The theme for this year’s Manchester Pride event has been announced.
Taking place from Friday 27 August until Monday 30 August, the theme for the 2021 Manchester Pride Festival will be Garden of Freedom, which aims to bring together LGBTQ+ people in the fight for freedom.
The LGBTQ+ charity is calling on the LGBTQ+ community of Greater Manchester, as well as their allies, to “reunite after a time when the world as we knew it stopped and freedom was halted,” but the fight for equality raged on.
Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive for Manchester Pride, explained the importance of the forthcoming event in a statement, saying that LGBTQ+ people have faced “tough times and further isolation” during the pandemic – particularly LGBTQ+ youth, who have been disproportionately impacted due to limited access to mental health services.
Manchester Pride surveyed nearly 35,000 LGBTQ+ youth and approximately 42 percent of respondents between the ages of 13 and 24 admitted to considering suicide within the past 12 months of the pandemic, with more than half identifying as trans or non-binary youth.
“Our city has always taken a leading role in the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality and we’re looking forward to welcoming LGBTQ+ people and their allies back to our annual festival,” said Fletcher.
“We aspire to support every single LGBTQ+ person within our varied communities and we want to let them know, that no matter how difficult the year has been, we have maintained our commitment to our vision of a world where LGBTQ+ people are free to live and love without prejudice.”
🌿🎉 PARADE THEME ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉🌿
Join us in our fight for LGBTQ+ freedom & equality as we march proudly through the streets of Manchester, our city, our home, our Garden of Freedom. Free to live, free to hug, free to celebrate and free to love ❤️https://t.co/pH9DICclaq pic.twitter.com/GXkFXSqp5g
— Manchester Pride (@ManchesterPride) May 28, 2021
According to a press release, Manchester Pride is “committed” to ensuring that the upcoming festival is diverse, inclusive and representative of the whole LGBTQ+ community.
There will be listening groups and workshops throughout 2021 for LGBTQ+ people to “discover how they can get involved and join the Garden of Freedom celebrations”.
The Manchester Pride Parade will commence on Liverpool Road, before passing by the Town Hall and the Gay Village. It will finish on Whitworth Street. There will be restrictions in place to meet government guidelines.
Limited tickets to Manchester Pride Festival are available now.
To find out more about Manchester Pride follow the charity on Twitter @manchesterpride or visit the website at manchesterpride.com.
Latest
