This weekend marked the eleventh year of Newcastle Pride, and what an incredible Pride it was.

The main celebrations kicked off at 12pm on Saturday from the Civic Centre, with an estimated 20,000 people marching all the way from the city centre to Nuns Moor Park, and thousands more lining the route in support. This year was the largest Newcastle Pride to date, and in some places the loud, colourful parade took over half an hour to pass onlookers.

The atmosphere was joyful, energetic, and most of all, accepting. All across the city, the rainbow flag was present. People wore it, painted themselves with it and carried it. It flew proudly in pubs, shops and at Newcastle University, celebrating 50 years of rainbow.

Festival director, Stephen Willis, highlighted this year’s efforts to make Pride inclusive for all, stressing that they had “strived to make sure that there was something for all ages and identities”. And that there was. Marchers of all genders, ages and races (and even a few furry friends!) came out to show their support, demonstrating how diverse of a place Newcastle truly is. Importantly, the route was also accessible, ensuring those with a disability could participate.

There were also marchers from local and national organisations, including community groups, retailers and the emergency services. People demonstrated their diversity, creativity and freedom through their outfits. Some came on stilts, and one was even dressed as the Queen.

Supporters carried placards and banners bearing poignant slogans such as “it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be” and “love is a human right”. Meanwhile, others took a more humorous approach, including a bee-themed sign with the words “bee proud” written on it.

Near Haymarket, the air ambulance circled overhead in support, adding their sirens to the sounds of whistles, singing and army drums; and on Nuns Moor, there was music from artists such as S Club, Alexandra Burke, Gareth Gates, Steps and the Vengaboys. The weekend closed with a candlelit vigil at 9pm on Sunday, where thousands of candles were lit to remind people of the significance of Pride.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend that truly demonstrated how far both the LGBT+ community and society has come. Bring on Pride 2019!

This month sees the return of Newcastle Pride to the city for an eleventh year, with the main event taking place on Friday 20^th – Sunday 22^nd of July. It’s the largest free Pride in the UK and Saturday’s annual march is expected to be attended by over 16,000 people. In celebration of this year’s theme, 40 Years of Rainbow, Newcastle University will be flying its first rainbow flag from flagpoles outside the Medical School and the Armstrong Building.

If you would like to come along and see it raised, the ceremony will start at 8am on the 16^th of July outside the Armstrong Building on Victoria Road. The ceremony will then move to the Medical School entrance, where the second flag will be raised and a celebratory breakfast will be served at 8.30am in the Atrium of the Medical School (you can register for breakfast here). The flag is being raised by Professor Julie Sanders, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Executive Board Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion.

The rainbow flag was first designed by gay rights activist and artist, Gilbert Baker, in 1978, on the request of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to a high public office in the US. Milk intended the flag to be “not about personal gain, not about ego, not about or power” but about “giving those young people out there hope”. Today, the rainbow flag is that everything Milk dreamed it would be and more. It has become an enduring symbol of pride, unity and equality for the LGBT+ community and it flies in gay villages and at Pride events all across the world.

At Newcastle University, the rainbow flag is a symbol of the university’s commitment to preventing prejudice and injustice towards its own LGBT+ community and the hope that we continue to be a place that encourages diversity and allows everyone to reach their full potential. Newcastle has recently set up the Rainbow Network in pursuit of this goal, which offers support to LGBT+ staff and postgraduate research students, and continues to assist the LGBT+ Society in their work on campus. So come along to the flag raising ceremony on the 16^th of July to celebrate Newcastle University’s LGBT+ community and 40 years of the rainbow flag, we’d love to see you there!