Causeway Pride organisers thank community for support as they plan for 2024 event

Community Liaison with the Causeway Pride Committee, Colette Ansell, was speaking after the rally at the West Strand in Portrush on Saturday which was followed by a drop-in support event at Portrush Town Hall.

Colette Ansell said: “Causeway Pride 2023 was special for many reasons and we have been heartened to receive messages of support. We have also received messages from local members of the LGBTQIA+ community thanking us for giving them a safe and supportive environment to express themselves in.

"Many LGBTQIA+ people in NI still hide their identity and it’s sad to know there are people living on the North Coast who do not feel safe to be themselves. Though we are a small committee, and the events were organised over a period of just two months, we know that we have so much more work to do in helping to create inclusive, intersectional spaces where we live.”

The organisers dedicated the first Causeway Pride to the memory of Mark Ashton from Portrush who was co-founder of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners in the mid-1980s. His life story was told in the 2014 film ‘Pride’ starring Bill Nighy.

"Mark did so much more than supporting striking trade unionists though. I encourage all those interested in his life and work to look up the LGBTQIA+ Heritage Project in NI. I also reiterate the call for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council to dedicate a memorial to our local hero,” said Ms Ansell.

While the rally passed off peacefully, a number of people staged a counter-protest at the War Memorial in the town.

"Our events were slightly marred by the presence of far-right and religious extremists. We knew they were likely to turn up and made every effort to keep everyone safe. But it

was a really poignant moment to see a large group of LGBTQIA+ people and allies joining together to cover their signs and to drown out harmful tropes,” she said.

"I was also upset to see that they had based themselves at Portrush’s War Memorial. I am an armed forces veteran and was at Causeway Pride with the blessing of the only LGBTQIA+ military charity, Fighting with Pride.

"The charity supports veterans and families affected by the UK armed forces ‘gay ban’. Thousands of LGBTQIA+ veterans were thrown out of the military, were court martialled and imprisoned right up to the removal of the ban in January 2000 – long after decriminalisation in the UK and Ireland. They only received an apology from the Prime Minister a few weeks ago."

Ms Ansell added that plans are already underway for Causeway Pride 2024: “We will continue for as long as we are needed. The positive support and encouragement we have received from local people, businesses and organisations has been absolutely overwhelming. We’re already beginning to plan for Causeway Pride 2024.

"On top of the Pride event itself, we will be continuing our outreach work to support as many LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised voices across the North Coast. We believe it’s important to also advocate for others and provide tangible support, in the same way that Mark Ashton did.”