Dorchester 'ready' for gay pride festival and Love Parade (From Dorset Echo)

Dorchester 'ready' for gay pride festival and Love Parade

8:00am Saturday 15th August 2009 in

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DORCHESTER is ready for its first Gay Pride festival later this month, organisers say.

The county town will play host to a Love Parade on Sunday, August 30 – when diversity, music and freedom will be celebrated.

Gay men, lesbian women and bisexual and transgender men and women are inviting all residents and visitors to join or watch the South Street procession.

A big party for all will be held afterwards at Café Jagos in High West Street featuring live drag acts and singers and cash will be raised for local charities.

Secretary of the parade committee Charity Jay, a transgender woman from Weymouth, said: “I walk down South Street and people look at me but they don’t say anything and seem accepting.

“People might say ‘is Dorchester really ready for this?’ But the reaction of people so far has been 99.9 per cent positive.

“We’re in 2009 and if we can’t do this now, we’re never going to be ready for it.”

The theme of the parade will be colourful cabaret and local historical heroes and heroines, with participants encouraged to dress up as Thomas Hardy, Judge Jeffreys, Tess of the D’Urbervilles or others.

Chris Kendrick, chairman of the love parade committee, is crossing his fingers for the mini Pride event to be a success.

He said: “Dorchester is the county town and the capital of Dorset and it should have a Pride event.

“Every capital should have an event to celebrate diversity and everything that goes with it.”

Chris, who is the proprietor of Café Jagos, said the gay scene in Dorset was mostly focused on Bournemouth.

“West Dorset, although being very rural, has its fair share of the LGBT community who have had very few places to meet in total acceptance. We want to open people’s eyes up and show just how strong the pink pound is in this area.”

Members of The Pony Club, a new group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transwomen and their friends in Dorset will be joining the celebration.

Founding member Vered Zaada said the group was set up as a networking tool and to help fill the huge void in the scene for gay women in the area.

Dorchester Love Parade begins at 1pm in Café Jagos on August 30 and continues until late. The main parade starts at 2.30pm along South Street to Nappers Mite and back. Entry to the post-parade party costs £5. See www.café-jagos.co.uk and www.theponies.co.uk for more information.

Anyone who can help sponsor or help with the event should call 01305 266056.