Why we wanted a Gay Pride
1997
"Gay Pride was designed purely to have a procession through the town ‘We’re here, we live here’, for gay and lesbian people and their families, and a street party. It was not, initially, tens of thousands of people drinking and rolling in the streets. My idea was just to get us collectively together for one day on the street, having a drink, saying ‘Hello’, mothers meeting other mothers etc., because then, we didn’t have all the offshoot meetings we now have e.g. for lesbian mothers, bisexuals, parents, etc. Nobody told me, I knew what homosexuality was, but I never really understood – it didn’t apply to me, it was a taboo, being brought up as a strict Roman Catholic, not only was homosexual sex taboo, sex was taboo and never discussed."
Contributed by: Bill Gavan, 56