Callum Joyce, Oxford Socialist Party
Socialist Party members recently intervened in the Oxford Pride event, running a stall and handing out material. Despite the claims of some that Pride isn’t political, we ran out of LGBTQ+ leaflets in 10 minutes!
Over our three-hour period of activity we sold multiple papers as well as raising fighting fund and meeting people interested in joining the party.
This positive sentiment towards our political demands is not just unique to Pride, however. Recently there has been a serious change in mood, both in Oxford and nationally, with more and more people turning towards socialist ideas as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.
Most of the people at the march were from working-class backgrounds and were concerned about rising prices for food and fuel, plus the reluctance of the Labour city council to take any action to mitigate these problems.
No wonder then that our calls for rent controls and a £15-an-hour minimum wage alongside the fight for LGBTQ+ rights were so popular.
Pride events should always be political. LGBTQ+ people did not suddenly stop thinking about politics during the event just because the organisers had. The struggle for LGBTQ+ liberation must always be linked with the political and economic struggle for socialism – to end the oppression of minority groups and to ensure that all people have access to high-quality healthcare, safe living conditions, and secure, well-paid employment.
