Gay pride weekend

Brighton is gearing itself up for its weekend of the year, when thousands of gays head down to the coastal city and participate in a parade from the pier to Preston Park. Then they disperse into the town around Duke Street in Kemp Town and some finish up on Duke’s Mound to meet up …

Yesterday I ran into my friend Polly, a young equestrian entrepreneur, who is doing some PA work for Robert Tickler. Bob is not known for his tolerance to the gay community and amused us all with his robust comment:

“I’m leaving town for the weekend. I’ll be buggered if I stay here.”

Polly commented that there was a least half a chance of his remark coming true if Robert, in taking a short cut from his favourite patisserie shop in Kemp Town, were to pass through the wooded pathways of Duke’s Mound, which will be heaving come Saturday night.

Personally I will not be joining the pride. This is not because I disapprove – I don’t and admire the tolerance of Brighton – but rather I would feel like William Hague being photographed in a baseball hat and the artificial way he adopted carnival in order to show he was an inclusive guy. I don’t really like crowds, nor trumpeting something I am not. However, it’s a lively weekend and very much part of the city calendar.