Vince and Billy, Gloucestershire Socialist Party

Gloucester Pride saw several hundred people march through the streets. There was a vibrant and defiant energy in the city, echoed by loud chants: “Trans rights are under attack, what do we do? Fight back!”

However, that momentum hit a literal wall at the end of the march. For the first time, attendees at Gloucester Pride were met with a huge fence around the park venue, and a £10 entry fee, for what was once a free event! At our Socialist Party campaign stall nearby, not a single person we spoke to was happy about this.

Austerity

With austerity eroding people’s disposable income, the £10 ticket is going to impact some far harder than others. Many LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be economically vulnerable.

Organisers explain that the rising costs for ‘security, medical and welfare provision’ are to blame. But this entry fee shifts the crisis of underfunding onto ordinary working-class attendees.

We spoke to the public about how, in fighting for LGBTQ+ liberation, we need to unite the different struggles in society, and build working-class unity against austerity and division.

This was especially well received by the students we spoke to. Some are now interested in organising for the mass student walkouts across Europe on 20 November.

Despite having the local Labour MP on their list of speakers, Gloucester Pride falls in line with many other Prides in wanting to ‘keep politics separate’ from the event. The only people who benefit from such an arrangement are the corporations who are there to sell rainbow-coloured merchandise, and aren’t interested in listening to the concerns of LGBTQ+ people.

There is a clear desire among workers to organise the community, and fight back against LGBTQ+ discrimination. This can only be achieved if we reject the ‘pinkwashing’ and corporatisation of our protests, and build a united working-class movement for all.

Workers shouldn’t be footing the bill for the underfunding of Pride events by paying entry fees. We need to pass that cost onto the people who have caused this crisis, the capitalist elites.