Leicester Gay Pride to be cancelled if funding is not found

By Holly Hume

The annual Leicester Pride may face cancellation this year as the organisers struggle to raise funds for the event.

The event will need at least another £10,000 to be able to run due to a lack of consistency in sponsor support from year to year.

The festival has also become more expensive to run year on year, leaving Leicester Pride with no choice but to fund raise extensively in the hopes that it is enough.

Their donations page is live now and you can donate by texting PRDE22 to 70070 or via PayPal.

De Montfort students belonging to the LGBT community have voiced their concerns over the matter.

Nicola Duff, a second year student, said: “Today in this society I don’t believe we need to be proud to be gay, because it much more accepted.

“I believe that instead of just being proud that your gay, there should be a pride to celebrate all sexualities.

“Firstly, it would be highly funded and secondly it would bring together many more people.”

Kate Whitfield, another second year student said: “Leicester Gay Pride event is about the gay community becoming visible and belonging to a commuting.

“It’s a celebration of love and hope, and to not have it now at a time when we most need those things is just sad.”

Jodie Fortuin, a third year student, said, “Pride has always been a controversial event even within the gay community with people feeling like the event doesn’t normalise homosexuality but makes it more segregated from “normality”.

“As unfortunate as the lack of funding is hopefully the money has been spent on better things that will enhance living for the entire community.

“If pride is stopped and we see a decrease in acceptance then pride should come back but if it goes and there is no change in the community then its goal been achieved and people are accepting peoples’ sexualities so it has no need to continue.”

Ruth Harris, second year at DMU, said: “The pride should always run, even if people have to pay for a ticket to fund the event.

“If the pride does not happen then people will lose faith in the council, believing that they don’t care towards those from the LGBT Community.”

Leicester Pride is held in Victoria Park and has featured live acts over the years such as Sam Bailey, Lisa Lashes and Blazing Squad.