Liverpool Pride back on after LGBTQ+ charity steps up

Liverpool Pride is back on this year, after an LGBTQ+ charity has stepped in to help facilitate and coordinate a city-wide, community-led celebration.

The original organisers, LCR Pride Foundation, originally cancelled their 26 July party and parade plans due to “significant financial and organisational challenges, which have impacted timescales and resulted in it reverting to an almost entirely volunteer-led operation”.

But Sahir House, the city’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity, shared on social media that they have “turned things around” and Pride will be “louder, prouder, and truly ours.”

This year’s Pride in Liverpool will see a new march route, a queer arena celebration, as well as activities for families and a Pride Quarter family as Sahir House said “pride is for everyone.”

It comes afterThe Independent reported last week that Pride organisers are warning Donald Trump’s DEI rollback in the states was having an effect in the UK, with UK Pride Organisers Network (UKPON) cited a decline in corporate sponsorships for 75 per cent of Pride events across the UK this year.

Organisers said that big corporations that had long sponsored Pride were “pulling back their funding in all aspects”, especially if they have head offices in the US.

Dee Llewellyn, chair of UKPON and director of partnerships and growth for London Pride, said support for Pride had “fallen off a cliff”, causing a number of events across the country close their doors, including big events such as Liverpool.

Sahir House has set a goal of £60,000 in order to fund its grassroots Pride celebration, having so far managed to raise £15,416.

John Hyland, former co-chair of Liverpool Pride and the Community Partnerships and Individual Giving Lead for Sahir, had told The Independent that now more than ever before, Pride was necessary.

“I think definitely in light of what’s happened with the Supreme Court ruling, we’ve had a number of number of transgender community-led protests happen in Liverpool,” he said. “If there’s a year where we need Pride to happen, it’s this year and our community has been very vocal about that.”

The charity said in a statement on its website: “Thanks to the passion, determination and sheer graft of local LGBTQ+ artists, activists, organisations and allies, we’ve turned things around to make Pride happen.

“This year, we’re proudly calling it Liverpool’s Pride – with an apostrophe and an ‘s’ – because this Pride belongs to all of us. It’s Liverpool’s moment to come together, celebrate loudly, protest proudly, and reclaim our Pride with love, resilience and joy.”

Pride will kick off in the city with a grassroots celebration in Prescot, taking place at Shakespeare North Playhouse on 19 July with creative workshops, spoken word, “a symbolic Pride demonstration” with flash mobs, as well as social spaces and community connection.

“Let’s celebrate Pride together, where every voice is heard and every identity shines”, a statement read.