MEDWAY AND GRAVESHAM PRIDES 2021

MEDWAY AND GRAVESHAM PRIDES 2021

By Shea Coffey from Medway Pride Radio

August was the month for Prides in Kent, with the first ever Gravesham Pride held on August 14 and the first ever Medway Pride the following Saturday.

Gravesham Pride was held in the stunning Fort Gardens, originally designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. It is now a beautiful park with architectural features from the last 300 years.

The main focus was the stage, which was set up on the bandstand where we were treated to acts as diverse as Maybe Gaga, for whom no stage would have been big enough and who was rapidly dancing with the crowd; Ronnie Stone and their amazing fire-eating set; a Kylie tribute act; Jayne Snow with her own songs; and compere Miss Dot Com.

Blazing hot sunshine drove many to the bar and, as alcohol and music worked their dependable magic, the Kings of Dhol took to the stage with a drumbeat born of bangra but set to chart music the crowd knew. The next 40 minutes were an East meets West danceathon, and even the security teams strutted some very funky moves, and I have the video to prove it!

Gravesham organiser Helanna had given me many reasons for creating a local Pride, but as I watched the crowd just enjoying being together after 18 months of isolation, I could not help but reflect that she was right when she said “everyone has their own tribe, their own people”.

The seven days between Prides saw quite a few spin-off events, from local performances and quiz nights to karaoke, and even a guided tour of the LGBTQ+ history of Medway with Rob Flood cheekily named Carry On Up The Khyber (if you want to know why, take the walk next time it’s on!). There really was something for all.

“The day belonged to the community for whom the wait to get back to Prides was long and the long-held promise of a local Pride finally became a reality”

The following weekend it was the turn of Medway Pride and we were aware just how high Gravesham had set the bar.

The gates opened at 10.30am; people from across the community headed to the Riverside at Doust Way to be greeted by Kent Police, Kent Fire Service, NHS nurses, loads of charity stalls, the ubiquitous food and drink vans and Pride merch stalls. There were also some you might not expect, such as a comedy tent from the folks at Much Laughter, and our own Medway Pride Radio stand where we had Rob Flood fresh from his walks on hand to talk about the amazing history of the LGBTQ+ community in Medway.

Despite the grey day, Pride-goers flocked through the gates and settled on the grass in a riot of rainbows, and after the usual speeches, the acts got underway. The crowds were treated to classic hits from ABBA and Chic. Local singer/songwriter Gary B Lucas showed why he is a Medway Pride Radio favourite, Elberace, aka Gay Elvis, brought the party to a whole new level and got the entire festival on its feet, Amrick Channa kept the party going before Kelly Wilde and Sammi Brooks took it home with some crowd-pleasing favourites.

It was the drag queens that brought the glamour. Dr Beverly Ballcrusher worked the crowds with style and panache I have seldom seen, Chai Latte (a name to watch) very nearly stole the show with a fabulous set, but it was River Medway and her entourage that the crowds were waiting for, and they were not disappointed.

Ultimately, the day belonged to the community for whom the wait to get back to Prides was long and the long-held promise of a local Pride finally became a reality. Walking among the revellers I heard one thing said 50 different ways: “It is so nice to meet you finally in real life.” It’s a reminder that in the last 18 months a whole community has developed online through Zoom, Teams, and various social media platforms and Medway Pride, like Gravesham Pride the week before, was a chance for friends to meet in real life. They met, they danced, and they celebrated finding their pride.

There was one couple that had more to celebrate than any other. In the Chalk Gallery, which was as much fun for adults as children, was a marriage proposal... and an answer, of course it had to be... YES! After a county-wide search that included local papers, the couple from Canterbury were found and will be talking to Medway Pride Radio in the coming days. Elberace has offered to perform at their wedding.

Hats off to Hilary and Helanna for organising two incredible local Prides that are both certain to grow in coming years, but my final thanks have to be to all the volunteers, whether you volunteered on a stall, at a spinoff event, or for Gravesham and/or Medway Prides, you contributed to an incredible few days. I’ll let both committees have a short rest before suggesting we do it all again next summer!

All photos courtesy of Sophie Elizabeth