LGBT groups banned from Dublin Pride

face1990

LGBT rights organisations and community groups won't be allowed to speak at this year's Pride.
The reason they've given is that people wanted less speeches after the parade, but it has been suggested that Pride's commercial sponsors have pressured them to do this.



This is the email I got today from Marriage Equality:

Concern at Dublin Pride Decision - Statement by LGBT Noise and Marriage Equality Monday June 24th 2013




Noise and Marriage Equality are issuing this statement because of an unprecedented decision by the board members of Dublin LGBTQ Pride to bar LGBT rights organisations and community groups from speaking at Pride.





It has been a tradition central to the history and spirit of Pride that these groups say a few words at the post-parade party about LGBT rights issues. This is an important opportunity to update the community on LGBT rights developments and the work of community groups. Noise and Marriage Equality believe that in the interests of community solidarity and co-operation this tradition should continue.





Considering the prominence given to the commercial sponsors of Pride, Noise and Marriage Equality believe that community organisations and rights groups should be afforded visibility and the opportunity to speak about the issues that are central to the history and meaning of Pride.




The Dublin Pride is a crucial moment for groups like Noise and Marriage Equality. There is no other opportunity in the year to reach such significant volumes of people. We know from previous years that people often come to know about our organisations and others because of our participation in Pride. Noise announces the date of the annual March for Marriage and highlight issues such as the blood ban, workplace discrimination, trans rights and bullying. Marriage Equality provide an update on developments in their campaign.




Very often the post-parade event is the first community event that young LGBT people attend. Many people from rural areas around the country travel up for this unique event. Noise, and other voluntary groups, do not have the budget for large advertising campaigns about our work, we are dependent on opportunities such as Pride to reach new supporters. We believe that allotting 2 minutes for representatives to speak during an afternoon long event is not unreasonable. The partying and the politics have existed well side-by-side for many years at Dublin Pride.



The rationale for excluding rights groups and community groups by Dublin Pride is unclear. Initially we were told by Dublin Pride that we should have signaled our wish to speak back in March. We were not informed of this requirement in March. However in recent days the Board of Pride had said that their decision was based on an online survey. They wished to restrict the number of speeches given at the Merrion Square event based in this survey. We were told by the Board that they wanted to keep the post-parade event as an entertainment only event. Pride have offered the opportunity to speak, without any amplification, as the parade is gathering at the Garden of Remembrance. Attempting to speak to a crowd of thousands of people who are busy organising themselves at the start of the parade without a sound system or platform is not a credible offer.



If you think that community organisations should be allowed to speak for 2 minutes at Merrion Square and that LGBT rights are central to Pride then please let the Dublin Pride know that:

facebook them: https://www.facebook.com/DublinPride

tweet them:@DublinPride

or email them: bod@dublinpride.ie




This statement is supported by:

The National Lesbian and Gay Federation (NLGF)

Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI)

Belongto Youth Services

North West LGBT Pride

Ailbhe Smyth

Buzz O'Neill

While I think limiting the number of speeches is a good idea, a blanket ban of LGBT rights groups seems to be going against the spirit of Pride.

Also the offer to let them speak, without microphones, while the parade is gathering is just insulting.

gcgirl

Bowing to Sponsors Requests should have zero to do with Pride, Pride is political, Its a statement

L1011

People seem to be forgetting the en masse moaning about how many speeches there were last year - there's threads here and on other forums. This lead to a survey which found the actual attendees didn't want these speeches at the end. I'd be pretty certain sponsors have nothing to do with this at all.

I'd suggest reading the statement from Pride before suddenly agreeing with one side.

Ambersky

Could you attach a link to the statement from the Pride organisers MYOB.
I tried to find it myself but wasnt able to.

On reading the statement from the individuals and groups concerned about the decision not to allow time for Community Groups and LGBT rights organisations to speak after Pride, it seems to me to be a bad decision. That groups statement and comments about the decision are now all over the net and in most LBGT forums as well as other Political forums.

For some people, probably for the majority of people now in Ireland Pride is a Parade, a celebration, a fun day out. As the event gets bigger of course the ratio of those primarily interested in the social fun side is going to outnumber those interested in the community political side of things. These people are probably not primarily interested in the struggle for LGBT rights, but they are happy to avail of those rights when they are won. That's fine and natural, people are entitled not to get involved in activism and to remain primarily intested in the social side of things but I don't think it is fair representation to make a decision on excluding the tradition of having speeches from community groups and LGBT rights groups based on an online survey going by a majority vote. What about allowing some representation of community activists especially when there is still a lot of good work being done and LGBT rights to be won. Why didn't they just decide to limit the time for speeches rather than exclude them all together.

I can understand as events get bigger they need more money to provide proper facilities and entertainment for the crowds.
Historically Pride had a mixture of both the social and the political.

Activists in other countries have been sidelined as the event gets bigger and Pride begins to look more like a purely money spinning event. Even if the big corporate sponsors don't actually ask for no speeches from community groups and to keep the image all happy and entertaining, it begins to look like Pride is actually all about Nissan or Smirnoff or whoever happens to be the big sponsor.
Maybe its just a coincidence that as the big sponsors move in, LGBT rights activists are moved out.

L1011

Ambersky wrote: »

Could you attach a link to the statement from the Pride organisers MYOB.
I tried to find it myself but wasnt able to

It wasn't easy to re-locate it myself actually:

http://eile.ie/2013/06/24/dublin-pride-responds-to-lgbt-noisemarriage-equality/

Ambersky

Having read both statements now it looks to me like Pride Festival Organisers first decided to restrict the number of speeches after the Parade based on an online survey. They then made it a rule that applications to speak to the crowd had to be made back in March but LGBT Noise and Marriage Equality say they did not know of such a requirement and were not informed of it before March.

If rules are going to be made to change the input of LGBT community groups, who have been an integral part of Dublin Pride since its inception and over the last 27 years, those groups would need to be informed about those rule changes well before the closing date for applications and input.
Also not sure about creating changes to such an important event based on the results of an online survey.

In order to make such a survey fair to all interested parties there would be a number of things to look out for. All interested parties would have to agree to such a decision and they would need to take part in creating it, or agree on the format of the questions and at the very least they would need to be informed of the questionnaires existence and of its implications.
You cant just say

We decided to organise a traditional ‘rally’ style forum at the start of the Parade where community groups will stand up and make speeches to energise the assembled crowd and give everyone a sense of why we are marching and how our voices still need to be heard to effect the changes in society we all desire.

And then create a situation where community groups find it impossible to be heard.

The community groups say
We were told by the Board that they wanted to keep the post-parade event as an entertainment only event. Pride have offered the opportunity to speak, without any amplification, as the parade is gathering at the Garden of Remembrance. Attempting to speak to a crowd of thousands of people who are busy organising themselves at the start of the parade without a sound system or platform is not a credible offer.

I think the organisers are making a mistake on this one.

aloyisious

I've been following this issue of speeches on another site. It seem's to me that it's all about poor communication between the committee and the groups, that on one half: the committee did NOT get the message across that, in line with the survey results, there would be a definite change in the way and location speeches would be made; and on the other half, the representative groups who should have been more aware, did NOT understand that the committee would act on the survey results. It seem's to me that everyone assumed that things would proceed as usual and have, to use an Irish expression "got their knickers in a twist" over an easily solve-able snag. Get talking around a table over this talking issue and sort it!

I also regret the unfortunate use of words in the title of this thread. I don't think Dublin Pride committee has banned any LGBT group/s from the parade.

Ambersky

aloyisious says
the representative groups who should have been more aware
did NOT understand that the committee would act on the survey results.

I'm not sure how all this worked, but how is up to groups to know what another group decides to do, off their own bat and without any input or consultation?
I take it both groups, the Pride organisers and the community groups, didnt make the decision to compose and distribute an online survey together . Were community groups included in this decision making?

Surely you cant be aware of what another group are doing unless they at least tell you what they are doing.

aloyisious

@Ambersky: The idea of the survey was, as far as I know, was to help work out policy for future prides (incl this year's) and that included speeches. It was, in itself, part of the process of input and consultation.

The committee is charged with the planning of the Pride Parade and used the survey results as part of that planning. I don't know what contacts there have been in the past few months between the committee and the various LGBT groups, but I suspect that there was NOT a total lack of informal information available to all sides in this affair on how the other parties were thinking.

The Pride Committee has said that it made contact with the groups about three months ago to make arrangements about the parade and got no replies. That is what makes me think there was a lack of communication between both sides.

Annasopra

Statement issued following meeting

Community will rally together in Pride

Joint statement by Dublin Pride, Marriage Equality, LGBT Noise, BeLonG To Youth Services, TENI, North West Pride and NLGF

After a very productive meeting of LGBTQ organisations this evening, we are delighted to announce that a united community will celebrate together at the Dublin Pride parade this Saturday.

The organisations represented condemned recent personalised attacks on members, volunteers and supporters of Dublin Pride, and called for all such action to cease immediately. It was confirmed that none of these organisations have planned, or would support any action taken against the festival, by organisations or individuals.

In recognition of the importance of the work of other LGBTQ organisations, it has been agreed that Marriage Equality, LGBT Noise, TENI and BeLonG To will all address the the community at Merrion Square, standing together in unity, to highlight the various issues facing the LGBTQ community. Although the organisations will be addressing Dublin Pride, we stand together in recognising that these issues impact upon LGBTQ people all across Ireland, and beyond our shores.

At the meeting, the inclusion issues raised by North West Pride were acknowledged by all, and a commitment has been made that these issues will be discussed in greater detail.

All organisations paid enormous tribute to the work done by Pride volunteers throughout the year, and particularly during the period of the festival, during this year and all previous years. Organisations committed to meeting again in the coming weeks to ensure a greater community involvement in the organisation of future Pride festivals. Dublin Pride is a volunteer-led organisation, and relies on the commitment and efforts of all members of the community.

All organisations wish everyone a safe and happy Pride, and look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday.

ENDS

Notes:

The groups represented this evening were Dublin Pride, North West Pride, Marriage Equality, LGBT Noise, TENI and BeLonG To.

Dublin Pride parade will take place this Saturday, assembling at the Garden of Remembrance at 12pm, to depart towards Merrion Square at 2pm.

Ambersky

That sounds like a happy ending. Organising Pride must be a minefield, trying to keep everyone happy and yes I can imagine contacting groups and getting no response. Not a job I would like myself, much easier making suggestions from the old keyboard. :pac::pac::pac:
I am personally glad to read the statement you posted mango salsa I didn't like the idea that the event was going to be so contentious for some people.
Thats it though isnt it, like aloyisious is saying its all about communication.
Lets hope they continue talking and make this Pride the best ever.
Happy Pride

L1011

I sincerely hope they can have a unified lesson in brevity. Nothing wrong with having a fair few speeches assuming they aren't as insanely long as they have been in the past. Unless they actually de-emphasise the entertainment part of it, its not the place for lectures.

Ambersky

There is a lot that can be said in 3 mins.
Three mins each, no more, but they get to talk, win win all round I'd say.

GoOnYouDirt

Just said I'd pop on to wish everyone a happy Dublin pride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aloyisious

Great Day, great weather, great crowd, great support from Joe and Josephine Public, great craic.