Belfast Pride: ‘Every venue should do its part to protect and uplift the people it serves and employs'
Local businesspeople have spoken of the importance of Pride month to their employees and work, with activists saying businesses have a 'central role' in promoting LGBT+ equality.
Pride month climaxes in Belfast this weekend with the Belfast Pride parade, an event for which business sponsors include the Northern Whig pub and Q Radio.
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BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Gloucestershire Pride facing financial strain, says chairperson
The chair of a Pride organisation says financial challenges are putting the future of its main event at in Gloucestershire, which began in 2006, will be asking the public for donations on the gate this year due to a £25,000 shortfall in its Richard Stevens said the cost of putting on the event, which is not ticketed, has increased by £16,000 since 2023. He told BBC Radio Gloucestershire this is "a struggle we're seeing across the UK in Pride and community organisations". Mr Stevens added: "Grant opportunities are fewer and the competition for that restrictive grant funding is increasing even more."On top of that, a lot of Pride relies on sponsorship from businesses and, due to the cost of living, we're seeing reductions in sponsors."It difficult – we've got to try and increase the income we have, or scale back and do what we can do with Pride in Gloucestershire." Gloucestershire Pride events now run in Cheltenham, Cirencester, Cinderford and Tewkesbury, as well as as a larger event in at Gloucester Park, attracting thousands of people. Mr Stevens said in addition to Pride in Gloucestershire, which will take place on 13 September, asking the public for donations, it has also launched a "support wrist band" which will provide another way for people to support the goers can also sponsor a toilet at the event for £25 and put a message up in their sponsored toilet. Any public donations will help cover performers' fees, production costs and equipment hire, Mr Stevens added.
Daily Mail
29-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Liberal city loses two more iconic restaurants for good as downtown spiral continues
Two beloved Denver spots — Cap City Tavern and Denver Sweet — served their last customers July 27. They closed within hours of each other amid mounting challenges in the Mile High City. Owners blamed inflation, rising food costs, higher minimum wages, and what they called a 'crushing' load of local taxes and fees. 'Sadly, we are not alone, as the community of independently owned restaurants in Denver is literally going extinct,' Cap City Tavern wrote on social media. Denver Sweet, a six‑year‑old LGBTQ+ bar that won the 2025 Colorado Drag & Variety Award for Best Queer Bar, cited similar pressures. 'Creating and running Denver Sweet has been a dream come true for us — and saying goodbye is heartbreaking,' co‑owners Randy Minten and Ken Maglasang wrote. 'We've done everything we could to push forward — including personally funding operations — but the current climate simply isn't viable for us anymore.' The twin closures come as Denver grapples with a wave of restaurant failures. Last year, 82 percent of Colorado's restaurant shutdowns were in Denver, with Colorado Springs also seeing a decline. Cap City Tavern had been a family‑run institution for 18 years, remembered by loyal customers as a 'home away from home.' The McTaggart family also own the Bannock Street Garage Bar. Heartbroken customers remembered meeting partners there or celebrating special events. 'What an incredible loss. A home away from home full of years of memories. Sending so much love,' an Instagrammer wrote. 'Such a Denver staple. I'm just so sorry to hear this. Sending your family so much love right now. That floor is sure going to miss those jump splits!,' another fan responded. Unlike the tavern, Denver Sweet had only been operating for about six years. 'I loved going in and getting my pickle shots, playing pool with family, getting sloshed of AMFs during Pride. I made so many memories and had the best times of my life at Sweet,' an Instagrammer revealed. 'Y'all have shown me since the literal day I turned 21 that even though (ACTUALLY ESPECIALLY) since I'm a trans man, I am loved, accepted, and hold a rightful place in the gay male community,' another person wrote. Owners of the Cap City Tavern and Denver Sweet expressed their sadness over the closures on social media Cap City Tavern fans looked back on memories like meeting friends and supporting the Minnesota Vikings Social media users insisted the LGBTQ+ friendly Denver Sweet was a loving and accepting place The Denver hotspots join a nationwide trend that has seen long‑standing eateries shutter. Hector's Café and Diner closed earlier this month after 76 years of business. The owner of the struggling diner once frequented by Law & Order crew members revealed a major reason behind the closure was to make room for an expansion of the Whitney museum. The closure happened a month after Moro's Dining closed after 45 years. It's unclear how much money Moro's was making annually as the primary reason behind the shutter was the owner's interest in retiring. Operators of the Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant in California are also looking to retire, which is why they've decided close their 92-year-old restaurant for good. However, unlike the others, Cole's French Dip is closing after 117 years of operation due to a business decline resulting from crime in Los Angeles.
BBC News
26-07-2025
- BBC News
Is Brighton Pride still meaningful or just big business?
Members of the LGBTQ+ community have claimed Brighton Pride has become too commercial, lost its meaning and no longer feels like their space, although others dispute this."Pride has been turned into a massive money-making exercise," Ben Tindal said. The Brighton resident added "expensive" ticketed events excluded working-class or low-income LGBTQ+ people, who needed the "visibility and inclusion" of Pride the most. Paul Kemp, Brighton Pride managing director, told the BBC there were "practical realities of the cost of putting on a safe, accessible event for tens of thousands of people". Organisers have done everything they can to ensure the event was inclusive, with discounted tickets available, he spoke to the BBC about ticket prices, with final release Saturday tickets for Pride on the Park costing £64.50. Mr Tindal said Pride should go back to being a "protest" aimed at bringing about change. "That's when it actually meant something," he continued. Mr Kemp said Pride would always be about protest - raising awareness, platforming LGBTQ+ voices and campaigning for equality. This year's theme - Ravishing Rage - was a "direct response to the global pushback on LGBTQ+ rights", he added. 'Corporate pride' Hermione La Chapelle told the BBC that Pride had lost its "radical spirit in favour of corporate interests" over the years. She claimed businesses sponsored Pride as a "huge marketing opportunity". The 26-year-old added companies also used the event for "pink-washing", a practice of pretending to support LGBTQ+ causes to boost their image while also having discriminatory practices or poor human rights records."It is a betrayal of the anti-oppression values that should be at the heart of LGBTQ+ liberation," she said. "Everyone I know is boycotting Pride this year." Brighton Pride organiser Mr Kemp said the event "simply wouldn't be possible without some level of sponsorship" as the costs of delivering events had "skyrocketed" since the pandemic. He said all partnerships were reviewed annually. Mr Kemp said the event had also raised more than £1.4m for local LGBTQ+ causes. Gary Pargeter, who runs Lunch Positive, a community organisation supporting people living with or affected by HIV, told the BBC funding from Pride was "absolutely essential for the survival and growth our work". He said the money was all the more crucial against a backdrop of reduced funding for LGBTQ+ groups elsewhere. Pride also brings a "massive boost" to Brighton's economy, according to a report by the city's council. It generated an estimated £20.5m in revenue in 2018 from visitors to the city, the council's latest figures show. 'Not our space' However, Pride has increasingly become a music festival, according to Ms La change, she said, meant it was attended by big groups of straight people who were there "solely to party without reflecting on the reason why we have Pride". "It doesn't necessarily feel like a space for the LGBT community anymore," Ms La Chapelle added that allies supporting their LGBTQ+ friends were welcome. More than 300,000 attend Brighton Pride, according to Pargeter, who grew up in the city, said the "high profile" nature of Pride could give people - especially those still coming to terms with being LGBTQ+ - the comfort and confidence to be who they are. "It's a real mainstay of celebrating our identity," he added. Though she wished it had concessions for elderly people, 80-year-old Betty Gallacher said Pride should focus on education through workshops and talks. It would enable younger generations to understand the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and the discrimination people faced, she said. But she said the most important - and valuable - part of Pride was the free parade, which she was a part of until two years ago."It says we are out and proud," she added.
