Limmerick Pride – Limmerick, Ireland

This year after the Pride Parade we throw our biggest ever after party. It’s so big the name Block Party won’t do it justice. It needs a new name, something fitting the occasion.

Limmerick Pride 2014

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to PrideFest.

Starting at 3p.m in The Potato Market on Merchants Quay, featuring acts such as Unity Gospel Choir, Rachy P, Elaine O Halloran, Europe’s No1 P!nk Tribute Laura Tapp, DJ Jules and our special guest Misha B.

All this hosted by Paul Ryder and Limerick’s own Celine.

Entry is free, can’t wait to see ye all there.

The History of Limerick Pride

For many of us who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and even Queer, one of the hardest things we may ever have to do in our lives is come out of the closest, you know that time when you tell those you are closest to that you like people of the same sex, or you’ve been born into the wrong body, and hope that they will still see you as that loving person you were up until you told them. For many LGBTQ individuals this part of the process goes well, for others it’s still something that can lead to the loss of family and friends, becoming very traumatic for the individual concerned.

The other thing that you will do is join in with your first Pride Parade, being part of the week is easy enough, most events are held in places that are either Gay ran, or that are Gay Friendly, offering LGBTQ individuals the comfort of being with like minded people, and the feeling of safety. The Parade it’s self is not so comfortable, here you will walk down the street, blowing whistles and waving flags, you might help carry the huge flag on loan from Dublin, affording you some sense of security if you recognised by someone on the pavement that doesn’t know you’re gay.

Sometimes it helps to know why we have a Parade, aside from the obvious celebration of who we are, and lead up to a day of partying with people like us, our friends and our families. The truth of the matter is Pride Parades/Marches first began all the way over in America, where in 1969, fed up of being rousted by the police, beaten up and arrested a bunch of Gay Men, Butch Lesbians and Drag Queens fought back, quite literally.

The following year a parade/march was held in New York to commemorate the events, and also to seek equal rights for LGBTQ individuals. Freedom to be who you were on the LGBTQ scene was not always accepted and Pride Marches were a way of protesting, and as well as stating that we weren’t going anywhere and we were coming out of hiding.

After the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland in 1993, the doors opened quite literally for LGBTQ individuals to celebrate who they were amongst like minded people, but it wasn’t until 2001 that the first Pride Events took place in our beautiful city of Limerick and from there we really haven’t looked back.

Now more than ever it is important to participate in the annual festival and make our presence known by taking part in the Pink Parade 2013. In the world today we LGBTQ individuals are still being denied our basic human rights. In Russia LGBTQ people are being beaten up, tortured and imprisoned for being Homosexual. All over the world, young and old alike are taking their own lives due to bullying and homophobia within schools and the workplace.

Here in Ireland, next year, our Government will be deciding the fate of all LGBTQ Couples and their families in regards to Marriage Equality, which is why limerick pride would like to turn their parade into a PINK one (#PinkParade). We want to send a clear message to our Government that we want our full rights and our relationships to be recognised as equal to those of our heterosexual brothers and sisters.

So while the ten day long selection of events are indeed a celebration of who we are and how far we’ve come since 1993, we still have a long way to go.
Bridgina Molloy

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