1994 - 1st CORNWALL LGBT PRIDE?
May 1994: Lidbury as editor of ICT newsletter initiated & organized with help of a small number of volunteers the first ever by name Gay PRIDE gathering in Cornwall, at the Op’s Room, (Monroes) Portreath. It was attended by over 140 LGBT persons.
An evening in support of the London PRIDE Trust. Attended by Teddy Witherington,
London Pride Trust Director, Adam Jeanes London Pride Chair, & ‘Yvette’ of Love Muscle.
This was at a time when all institutions in Cornwall, i.e. Police, social services, councils, education dept. etc. were vehemently & openly homophobic & hostile towards gay persons.
CORNWALL LGBT FETES
However the lesbian community & a handful of enlightened gay men had been running for years previous to 1994 an LGBT annual fete on a farm, Nr Hayle in Cornwall. These LGBT fetes were for all intent & purpose a Cornwall LGBT pride event. Run by LGBT people for LGBT people & not as (equality & diversity) lip service to organizations & authorities which had always been homophobic & discriminatory towards gay persons. i.e. Police, Cornwall Councils. Etc.
These early ‘Pride’ fetes organised/supported by Acorn Women’s group, Alternative Books, ‘Out of the Blue’, Cornwall Lesbian Line, Truro City Hosp. GU Clinic, Cornwall AIDS Council, & the ICT LGBT newsletter, along with other gay owned businesses. One of the LGBT fetes appeared in Gay Times magazine on a feature article about LGBT life in Cornwall, where St. Ives was described as ‘Death by hanging baskets’.
June 94: Front Cover ICT LGBT newsletter
Photo: Lidbury interviewing Julian Clary London PRIDE 1994 for ICT :-
Photo: Lidbury interviewing Holly Johnson London PRIDE 1994 for ICT:-
Jly/Aug 94: Front Cover ICT LGBT newsletter
Other Pride stuff Cornwall PRIDE Beach Day 2007
Cornwall PRIDE & Gay Suicides 2008
Cornwall PRIDE bans Gay Art 2011
Cornwall PRIDE Hate Crime & £2 million Tax Fraud
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