Cllr Chaun Wilson, Labour’s equalities spokesperson spoke passionately tonight (Thursday, February 27) in support of the Labour and Conservative budget ammendment to reinstate the annual grant to Brighton Pride by primarily drawing upon allocated funds from the council’s one off reserves.
Chaun said: “In recent weeks the news has been full of stories relating to laws passed in Russia and Uganda which seek to remove human rights from LGBT citizens.
“Countries which are not alone in turning a blind eye to the most horrendous brutality and suffering of LGBT people and believe it right to imprison inflict violence and humiliation on people for the simple act of falling in love.
“As we express our shock and disgust at their actions it is easy to forget our own track record in the UK on LGBT rights and the long fight members of the community have faced to get us where we are today.
“Brighton and Hove, home to a fantastic Pride event is an amazingly diverse and vibrant place to be, accepting people for who they are and not forcing people to conform to one set of ideals. And though homophobia, bi-phobia and transphobia still exist here, there is limited tolerance shown for such behaviour.
“This is why, I like many LGBT friends chose to come and live in Brighton and Hove because it stands out in the UK as a fair and tolerant city with a rich and diverse community spirit.
“But you know in some respects Brighton and Hove can act as a kind of bubble because outside the city it’s often difficult to avoid extreme homophobia and prejudice.
“Having lived outside Brighton and Hove for many years I have personal experience of severe homophobia and frequently encountered this at an institutional level in education, housing, law and health systems, whilst my family including two children were regularly subjected to verbal and physical abuse and even being forced to move house for our own safety on one occasion.
“Pride is for many, a symbolic event, which reminds us that we cannot take our freedom to live openly as LGBT people for granted whilst serving as a legacy for those who have suffered to bring us equality and acting as a huge beacon of hope to LGBT communities across the international landscape still fighting for their rights.
“Pride provides us with a benchmark for equality, enabling us to celebrate diversity and promote acceptance whilst bringing huge economic benefits to the city and garnering respect amongst those who support equality.
“Brighton and Hove is I believe the home of the best Pride event in the UK and feel the potential loss of Pride for want of our support would be a real travesty. I hope therefore that members from all parties will agree with us that £25k is a small price to pay for such a valuable asset and will support the amendments before them.”
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