its significance as well as being hijacked by big London event organisers and businesses, and the "gay for a day" brigade. The accounts for the trust are readily available on the web and make interesting reading. Just how they have charitable status when the amount raised for charitable purposes is minimal is mind boggling. All expenses for Pride go towards organising and managing the annual Pride Day and that includes huge fees paid to London event organisers, as well as employing full-time salaried staff, probably in offices that would be fit for a pristine business or bank rather than a charity.

Once they start charging for the event, attendances will plummet and in a year or two it will be confined to the history books. Just look at what happened to London Pride for a classic example. Sorry but Pride has had its day. Put it to bed and keep good memories rather than let it fade away heartbreakingly.

I've wanted charging for years.

As with the notorious Fat Boy Slim beach concert which everyone remembers well, Brighton Pride has become a victim of its own success, packed with freeloading daytrippers and drunk troublemakers.

Charging a modest amount would put off those that only show up because it's free and return it to more of a community event.

Someone, over the past years have feathered their own nests from Pride. I would like to ask..........where does all the money go?

The Brighton Pride has run its course and should die out gracefully. It was a good idea at the beginning but aren't we all getting a bit fed up with it and the publicity all the time? The Brighton carnival has died a death - people are just not interested now.

Hugh Rinall wrote:
Sick to death of gays parading their perversions everywhere. I don't push my heterosexualness in the face of everybody, so why should I have to tolerate this? Glad they're going bust!

There is only a one word response needed for this diatribe and that is a choice between 'hetero-othrodoxy' or 'hetero-normalisatio
n'.

Tim Hodges wrote:
Brighton and Hove is gay tolerant yes? So why have a massive festival promoting and celebrating gay tolerance in Brighton and Hove at Preston Park. Brighton and Hove is already well known throughout the world as being gay tolerant. The disruption this causes to regular Brightonians (which include the lesbian and gay community who don't attend) is becoming unacceptable. The closure of A&E at RSCH last time for instance. Let it go, it has had its day.

I have a few gay friends, and none of them go to Pride now. They think it has been hijacked by the 'gay for a weekend' brigade, and like Preston Village Popular Front, they have had enough of the excessive behaviour exhibited by some of the people who attend.
I think some people posting on here need to realise that not all gays are sex fiends that feel the need to flaunt their sexuality. The ones I know are the exact opposite.
Unfortunately Pride caters for, indeed encourages, the worst sort of 'show-off' gay behaviour, that a lot of people (including gay people) find pretty anti-social.
Yes, Make them pay. I can't see one good reason why not. As others have said, it might keep the numbers down, and maybe return the event to the normal (gay and straight) people of Brighton.

Preston Village Popular Front wrote:
Paying entrance to Pride: What a sensible idea, then they can afford toilets and 'revellers' may not defecate on the Preston Road and outside our houses and local shops, or urinate through our letterboxes and against our garden walls (and naturally threaten us en masse, and slur that we are homophobes if we complain). Of course Pride could have afforded toilets for years, what with all the booze that gets sold to people who aren't even interested in homosexuality and are just there to get tanked up. However they seem to think that they shouldn't have to spend money on this basic necessity for any well organised event, unless it is grant funded. Presumably on account of the noble and philanthropic act of organising a superfluous Pride event for a gay friendly city in the first place (kudos to Tim, above)
I wonder if the open drug dealing, including cocaine and heroin, which the police acknowledge that they ignore every year on account of officers being deployed elsewhere in town or possibly on a float (when I telephone them to report it on my doorstep, so this is not speculation) will reduce?
And maybe less people = less rubbish and broken glass which we as residents have to then put up with for the rest of the year. Our local football team may officially be allowed to play on the grass in the park for more than 6 months of the year.
Maybe, just maybe, some gay people might come to Pride if its pay only, people who are actually interested in the subject matter and not just in partying and causing chaos and being 'gay for a day'. And with less people attending, people who live in Preston might actually be able to get to and from their homes on public transport, or maybe even use their cars without fear of having to park 3/4 of a mile away. We might even be free of the people who sleep in Lauriston Road in their camper vans and pour their urine and excrement onto the pavement before driving back to wherever they come from.

We can but hope.

mmm how do you join how do you join the preston park popular front? Does it extend as far as the nightmare Varndean campus?

Hi Stan,

Preston Village is a state of mind! But technically no, it does not encompass Surrenden although Surrenden is of interest to the PVPF.

The joining process is steeped in tradition and very painful! Are you sure about this??

rostron71 is probably nearer the truth.
Any event held in Brighton which has alcohol attached to and is held outdoors attracts any tom, dick and harry who just want to party.
Pride and Fatboy are good examples of this. Fatboy had to ticket and Pride will be forced to do the same.
The organisers of Pride will also need to address the message issue of the event.
I am straight and I remember gay pride events in the 80s being about a fight for rights.
I don't know what it's about now, except people getting off their heads and a few die hard gay supporters holding stands.
A reassesment of what they want to achieve and convey with the event.

Preston Village Popular Front wrote:
Hi Stan,

Preston Village is a state of mind! But technically no, it does not encompass Surrenden although Surrenden is of interest to the PVPF.

The joining process is steeped in tradition and very painful! Are you sure about this??

we now have many of your new age traveller vans , doesn't that count for anything?

Its amazing, nobody has commented on the reporters non PC remark:- "Pride chairwoman Yvonne Barker"

WRONG! She must be refered to as "Chairperson" or can the male reporters refer again to "Chairman"

mackeson wrote:
Its amazing, nobody has commented on the reporters non PC remark:- "Pride chairwoman Yvonne Barker" WRONG! She must be refered to as "Chairperson" or can the male reporters refer again to "Chairman"

Get a life.

Pride in Brighton? i can confirm there is no Pride left in Brighton.
Gay, Drug Death, Parking rip-off, Cycle lanes going no where, bus lanes with more ristrictions than in London, £106.00 to park outside your house (unless there is a "comunity bin" there) capitol of Europe....
No there is no Pride left in Brighton

Pride is dead, move on. Why would you buy a ticket to stand in a field to listen to distorted pop music. There is no political message any more. And just how many stalls do you need to sell ****?

This event had many hard working volunteers when Brighton Pride was in its infancy; we collected money through the year, we planned the event and obtained sponsors with just one paid worker and, in later years, myself additionally as a very part-time (3 months annually) Parade Director. (albeit not paid, despite contracts)

We soon had new people arranging for their friends to elect them onto the committee so that they could start demanding salaries and that was the start of the Pride downfall.

We once raised and gave away thousands of pounds to various charities such as MIND and the Sussex Beacon Hospice but that isn't possible if those free-loaders and money grabbers take the financial residue as an annual salary of high proportions.

Many of us long term volunteers were sacked in preference for full-time Pride workers and many of us have lost our passion and commitment to Pride as a result.

With reference to the comment regarding the RSCH A&E being closed due to Pride; please let me assure people that I organised St John Ambulance to provide a medical service with First Aiders, Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics. Wounds that required suturing were sutured at Preston Park in one of our many Mobile Treatment Units and only the very seriously ill or injured were taken to hospital; this figure usually never exceeded 10 over a 24 hour period. I have no reason to doubt that this excellent service didn't continue after my sacking from Pride.

Brighton Pride was a far superior 'window' , compared to the Labour Party Conference disruptions in the City Centre, for advertising Brighton as a resort to visit.

WARNING:
Charging for entry to the Pride event will require fencing. Fencing Preston Park so that locals are deprived access will cause the Council (as responsible landlords) to demand a rent from Brighton Pride. This will further increase the costs of producing Brighton Pride, especially when the additional fifty+ security guards wages, employed to ensure no 'illegal' fence jumping occurs, is also taken into consideration.

All of us previously sacked volunteers will somehow be quite pleased with the fenced disaster! Sorry guys.

This event had many hard working volunteers when Brighton Pride was in its infancy; we collected money through the year, we planned the event and obtained sponsors with just one paid worker and, in later years, myself additionally as a very part-time (3 months annually) Parade Director. (albeit not paid, despite contracts)

We soon had new people arranging for their friends to elect them onto the committee so that they could start demanding salaries and that was the start of the Pride downfall.

We once raised and gave away thousands of pounds to various charities such as MIND and the Sussex Beacon Hospice but that isn't possible if those free-loaders and money grabbers take the financial residue as an annual salary of high proportions.

Many of us long term volunteers were sacked in preference for full-time Pride workers and many of us have lost our passion and commitment to Pride as a result.

With reference to the comment regarding the RSCH A&E being closed due to Pride; please let me assure people that I organised St John Ambulance to provide a medical service with First Aiders, Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics. Wounds that required suturing were sutured at Preston Park in one of our many Mobile Treatment Units and only the very seriously ill or injured were taken to hospital; this figure usually never exceeded 10 over a 24 hour period. I have no reason to doubt that this excellent service didn't continue after my sacking from Pride.

Brighton Pride was a far superior 'window' , compared to the Labour Party Conference disruptions in the City Centre, for advertising Brighton as a resort to visit.

WARNING:
Charging for entry to the Pride event will require fencing. Fencing Preston Park so that locals are deprived access will cause the Council (as responsible landlords) to demand a rent from Brighton Pride. This will further increase the costs of producing Brighton Pride, especially when the additional fifty+ security guards wages, employed to ensure no 'illegal' fence jumping occurs, is also taken into consideration.

All of us previously sacked volunteers will somehow be quite pleased with the fenced disaster! Sorry guys.

That's an interesting and useful insight Rita.
I am a straight guy but have many gay friends and always supported the event when it was an equal rights political event, now it's just a fairground and some noodle bars.
If people really are being paid salaries we would expect the event to have focus, an aim and as I said previously a message to convey...something other than a comedy theme for the parade.
I amnot sure if the bgay community hasw achieved its aims and its just a party. We are told its a celebration of diversity but there are no formal speeches, or any main focus to the event.
I just don't get it anymore.

Tim Hodges wrote:
Brighton and Hove is gay tolerant yes? So why have a massive festival promoting and celebrating gay tolerance in Brighton and Hove at Preston Park. Brighton and Hove is already well known throughout the world as being gay tolerant. The disruption this causes to regular Brightonians (which include the lesbian and gay community who don't attend) is becoming unacceptable. The closure of A&E at RSCH last time for instance. Let it go, it has had its day.

Oh God.....

Why is it ALWAYS THE SAME ARGUMENTS ?

...Don't use the hospital situation to mask your fundamental homophobia

...Brighton Pride generates lots of money for the local economy]

...If we didn't have events supporting the gay community like Brighton Pride we would be just another depressing seaside hell-hole like Hastings, except with more failed/limited musicians and students.

Argus - why are all the comments squashed into about a quarter of the screen? It means that if someone quotes several comments, they come out about an inch wide!