Latest news with #StroudPride
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
25 fantastic images from this year's Stroud Pride event
STROUD Pride celebrated its first march as part of this year's event. The celebration, in its seventh year, took place in the sunshine yesterday, Saturday, June 28. The march made its way through the town, closing Kendrick Street and George Street, before finishing at Bank Gardens for a picnic. At the gardens, there were stalls, speeches and entertainment hosted by Feral Cole and Pandy LeRoux. Performances came from Queer Voices choir, Some Voices choir, Miss Demeanor Mccall, Misty Monique and Carrie Sauce. Stroud MP Simon Opher also stopped by to show his support. Speaking after the event, a spokesperson from Stroud Pride said: "A huge thank you to every person that made today possible. "We pulled off Stroud Pride's first march. "We saw a lot of people come through the park and we helped show every person that Stroud cares." Stroud Pride has been running since 2018 and is entirely volunteer-run. All pictures taken by photographer Simon Pizzey. Kim Baker and Jennifer Quilliam from Rodborough Tabernacle Church at Stroud Pride. Image: Simon Pizzey Misty Monique performed at Stroud Pride. Image: Simon Pizzey Mum Elle and daughter Violet, four, at Stroud Pride. Image: Simon Pizzey Same Voices Choir at Stroud Pride. Image: Simon Pizzey Mum Chloe and Oska, six, at Stroud Pride. Image: Simon Pizzey Pandy Leroux on stage at Stroud Pride. Image: Simon Pizzey Image: Simon Pizzey
Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Gender-critical views banned from Pride celebration
Gender-critical views have been branded 'harmful' and banned from an LGBT Pride event. Organisers of Stroud Pride called for performers to take part in its annual celebration, but told would-be volunteers that it would not accept 'LGB views'. That phrase refers to members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community who do not accept that transgender people are part of the same community, because their identity is not linked to sexuality. Stroud Pride, which has received National Lottery funding, said in an online post: 'We will be taking extra care to not allow performers who hold harmful views, such as LGB views that exclude trans people from Pride.' The announcement that people sceptical of transgender inclusion would not be welcomed provoked criticism from some online. The LGB Alliance, a campaign group critical of the expansion of transgender and 'queer' rights under the banner of gay rights, has claimed that Stroud Pride's exclusionary policy could be illegal. However, in a separate post on the event's Facebook page, organisers wrote: 'We do not wish for anyone with harmful views to be present at Pride. This includes views that believe that trans people are not part of the LGBTQ+ community.' The Stroud Pride website states that its mission is to celebrate 'diversity, inclusivity, and community spirit in the heart of Gloucestershire'. It adds: 'Our mission is to foster a vibrant and supportive environment where everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, feels valued and empowered.' The Pride event, which is set to take place in June, has been branded 'homophobic' for its deliberate exclusion of those with dissenting views. Politically contentious Kate Barker, chief executive of the LGB Alliance, said: 'This is yet another example of how the TQ+ infiltrates the LGB movement to promote its own goals. 'To exclude those with 'LGB views' from what we used to call Gay Pride is obscene, discriminatory - and illegal. We call on the National Lottery to conduct an urgent review into their funding of this openly homophobic event.' Following the legal victory of Maya Forstater, who lost her job after tweeting about the reality of biological sex in relation to the transgender issue, gender-critical views are now considered a protected belief which cannot be discriminated against. The inclusion of transgender people under the LGBT banner for Pride event has proven politically contentious. There have been call from some campaigners to ban the Labour Party from the London Pride event because of the party's stance on trans issues. More than 100 LGBT campaign groups signed a letter to Pride organisers calling for political parties to be banned because they were 'complicit in transphobia'.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stroud figures speak out about controversial trans ruling
STROUD figures have spoken out following the recent Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman. The court confirmed on Wednesday the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. This means transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. The UK Government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought 'clarity and confidence' for women and service providers, however the ruling has sparked protests up and down the country, with one planned in Cheltenham's Imperial Gardens on Saturday, April 26. A spokesperson for Stroud Pride plus the area's MP have shared their views on the ruling and what it may mean for the community. A Stroud Pride spokesperson said: 'I hope you are all taking care of yourselves and keeping safe through this turmoil. "With that in mind, I'm here to tell you, in Stroud and across the country, we have community! "And with community comes solidarity, understanding, wisdom, resilience and safety! "The road to equality has never once been a straight line, and this blind corner may have taken us by surprise, but the hard work carries on." MP Simon Opher said: "Last week's Supreme Court ruling is an 88 page document, and is not as clear cut as some are claiming. "Indeed, Lord Hodge explicitly stated that it was not 'a triumph of one group... [over] another'. "Like most of these things, it will take time for everyone affected to understand and accommodate the decision, work out what it means, and how they can best respond. "Yet it will change how people live their lives. "I hope kindness, respect and empathy are what people choose to prioritise and work with. "We should be helping young people who are trying to find a liveable space in a world that doesn't guarantee their safety, not push them further and further to the margins. "We should not lose any more people to the hatred stirred by this issue. "I am especially mindful of Brianna Ghey, whose existence threatened no-one (but who brought great joy and pride to her family)."
