About

Leicester Pride is the annual festival for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenered community in Leicestershire.

Organised by an amazing team of volunteers, our day of celebration includes a city-centre parade and park-site festival, attracting more than 10,000 people.

Leicester Pride 2021 will be organised by Leicester Pride Limited via the voluntary Executive Committee. The event is run solely by volunteers.

Leicester Pride Limited is a company limited by guarantee.

Why I Started Leicester Pride

I was out with a friend one night. We had gone to a local gay club to enjoy ourselves and meet our friends. Nothing unusual in that.

My mate disappeared for a while and then I got a call from him on my mobile. He was sobbing and said that he had been thrown out of the club and would I go out to help him.

I found him outside the club, his shirt off and his back covered with grazes and bleeding. He had been thrown against a wall by the doormen at the club and injured.

I took him home and sterilised his wounds and tried to calm him down. I urged him to report the matter to the police but he said he didn’t want to.

I phoned the Manager of the club to complain about this incident. All I got was a wall of indifference and no expression of regret for the injury my friend had received. According to the Manager, it was all his fault and if he had been injured by the door staff, then that was his fault and his hard luck.

My complaint about the injuries (not about my friend being asked to leave the club) was not accepted and my call was not taken seriously. The attitude I got back from the club was totally negative.

In the months that followed this incident, more and more accounts came to light of customers being injured by the door staff at this club. It is clear that what happened to my friend was not an isolated incident.

I am told by friends that both I and my friend have been barred from this club. Him for getting thrown out and me for complaining, although I haven’t heard this from the Manager himself.

Of course, it’s of little concern to me, since I would not go back to that club anyway, while they are employing door staff that are prone to injuring their customers and a manager who seems to have no customer care brief whatsoever.

I have been involved in the gay rights movement in the UK for over 30 years. This experience made me think about how people can be and are treated on the gay scene.

This web site is a reaction to a personal experience and I set it up to see if there are other people who want to share in these issues and concerns.