Pride Meetup For Bermudians In The UK
A group of Bermudians based in the United Kingdom recently gathered at the Manchester Pride celebrations in solidarity with the inaugural Bermuda Pride Parade.
The get together was organised by Debbie Collins and Tyrone Lovell for fellow LGBTQ+ Bermudians and allies “in order to show support for those attending Bermuda Pride, as well as visibility for themselves.”
A spokesperson said, “They felt the need to organise the gathering because many LGBTQ+ Bermudians have left the island for countries like the UK,often due to the homophobia and absence of support felt at home, which consequentially makes it difficult for some folks from the LGBTQ+ community to actually participate in this long overdue event taking place in Bermuda.
“It is important to remember that just because many of us have felt forced to leave our home doesn’t mean we have ceased to exist, and our hope is for Bermuda to continue making strides toward equity, particularly with an intersectional approach to protective legislation in areas such as gender identity and expression, so that we can all feel safe in our own country – that is one reason why Pride exists.
“Since Manchester Pride happened to fall the weekend before Bermuda Pride, it seemed serendipitous to tie the two together somehow – especially after seeing that Manchester Pride was acknowledged on the Bermuda pride website as an example to follow for its inclusion of black and brown stripes on the rainbow flag.
“The event garnered more interest than expected, with many UK based Bermudians being appreciative of the initiative even if they were unable to travel to Manchester and attend. A total of five Bermudians – some of whom may never have met otherwise – along with their friends and partners, came together for celebration and, of course, a photo opportunity.”
The line “It is important to remember that just because many of us have felt forced to leave our home doesn’t mean we have ceased to exist”, is so sad. I cannot understand families, let alone a country who can turn its back on one of its own in the name of religion. Please believe that there are at least 6000+ Bermuda residents who care about you and will support you if you ever chose to return.
Meanwhile……….. Good looking photo! Did you see the Bermuda Flag (Pride version) being flown at our Pride Parade? It was so cool and perhaps next year you guys can fly that too?