I went to my first ever Pride event yesterday, which took place in Sheffield city centre. They’d had others in the past, but never in such a public space, which is probably why I’d been reluctant to go. I mean, it just doesn’t seem very proud being hidden away in some dingy suburban park where nobody can see you being proud.
Isn’t visibility the whole point of these things? The answer is “yes”.
I went with my girlfriend and two lesbian friends, who are partners, and we had an absolute blast! It was way too hot, at least for my liking, but fortunately it did mean that there were loads of lush topless lads for me to ogle. This did not make my girlfriend nervous at all.
Much.
There was a series of stalls in Barker’s Pool, a square in front of the city hall, that opened for business early on in the day. It received a lot of attention and the stalls seemed to have a diverse range of things to check out. Sadly, none of these things interested me. I did enjoy the fact that the council had rigged the square’s fountains to spout pink water, which was a very nice touch indeed.
Later in the afternoon, there was a lively parade from the square through the student/boutique-laden Devonshire Quarter to the popular Devonshire Green events space, where there was live music for the rest of the day.
We joined in with the parade, much to my shy hesitation, and had the local and national news take pictures and video footage of us. If you can spot us somewhere on television or online, then please do let me know. I’m the fat one wearing a black baseball cap, a folded-up white blind cane, and waving a rainbow flag. Don’t worry, I’m sure I was the only person waving a rainbow flag.
Ha! As if.
We didn’t stay for the later music event, mostly due to it being just so hot, which I sort-of regret now. It was one of the very rare occasions where I actually fancied a dance. My inhibitions had completely dissipated by that point, thanks to a glorious natural high.
I really enjoyed showing my face and having a laugh with friends, especially amongst such a lovely, colourful, and caring group of people. It really felt great being part of something that brought so many people together. It was also nice to see parents bringing along their children to join in with the festivities, as it made the whole thing feel even more chilled-out and progressive.
Hatred is learned, not born with.
Whether it did to other people or not, for me it really felt like a landmark event for the Sheffield LGBT community. And for me as a proud bisexual male.
Do stay in touch, darlings.
Toodles!
2026 UPDATE: My girlfriend and I eventually split up in 2016, due to me also coming out as transgender, which she found too difficult to come to terms with. She tragically passed away in 2022 from heart failure, although we remained close friends until the end. I miss her very much. She was my soulmate. Our two lesbian friends also split up, although I am still in daily contact with one of them. Sadly, she now lives too far away for us to regularly meet and gossip, but the image of her warm smile is always in my heart.
