Two of the tents which pulled out of Brighton Pride last month will now take part after Brighton and Hove City Council intervened.
In an emergency meeting held last Friday, organisers of the Women’s Performance Tent and the Calabash, People of Colour Tent were given backing by the city council so they could take part in Preston Park on August 7.
A spokeswoman for the Women’s Performance Tent production team said: “This agreement for the Women’s Performance Tent to deliver a community activity at Brighton Pride on behalf of Brighton & Hove City Council represents a major step forward.
“A true community event requires transparency, strategic planning and effective use of resources, none of which have been forthcoming from Pride in dealing with the WPT this year. Instead of struggling to feel involved in Pride, volunteers, performers and audiences need to be guaranteed opportunities to feel empowered by their input to this vibrant event.
“To fail to provide essential resources makes a mockery of community involvement and confidence at the expense of loyal, long-standing voluntary groups’ reputations and well-being.”
Calabash co-ordinator Affy Wajid said: “To deliver Calabash with full backing of the city council has major importance for us, not only as an LGBT group but as a group that aims to provide visible representation of black and minority ethnic interests at Pride.
“It has taken years of struggle to get to where we are today. We feel we provide an important contribution to Pride that needs to be valued and that we should work in an environment of integrity, open communication, equal partnership and transparency, elements of which have been lacking with Pride this year.
“The city council’s backing significantly supports the contribution Calabash and the Women’s Performance Tent make in ensuring that Pride day is inclusive and reflective of the LGBT community.”
The move was described as a “historic shift” by GScene magazine, which was present at the meeting.
