Worthing Borough Council wants to hear from members of the LGBTQ+ community to find out how to make the town more welcoming and inclusive.
As part of the Big Listen, and to coincide with Pride Month, the Council will be holding an informal listening event in the Gordon Room at the town hall from 6 – 8pm on Thursday, June 22 to learn from members of the LGBTQ+ community about what life in Worthing is like for them and what improvements could be made. No booking necessary – just turn up!
Councillors and Council Officers will be facilitating the event and are hoping to learn from members of the community details about what groups and individuals are currently doing to make the town more inclusive and how the Council can work with them to achieve that.
To celebrate Pride Month, the Council has also given the town centre a colourful makeover. Every evening this month and during the weekend of Worthing Pride (July 7 and July 8) the town hall will be lit up in the colours of the rainbow flag to Pride.
Progress Pride flags, which also represent marginalised people of colour and people who are intersex or non-binary, will be flying along the pier and at Steyne Gardens throughout June and up to Worthing Pride in July.
The Guildbourne Centre has also been given a colourful new look with stickers in the colours of the Progress Pride Flag being applied to the outside steps.
Cllr Rosey Whorlow, Worthing’s Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, said: “Pride Month is about equality, affirmation and the celebration of the work of the LGBTQ+ community, their history, and their battles for acceptance as they fight discrimination and worse.
“As part of our Big Listen project we are seeking to understand what the Worthing LGBTQ+ communities want from their Council and their town. We intend to make Worthing the fairest town it can be. In order to do this, we want to hear ideas from communities themselves on how we can achieve this.”
CLICK HERE to find out more about this year’s Worthing Pride event.