Organisers of Shanghai’s Pride have told THEGAYUK that they have cancelled all foreseeable future events “for the safety of our family”.
Shanghai Pride is an event which has been running since 2009, but has recently announced that the time has come for “the end of a rainbow”.
In a blanket email statement, organisers wrote, “Over the past 12 years, we worked hard to enrich the culture and diversity of this city that we love so much: we showcased inspired artwork, theatre, and films; we fostered connections through job fairs and group open days; we offered a platform for individuals to share authentic stories about their lives; we threw parties that brought people together; and we hosted forums to trade wisdom on how to make Shanghai a more vibrant, inclusive place.
“Pride has a lot of different meanings for different people – for us, it has always been about showing our community that not only is there nothing wrong with who we are, but that our identities and the people that we love are worth celebrating
“Cancelling all upcoming activities and taking a break from scheduling any future events”
“ShanghaiPRIDE regrets to announce that we are cancelling all upcoming activities and taking a break from scheduling any future events. We love our community, and we are grateful for the experiences we’ve shared. No matter what, we will always be proud – and you should be, too.
THEGAYUK reached out for further clarification and were told by a spokesperson, “For the safety of our family, we are no longer holding events. While we keep a low profile for the foreseeable future, we hope to stay in touch in with our Pride family.”
The official fundraiser, created by Reading Pride to help the families of James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails who all sadly died after an attack in Reading has reached over £15,000.
A fundraiser by Reading Pride on behalf of the victims of the incident in Forbury Park where three men sadly lost their lives nearly a month ago, has raised in excess of £15,000 to help with funeral costs and a permanent tribute. Over six hundred people have donated to the fundraiser, which at the time of publishing stood at £15,335.
Permanent Tribute
It is also hoped that the funds raised will go towards a permanent tribute to the three men in Forbury Gardens in Reading town centre, where the three were killed.
“With the tragic event within our community in Reading on Saturday 20th June 2020, we’re hoping to raise some money and funds to help support the families for funeral costs.
“As well as a permanent tribute within Forbury Gardens, so everyone has a physical memento to remember the tragic loss of lives that have occurred.”
Three died, multiple people were injured
James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails were all enjoying an evening in Forbury Gardens when, according to witnesses at the park, their attacker approached them and others, with what has been described as a 5-inch knife.
Terror suspect, Khairi Saadallah is accused of murdering James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, on the evening of 20th June in Forbury Gardens. Saadallah is also charged with the attempted murder of three other people. His trial is set for late November.
We’ve just had Pride month and along with that thousands of corporate entities adopted the iconic rainbow symbol, hundreds sent their well-wishes to the LGBT+ community but even fewer actively call out bigotry unlike the Post Office, which managed to deal with homophobic bigotry levelled at its staff in the most perfect way.
In a Twitter post published by the Post Office official account on the 19th June, the Post Office’s Chief Marketing Officer Emma Springham, shared her “journey to pride”, to which one user, @jamesmc13123269 responded with “Degenerate”.
This attack on Emma didn’t go unnoticed by Courtney from the office who called out the bigotry saying,
“Do you honestly think it’s okay to speak about my colleague like that? Your comment is absolutely disgusting. You don’t know Emma personally to even comment on the type of woman she is, so please don’t respond unless you have something positive to say”
Do you honestly think it's okay to speak about my colleague like that? Your comment is absolutely disgusting. You don't know Emma personally to even comment on the type of woman she is, so please don't respond unless you have something positive to say 👍 – Courtney
While another user complained about the use of the rainbow flag saying, “It is not right to quit-claim something that belongs to all mankind.”
However this complaint was expertly handled by Stephen, who replied,
“The rainbow flag represents the diversity and vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community which we’re proud to celebrate as it gives us the chance to reaffirm the equality, rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and beyond.”
The rainbow flag represents the diversity and vibrancy of the LQBTQ+ community which we’re proud to celebrate as it gives us the chance to reaffirm the equality, rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and beyond. – Stephen
One user who used the word faggots against was also taken to task, when the comm team tweet a poll which asked, “Should we continue listening to language like this? and included “Absolutely Not” and “No” as the only two options.
Should we continue listening to language like this?
The organisers of Dorset’s largest pride, Bourne Free have announced the dates of Pride 2021 and the theme, vowing to come back stronger after 2020’s event had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.
Bournemouth’s pride event, Bourne Free will take place once again in 2021, and the dates have been announced as the 9th and 10th July 2021 with the theme, ‘Stronger Together – Celebrating Our Emergency Services & All Key Workers’.
The Pride will also move from its normal home of the gardens to Meyrick Park, Bournemouth.
Benjamin Horgan, Chair of Bourne Free, said –
“All the Bourne Free Trustees have been blown away by the many stories of courage and hope that we’ve seen over the last few months.”
We want our 2021 Bourne Free Weekend to be an opportunity to recognise the people who are making a difference to our community; from NHS workers and carers to bus drivers, supermarket workers, posties and the unpaid volunteers who’ve given their time willingly. Come dressed to impress as your favourite key worker. From scrubs to uniforms, tabards to overalls and everything in-between to celebrate our real life heroes!
“We can’t wait to see everyone at Bourne Free next year and look forward to working with our principal sponsor Ageas Insurance to bring you a weekend that we promise will be worth waiting for.”
An official fundraiser has been created by Reading Pride to help the families of James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails who all sadly died after an attack in Reading over the weekend.
Reading Pride has already raised over £8,500 for the families of the three men who were killed in a terror incident. Nearly four hundred people have donated to the fundraiser, which has been created to help the families with the costs of the funerals.
Permanent Tribute
It is also hoped that the funds raised will go towards a permanent tribute to the three men in Forbury Gardens in Reading town centre, where the three were killed.
“With the tragic event within our community in Reading on Saturday 20th June 2020, we’re hoping to raise some money and funds to help support the families for funeral costs.
“As well as a permanent tribute within Forbury Gardens, so everyone has a physical memento to remember the tragic loss of lives that have occurred.”
Three died, multiple people were injured
James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails were all enjoying an evening in Forbury Gardens when, according to witnesses at the park, their attacker approached them and others, with what has been described as a 5-inch knife.
Chief Constable of the Thames Valley Police said,
“Following the tragic incident in Reading on Saturday night in which three innocent members of the public sadly lost their lives, I wanted to message our wider Thames Valley community to provide some reassurance at this difficult time.
“At this time Thames Valley Police and Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), who are leading the investigation into the attack in Reading, do not believe there to be a wider risk to the public. I would like to reiterate that there is nothing to suggest that anyone else is involved in this offence and we are confident this is an isolated incident. In the past when there has been a terrorist attack, at home or abroad, we have seen the national terror threat level change increase. That has not happened in this case, which is confirmation of the security services assessment following this incident.
“Nevertheless, I understand that this incident will have caused great concern and I would like to reassure you that my officers and staff continue to be present in your area, responding to emergencies and safeguarding the vulnerable. You may see more officers out and about during this time; do not be alarmed by this, they are there for your reassurance. Please do approach them if you have any questions or concerns.”
Pride In London has been postponed but a new date will be announced “in due course”.
Organisers of Pride In London, the UK’s biggest Pride celebration has been postponed, due to the fears around the spread of Covid-19.
A statement from the pride’s two co-chairs, Alison Camps and Michael Salter-Church said, “It’s been a tough decision to postpone the Pride in London Parade and events, but the health and safety of our communities is our top priority. With the climate changing daily, we need to think even further ahead and make timely decisions to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities, volunteers and participants”.
Other outliner events have also been postponed including, “Pride Festival, Pride’s Got Talent, Pride in the City, Pride Boxing, the Pride 10K and all other upcoming events”.
They added, “We fully appreciate the pressures and effects that the current situation is having on all of our communities. Allyship is needed more than ever, so we ask everyone to continue to be kind, loving and generous. Our priority now will be to look closely at how we can support and bring communities together over the coming months”.
