POWER IN PRIDE: BIRMINGHAM PRIDE 2023

from Scene Magazine West Midlands - June 2023

Friend of Dorothy

Words and pictures by Catherine Muxworthy

) Birmingham Pride 2023 returned last month with the theme Power in Pride. Friday night saw the free community event return for a third year; on Saturday and Sunday, Birmingham Pride on the Smithfield site included Sugababes, Gabrielle, B*witched, Eurovision’s Mae Muller, Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, cabaret stages with local drag acts, and much more.

Saturday was also the day for the Pride Parade which made its way from Centenary Square at 12pm to the LGBTQ+ village with over 75,000 people marching through the streets and many more watching its journey. The parade procession was led by Garry Jones, a Birmingham-based artist who – with the Birmingham HIV and AIDS Memorial Group –raised £180,000 to create a memorial which was unveiled in December last year.

Alongside the memorial sculpture, Jones also created the memorial quilts which have been on display across the city over the past months. Jones walked alongside these quilts to lead the parade in 2023, and back in 2000, he also led the first Pride Parade in the city.

Garry Jones told BBC: “Being given the opportunity to display the Birmingham AIDS and HIV memorial quilts to lead the parade is a real honour.”

Over Pride weekend, Birmingham also played host to a range of other LGBTQ+ events: the Bullring late-night Pride event with Gaydio; the Brum Buzz Cut Queer reading festival, which was a collaboration from the Back to Backs and Back to Books; cabaret and drag bingo at Birmingham LGBT Centre’s café space; Fatt Butcher’s disco bike in Grand Central Station; and much more.

Join us for our open day at New Larchwood

Do you support people who are aged 55 and over, still independent but require help from time to time? Or are you thinking about housing options for yourself, a friend or a loved one, now or in the future? Then Rented Housing with on-site care could be the answer.

Our apartments at New Larchwood are designed to meet the specific needs of older people who want to continue to maintain an independent lifestyle, without compromising on style and affordability.

The day will include:

• Tours of New Larchwood, including a show flat

• A meet and greet with staff

• A chance to chat to our residents, who will be happy to discuss living at New Larchwood (you may spot some of them playing the piano during the day!)

• Refreshments

Wednesday 21 June, from 10am to 4pm New Larchwood, Waldron Avenue, Brighton, BN1 9EZ Call 01273 052061 to RSVP. Walk-ins welcome.

For more information about our properties at New Larchwood, visit www.anchor.org.uk/newlarchwood

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POWER IN PRIDE: BIRMINGHAM PRIDE 2023

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Friend of Dorothy

This article is from:

Scene Magazine West Midlands - June 2023