Wow! Kirsty Finnemore (Letters, August 11) needs to chill out.

She says she avoids Brighton like the plague on Pride day because being gay just isn't normal.

Well, Kirsty, the reason we have Pride is because of people like you, people who still treat us as if we're not normal, as if we are somehow sub-human.

One day a year we party on the streets of Brighton to show Kirsty and everyone else like her that we are here to stay, to commemorate our long fight for basic rights and, for one day of the year, to be ourselves and not be in fear of being bashed.

And in the process of all this heinous partying, we bring millions of pounds into the city.

So, Kirsty, run for the hills if you will but we will still be here in Brighton, holding hands and having fun.

-Benedict Brook, Brighton