1:36pm Thursday 19th November 2009
By Emily-Ann Elliott
The chairwoman of Brighton Pride has resigned amid controversy over next year’s event, branding an “aggressive and bullying approach” from businesses and the press as “shameful”.
Yvonne Barker has quit and also retired as a trustee and from the board with immediate effect.
The future of next year’s event has been uncertain since mid-August, when Pride bosses said they needed to raise £50,000 by December.
By the end of September, just £5,000 had been raised, forcing organisers to sack a member of staff, and look at significantly scaling down the 2010 event.
But some sections of the gay community were vocal in their criticism of the new plans.
This week the event’s production company, Wilde Ones, put forward its own rival rescue package.
It proposes running the park as a not-for-profit event while letting the Pride board organise the parade and Pride week events.
Meanwhile, more than 6,000 people have joined a Save Brighton Pride As We Know It Facebook group.
In a letter to the board, Ms Barker said she stood by the board’s position that the event should “refocus on the needs of the LGBT community” and that “no business should have an automatic right to profit from the park”.
She added: “The aggressive and bullying approach to the Pride trustees and staff adopted by a small number of business and press representatives that are being used on social networking sites and in some of the gay press, and that were displayed at the Pride open meeting on Tuesday evening, is shameful.
“If this is the way that such individuals and organisations behave then they are certainly not the right people to either save Pride or to run the park event.”
Robert Clothier, currently vice chairman of Pride is to step in as acting chairman.
He said: “I would like to thank Yvonne for her work and dedication in professionalising Pride to make it more transparent and putting in key operational measures that ensures the accountability of Pride to its members.
“The role has often meant that trustee volunteers come under personal attack in working for the best interests of the organisation and this is not constructive.
“Yvonne has acted with absolute integrity and will be sorely missed. The whole board and the Pride team are hugely grateful to her.”
The Pride board has a scheduled meeting this evening and will make an announcement shortly.
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