Brighton Pride 2010 "the best ever" (From The Argus)

Each year the organisers say its "the best ever" Pride. Lets hope this year the charities get the money.

Why were the floats so lame?? They have all year to prepare and it looks like they did them the night before??

No it wasn't the best ever pride! No thought put into the floats apart from Brighton Gays Mens Chorus.
The park was more like Skank Straight Bogan Pride all lagered n drugged up, just like last year. Just another day out for them. Also like last year not until the end had we seen 2 guys holding hands through the park.

If it was the best Pride ever, and I hope it was, let's hope those self-appointed guardians of everything gay in brighton stop griping like they have done all year, like those centuries old doom and gloom merchants.

So if it was 'the best Pride ever', I presume that they will be able to pay the Coucil back the £20,000 loan immediately, and will never, ever have to ask for loan from the public purse again.
Seems logical, no?

Ballroom Blitz wrote:
So if it was 'the best Pride ever', I presume that they will be able to pay the Coucil back the £20,000 loan immediately, and will never, ever have to ask for loan from the public purse again. Seems logical, no?

Moan,moan,moan!

Dont think the council tax payers will ever see the loan back or the large amount of money clearing up ,a digusting mess in preston park which cost a lot to put back to a state fit for norml use.

A great weekend and well organised considering the restricted funding of the event. I agree there was pushing, shoving, drug taking and binge drinking, but for every one person abusing the event there were at least ten with smiles on their faces enjoying the beuty of pride. For an event of this size there were very few arrests. I felt very accepted in Brighton and it is great to see so many 'straight' places supporting the event with rainbow flags. For many gay people pride is really important. I don't know the details of the finances, but I know that all my mates spent a considerable amount in Brighton. Many of the cash machines ended up empty. I think if you crunched the numbers considering the publicity it produces for Brighton and the support to all the venues through the whole year not just pride weekend, then BHCC probably do quite well from the event. Ask a taxi driver/hotel/bar/res
taurant/amusements etc if it was a profitable weekend. Far more than £20k has come from round the country into Brighton, not a bad thing surely?

brightonparty wrote:
Why were the floats so lame?? They have all year to prepare and it looks like they did them the night before??

From what I heard, it was probably because there was a £1,000 entry fee for each float being charged, and all the gay bars said forget it!

The "gossip" I heard is that Pride won't be held at Preston Park next year, and will be a seafront affair... only heresay of course!

the parade was full of life and character sure the gay mens chorus was a great float but for many with little funds it is great to see people being creative.....it was a melting pot of gay diversity and not so corporate where every year the floats that win have had thousands generally chucked at them....... moan moan moan,i think it was just dandy!

As someone who doesn't do crowds, I don't give a toss whether this was the best ever Pride but it's most instructive to note the same snipers from behind their lap tops whatever the subject. It's as though they get the Argus blogs service simply to provide them with opportunities to spill their bile into the ether. In that sense I suppose the Argus is providing a public service. Poor old Betty Blue!

brightonparty wrote:
Why were the floats so lame?? They have all year to prepare and it looks like they did them the night before??

I come down for pride every year and there just didn't seem to be so many floats this year?? And where was the music for the walking people?!!
They looked like all little companies doing floats this year so I think they did a pretty good job - that crazy timemachine one at the end was awesome!!!

Ballroom Blitz wrote:
So if it was 'the best Pride ever', I presume that they will be able to pay the Coucil back the £20,000 loan immediately, and will never, ever have to ask for loan from the public purse again.
Seems logical, no?

The council should fund the entire event and not just throw loans at it! Pride brings so much money into the city which mostlt straight business benefit from. Gay men and lesbians pay into the council tax sysyem as much as anyone else does and yet get a fraction in return, the majority don't have children to send to school which are funded by our council taxes not to mention all the other grants that get given to straight organisations, we only get a fraction of what straight people get in grants. I find your attitude to be somewhat homophobic and a tad ignorant, your attitude is so wrong. What about the bins supplied to the travellers out of our council tax money and the clear up after they have been moved on with the days worth of rubbish they leave behind. They don't pay anything into the sysyem at least we do!

John60 wrote:

Ballroom Blitz wrote: So if it was 'the best Pride ever', I presume that they will be able to pay the Coucil back the £20,000 loan immediately, and will never, ever have to ask for loan from the public purse again. Seems logical, no?

The council should fund the entire event and not just throw loans at it! Pride brings so much money into the city which mostlt straight business benefit from. Gay men and lesbians pay into the council tax sysyem as much as anyone else does and yet get a fraction in return, the majority don't have children to send to school which are funded by our council taxes not to mention all the other grants that get given to straight organisations, we only get a fraction of what straight people get in grants. I find your attitude to be somewhat homophobic and a tad ignorant, your attitude is so wrong. What about the bins supplied to the travellers out of our council tax money and the clear up after they have been moved on with the days worth of rubbish they leave behind. They don't pay anything into the sysyem at least we do!

John60, you level the accusation of "homophobia" against Ballroom Blitz because they raised a legitimate fiscal question about the mismanagement of finances surrounding this event. What is your justification for this? Both yourself & Lucas05 comment on "straight" organisations & places & that would appear to be clear discrimination. Indeed, it seems to fly in the face of the ethos of Pride, one element of which is the celebration of diversity & inclusiveness. How does your attitude & terminology sit with this? If Ballroom Blitz can be lablelled "homophobic for a sensible comment about loans from the public purse in these straitened times, how do we label you - a "homofascist" perhaps? Taxes are collected & spent according to need & your assertion that "straight" (sic) organisations & people get more from taxes is merely indicative of your small-minded bigoted attitude that does a disservice to wider Society, one that includes a myriad of people from various backgrounds including LGBT. However this is only my opinion as I may come across as a "tad ignorant".

thank the organisers for the mess the council payers should not pay for the clean up

mtmoocher wrote:

John60 wrote:

Ballroom Blitz wrote: So if it was 'the best Pride ever', I presume that they will be able to pay the Coucil back the £20,000 loan immediately, and will never, ever have to ask for loan from the public purse again. Seems logical, no?

The council should fund the entire event and not just throw loans at it! Pride brings so much money into the city which mostlt straight business benefit from. Gay men and lesbians pay into the council tax sysyem as much as anyone else does and yet get a fraction in return, the majority don't have children to send to school which are funded by our council taxes not to mention all the other grants that get given to straight organisations, we only get a fraction of what straight people get in grants. I find your attitude to be somewhat homophobic and a tad ignorant, your attitude is so wrong. What about the bins supplied to the travellers out of our council tax money and the clear up after they have been moved on with the days worth of rubbish they leave behind. They don't pay anything into the sysyem at least we do!

John60, you level the accusation of "homophobia" against Ballroom Blitz because they raised a legitimate fiscal question about the mismanagement of finances surrounding this event. What is your justification for this? Both yourself & Lucas05 comment on "straight" organisations & places & that would appear to be clear discrimination. Indeed, it seems to fly in the face of the ethos of Pride, one element of which is the celebration of diversity & inclusiveness. How does your attitude & terminology sit with this? If Ballroom Blitz can be lablelled "homophobic for a sensible comment about loans from the public purse in these straitened times, how do we label you - a "homofascist" perhaps? Taxes are collected & spent according to need & your assertion that "straight" (sic) organisations & people get more from taxes is merely indicative of your small-minded bigoted attitude that does a disservice to wider Society, one that includes a myriad of people from various backgrounds including LGBT. However this is only my opinion as I may come across as a "tad ignorant".

Yes I think perhaps you are a tad ignorant and your facts are based on complete and utter ignorance, oh and from an oppinion clearly of a straight person.

chipmunk77 wrote:

brightonparty wrote:
Why were the floats so lame?? They have all year to prepare and it looks like they did them the night before??

From what I heard, it was probably because there was a £1,000 entry fee for each float being charged, and all the gay bars said forget it!

The "gossip" I heard is that Pride won't be held at Preston Park next year, and will be a seafront affair... only heresay of course!

Floats £1000 each, how many floats was there... 40 @ £1000 that makes 40k£. which goes to pride..

Would be better as its easier to manage. Works well for Fat Boy Slim concerts, so would work for pride.. will be cheaper, as you don't need 100's of security (at I'd guess 17£ an hour) and stewards/Marshalls (at 13£ an hour).

For to long people have been milking this, its time to get in an events company that can cut costs, and still put on a good event.

"Both yourself & Lucas05 comment on "straight" organisations & places & that would appear to be clear discrimination." What a load of rubbish! Calling a venue straight purely means that their custom is primarily from straight people in society although obviously not exclusively just like gay bars have straight people in (more and more often!). It is not homophobic to call a bar a gay bar if that is what it is! What I said is in no way discriminating. I was saying how nice the "primarily straight" organisations embraced a festival which is not catered specifically for them. You need to be careful what you accuse people of as it makes your whole post worthless.

John60 wrote:

mtmoocher wrote:

John60 wrote:

Ballroom Blitz wrote: So if it was 'the best Pride ever', I presume that they will be able to pay the Coucil back the £20,000 loan immediately, and will never, ever have to ask for loan from the public purse again. Seems logical, no?

The council should fund the entire event and not just throw loans at it! Pride brings so much money into the city which mostlt straight business benefit from. Gay men and lesbians pay into the council tax sysyem as much as anyone else does and yet get a fraction in return, the majority don't have children to send to school which are funded by our council taxes not to mention all the other grants that get given to straight organisations, we only get a fraction of what straight people get in grants. I find your attitude to be somewhat homophobic and a tad ignorant, your attitude is so wrong. What about the bins supplied to the travellers out of our council tax money and the clear up after they have been moved on with the days worth of rubbish they leave behind. They don't pay anything into the sysyem at least we do!

John60, you level the accusation of "homophobia" against Ballroom Blitz because they raised a legitimate fiscal question about the mismanagement of finances surrounding this event. What is your justification for this? Both yourself & Lucas05 comment on "straight" organisations & places & that would appear to be clear discrimination. Indeed, it seems to fly in the face of the ethos of Pride, one element of which is the celebration of diversity & inclusiveness. How does your attitude & terminology sit with this? If Ballroom Blitz can be lablelled "homophobic for a sensible comment about loans from the public purse in these straitened times, how do we label you - a "homofascist" perhaps? Taxes are collected & spent according to need & your assertion that "straight" (sic) organisations & people get more from taxes is merely indicative of your small-minded bigoted attitude that does a disservice to wider Society, one that includes a myriad of people from various backgrounds including LGBT. However this is only my opinion as I may come across as a "tad ignorant".

Yes I think perhaps you are a tad ignorant and your facts are based on complete and utter ignorance, oh and from an oppinion clearly of a straight person.

Spoken from a true position of ignorance, as you make wild assumptions of my sexual preference which is not relevant to my points. My sexuality is a private matter which is for me to divulge when & to whom I choose. You have merely chosen to gloss over the issues raised & do not wish to address the salient arguments.

Are you just doing this for effect, as you clearly do not demonstrate that you have thought deeply & at length at the problems encountered by the LGBT community?
Perhaps you are only a blow-in who thinks Pride is sacrosanct & thus above criticism or checks & balances & then trumpet "homophobia" without thinking this through?
I have personally endured homophobic, racial & other forms of abuse & choose not to accept them but I do not confuse them with fair comment or justified criticism.

Is there any possibility you can put forward a coherent critique without the need for name-calling?
Incidentally Lucas05, this was the underpinning theme of my post. Glad you enjoyed the event!

Reading the above, if one criticises Pride, one is 'homophobic'?!?!?!

Can I just nail my colours to the mast here? I don't care whether it is straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, lesbian or goat-botherers having a party, so long as they fund it themselves, and clear up afterwards - end of. Pay your way and leave a public park as it was and nobody will moan, just don't expect people to remain silent over a subsidised party that leaves a heap of cr*p behind it! :-)

£1000 per float? What absolute rubbish.

30 seconds googling reveals this webpage: http://www.realadmin
.co.uk/microdir/139/
File/2010_Parade_App
lication_Guidance.pd
f

which has the price breakdown - the most expensive floats (for a national company) is £730, most organisations would pay around £100 and a local business would have to pay £290.

Still it's much easier to spout ill informed nonsense than even spend the most minute effort researching. I mean typing 'brighton float cost' into Google is hard.

mtmoocher wrote:

John60 wrote:

mtmoocher wrote:

John60 wrote:

Ballroom Blitz wrote: So if it was 'the best Pride ever', I presume that they will be able to pay the Coucil back the £20,000 loan immediately, and will never, ever have to ask for loan from the public purse again. Seems logical, no?

The council should fund the entire event and not just throw loans at it! Pride brings so much money into the city which mostlt straight business benefit from. Gay men and lesbians pay into the council tax sysyem as much as anyone else does and yet get a fraction in return, the majority don't have children to send to school which are funded by our council taxes not to mention all the other grants that get given to straight organisations, we only get a fraction of what straight people get in grants. I find your attitude to be somewhat homophobic and a tad ignorant, your attitude is so wrong. What about the bins supplied to the travellers out of our council tax money and the clear up after they have been moved on with the days worth of rubbish they leave behind. They don't pay anything into the sysyem at least we do!

John60, you level the accusation of "homophobia" against Ballroom Blitz because they raised a legitimate fiscal question about the mismanagement of finances surrounding this event. What is your justification for this? Both yourself & Lucas05 comment on "straight" organisations & places & that would appear to be clear discrimination. Indeed, it seems to fly in the face of the ethos of Pride, one element of which is the celebration of diversity & inclusiveness. How does your attitude & terminology sit with this? If Ballroom Blitz can be lablelled "homophobic for a sensible comment about loans from the public purse in these straitened times, how do we label you - a "homofascist" perhaps? Taxes are collected & spent according to need & your assertion that "straight" (sic) organisations & people get more from taxes is merely indicative of your small-minded bigoted attitude that does a disservice to wider Society, one that includes a myriad of people from various backgrounds including LGBT. However this is only my opinion as I may come across as a "tad ignorant".

Yes I think perhaps you are a tad ignorant and your facts are based on complete and utter ignorance, oh and from an oppinion clearly of a straight person.

Spoken from a true position of ignorance, as you make wild assumptions of my sexual preference which is not relevant to my points. My sexuality is a private matter which is for me to divulge when & to whom I choose. You have merely chosen to gloss over the issues raised & do not wish to address the salient arguments.

Are you just doing this for effect, as you clearly do not demonstrate that you have thought deeply & at length at the problems encountered by the LGBT community?
Perhaps you are only a blow-in who thinks Pride is sacrosanct & thus above criticism or checks & balances & then trumpet "homophobia" without thinking this through?
I have personally endured homophobic, racial & other forms of abuse & choose not to accept them but I do not confuse them with fair comment or justified criticism.

Is there any possibility you can put forward a coherent critique without the need for name-calling?
Incidentally Lucas05, this was the underpinning theme of my post. Glad you enjoyed the event!

mtmoocher,

I totally agree with your argument. 'Straight people' are constantly bleated to about inclusion but then criticised for attending pride (too many straight people, it's not about the gay community anymore). The same with the shops, we're told that the rainbow flags only come out for pride, and that shops are 'cashing in'. Could you not argue that they are taking part, or being inclusive?
I would also like to know which businesses are 'straight businesses'. Yes they have more straight people using their services, but isn't that more to do with there being more straight people per capita than gay people.
Another point raised is "Gay men and lesbians pay into the council tax sysyem as much as anyone else does and yet get a fraction in return". This is called being included in society, isn't that what you've been striving to achieve? I am a 'straight' male with no children, I pay just as much council tax as gay men and lesbian women, should I feel hard done to?
It seems like some people in the gay community want inclusion, but on their own terms.
I would like to point out that all I have written is observation and criticism and is in no way homophobic, nor does it mean that I do not like the gay community as an entire group of people.