I had the pleasure of working with Pride volunteer Colm Howard-Lloyd back in 2006 when London hosted the EuroPride festival.
The task of organizing an event which draws crowds of over to 500,000 rivaling many of the world’s most established Pride parades is never an easy one. Our task was to promote the festival to London’s gays and lesbians but also to a wider audience as a celebration of diversity for everyone to enjoy. That was a challenge and a steep learning curve but I am proud of what we achieved.
Since then Colm and his team have made huge strides in the communications machine and most notably this year with a Web site that matches the scale and importance of the event not just to the LGBT community but to London as a global city.
Colm is now Communications Director of Pride London (which takes place this weekend). I asked him about his role, challenges of communicating Pride, how Pride can remain relevant in today’s world and what makes him want to volunteer his time for the charity year after year. Good luck to everyone involved in Pride this weekend and I look forward to seeing overage of the new mayor Boris Johnson’s appearance at the parade!
Eddy Evans: How does Pride London make itself relevant at a time when many landmark victories have been achieved in Britain to gain equal rights for LGBT people? Isn’t it just one big party nowadays?
Colm Howard-Lloyd: It’s important to note that although we’ve come far in the UK, we still have some key areas of inequality, for example civil partnerships offer many but not all of the same rights and responsibilities as marriage. As these become more minor, it actually becomes harder as people are often happy to accept nearly-equal; the smaller battles aren’t half as exciting as picketing parliament for a change in the age of consent.
This has meant that the charity has moved to focusing its campaigns (and they definitely are now in the plural) on specific areas that still require change. Last year we proudly supported the first Trans conference bringing together discussion on trans issues and giving them a voice; our football tournament continues to highlight homophobia in sports and work on eliminating it; we are pleased to support realistic rather than worthy campaigns that highlight the genuine dangers of recreational drug use; we are proud to work with other organizations to continue to make safer sex materials unavoidable and we are delighted that, in being the first pride event with an entire stage showcasing the best in black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT culture we will show that racism has no place in Pride.
We also try and highlight that across the world other Prides take place — or often aren’t allowed to take place – against a much more hostile background. I was part of our delegation to Pride in Riga last summer, where we joined the 500 or so trying to have fun and celebrate. It was clear from the many thousands of riot police dividing us from the corresponding World Alliance Against Homosexuals rally in the city that this was far from a universally welcome parade. That it was allowed at all is mostly due to Latvia’s relatively new membership of the EU. You only have to look at Moscow or Moldova to see what happens when a state doesn’t even have to grudgingly permit Pride. We want to continue to highlight the successes, and failures of world Pride; we want to continue to provide advice and support and to continue to make sure our own politicians do not turn a blind-eye or be fobbed-off by their foreign counterparts.
I guess, in summary, what I’m getting at is that you don’t have to choose between politics and party. You can do both – have a dance in Soho Square, listen to the speakers at the rally in Trafalgar Square, see the acts on the Black, Asian and Ethnic Music stage, even go home at the end and have safer sex (yes, if you need an excuse, you can consider that a political act just this once!). There’s a little politics in all of this.
Eddy Evans: Does this year’s festival have a theme or call to action that you are planning to communicate to those who attend and to the wider public?
Colm Howard-Lloyd: We do have a “fluffy” theme of Fairytales, Myths and Legends (think Beauty and the Beast meets guys dressed as Liberace!) that gives our parade down Oxford Street and Regent Street a bit more color. But there’s also a more serious message. For the first time in recent history London has elected a Conservative Mayor. We will be hosting a wealth of speakers (including the Mayor) who will emphasize the message that almost equal isn’t good enough and that we need to stand-up and be counted and make sure that the world realizes what goes on in other countries.
Eddy Evans: Do you think there is a danger that some of the images we see of Pride can fuel stereotypes rather than challenge them?
Colm Howard-Lloyd: It’s certainly true that if I had my way the only images you’d see of the event would be happy, shiny couples holding hands and having fun. But happy couples don’t make news – the press are looking for the more fringe elements of the event; the leather daddies, the drag queens, the large man wearing very little. But all of these are part of our event and of course the whole thing is about acceptance and tolerance – we shouldn’t self-censor. Some images of Pride can have a very genuinely moving effect though. We always have a group of Christians picketing the event and reminding us of our destiny in their hell, but recently they have been joined by the National Front. The newspaper’s coverage of spitting skinheads with their racist and homophobic slogans enlived the debate around many breakfast tables the next day I’m sure. Of course the ignorant can always find images to reassure them of the moral corruption surrounding the “sodomite parade!”
Eddy Evans: Of course part of Pride has for a long time been having a good time, but when people wake up the next morning, what do you want them to remember? Is there something you want them to do to give back to their community?
Colm Howard-Lloyd: For those that had a relatively early night I’d like them to wake up happy. Happy in the knowledge that being gay or lesbian or trans is just fine, that there are a whole pile of people in a similar situation and boy do we know how to party. I’d, of course, also like them to remember the political messages and take some time to look into the situation elsewhere or support local groups – Pride isn’t just about the one day. For those that are still out dancing the next day I’d like them to remember to drink lots of water before they go to bed and make sure they use a licensed cab!
Eddy Evans: How are you using digital media tactics to engage more people in Pride, and in particular to energize young gays and lesbians (and their friends) to become involved?
Colm Howard-Lloyd: Pride London costs a phenomenally large amount of money to put on. Budgets are therefore tight and, as always, marketing budgets can be the first to go. Digital marketing has always been an important tool for us. We of course use email to get our news out, but have also experimented with podcasts (great fun but never underestimate the work needed, and the time taken to persuade people to access them) and social networking (with various success – we have lots of “friends” but who are they?).
The next stage of our digital marketing is user-generated-content. We are currently toying with PrideLondon.tv which will allow us to showcase videos and films around the event but will also allow attendees to upload their own videos. It’s small just now but very exciting. Our youth group is currently holding a film competition so are particularly engaged.
Eddy Evans: What does Pride mean to you personally and what motivates you to volunteer your time in this role?
Colm Howard-Lloyd: I’ve been working on Pride for over a decade and I have to confess that sometimes I wonder what keeps me going. It’s dead simple though (and a bit motherhood and apple pie I’m afraid). It’s making a difference and seeing the smile on people’s faces at the event. Nothing beats the excitement of someone at their first Pride!
SUBSCRIBE