Why did Cambridge take so long to get its own LGBTQ+ Pride?
Subscribe for news and features from Cambridgeshire's diverse communities Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. The city boasts the largest LGBTQ+ population in the country outside of London, but only had its first official Pride two years ago in 2019. The 2020 pandemic stopped Cambridge Pride from becoming an annual event, however other cities in England have had LGBTQ+ Pride events for years already, if not decades before Cambridge caught up. The first LGBTQ+ Pride started in New York in 1970 as a commemoration of the Stonewall riots that took place the year before. The riots lasted for almost a week, in which the LGBTQ+ community at the gay bar Stonewall Inn fought against the consistent police brutality committed against them. Read more: Cambridgeshires four Prides unite for one big blowout event this summer  The parade in 1970 marked this moment, often remembered as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, by walking proudly through the streets declaring their existence. London, a well known LGBTQ+ haven long before homosexuality was decriminalised, had its first Pride march in 1972 along with Brighton. Manchester recorded its first event in 2003. But what many people dont know about Cambridge is that it has actually been celebrating Pride in its own way since 2003. Cambridges LGBTQ+ community hero Lara Jaffey, who helped establish the countys biggest LGBTQ+ youth charity the Kite Trust, took on the heavy duty work to create a Cambridge Pride. Throughout the 90s Jaffey organised many of the LGBTQ+ club nights peppered around the city centre, so it was a natural progression to establish the citys first Pride with event-genius Alistair Wilson. But they did things a little differently. They named the event the Pink Festival rather than Cambridge Pride to create a different environment for the event. Lara Jaffey said to Cambridgeshire Live in 2019: We called it the Pink Festival rather than Pride deliberately. Pride events back then could feel formulaic and commercial. I wanted to showcase and celebrate the diversity of Cambridge. (Image: Debbie Luxon)  They created the first-ever Pink Picnic at Cherry Hinton Hall. It was meant to be a small community affair but Jaffey reports getting a little carried away with the planning. The picnic turned into a six-stage event in which 3,000 people attended. There was an acoustic stage, a circus and sports area, a stage showcasing female artists, workshops, markets and more. Lara and Alistair then turned around five more Pink Festivals by 2010. They fought against lack of funding too as some authorities and businesses didn't want their names on an LGBTQ+ event. Jaffey said: The first three events put me back a few grand, but you do it for the love of it.  But Jaffey's constant push for exposure has permanently changed Cambridge for the better: We worked hard to bring a culture of love and acceptance in Cambridgeshire. We proudly supported the City Council as one of the first to fly the rainbow flag high every LGBTQ+ history month. All this amazing work spearheaded by one woman culminated in the Pink Festival team putting on the first named Cambridge Pride in 2019. Despite the rain, a tight deadline and last-minute funding, over 5000 people came out for a unique Cambridge celebration. The city hosted a punt parade with one punt to represent each colour of the Pride flag rainbow. Paul Hyde-Clarke who worked on the 2019 Pride, who is now a Cambridge Pride trustee, said: There were a lot of doubters [that we could pull it off]. The hardest thing was money When approaching businesses we needed support from, they were reticent. The confidence hadnt been built.  Money was coming in the week before the event, meaning the team were working all hours of the day and night to pull off the festival-sized event. The punts had their last lick of paint the day before their maiden voyage, painted by different community groups including Cambridges LGBTQ+ youth, university students and the citys only adult trans support group. Paul said: I stood in the crowd at mainstage just as the sun came out I broke down in tears - it had all come to fruition.  They created an event that connected every LGBTQ+ person and campaign to the countys residents in a uniquely accessible way. Though the pandemic has washed any hope of the same intimate in-person event from happening in 2020 or 2021, Together Pride will see all of Cambridge's Pride groups work together for the first time. Peterborough and Ely started their own Pride celebrations in 2018 and Pride in St Neots launched as a new organisation in 2020. CambridgeshireLive email updates: We bring the stories to you Signing up to the CambridgeshireLive newsletter means you'll receive our daily news email. It couldn't be simpler and it takes seconds - simply click here, enter your email address and follow the instructions. You can also enter your address at the top of this page in the box below the picture on most desktop and mobile platforms. There's an 'unsubscribe' button at the bottom of every newsletter we send out. In light of the pandemic, the four organisations are working together to create a community lead online event that can be celebrated individually with mini-Prides in the comfort of people's own homes. Peterborough Pride is also tentatively hoping to hold its own in-person Pride event on Saturday, August 21. So the rainbow celebration will continue. To find out more about Together Pride happening on September 4 read more here.