Team Domenica flies the flag for diversity and inclusion at Brighton & Hove Pride
We had a fantastic weekend celebrating neurodiversity, glitter and disco at Brighton & Hove Pride.
Candidates and staff joined forces with charity friends Grace Eyre, Speak Out and Heart Venture for a joyful march through the city in the Pride Parade.
Adding to the carnival atmosphere, the Hastings band Sambalanco accompanied our group for the whole parade, filling the route with Brazilian rhythms, upbeat tunes and infectious dance moves.
Around 30 people joined the group including our candidates Taylor and Alice, alongside staff members Jo and Anna, who all had a fabulous time.
We’re ‘still fighting to be me’.
All participants wore specially designed t-shirts declaring ‘Still fighting to be me’, created by Joe Bolingbroke, one of the volunteers in Grace Eyre’s Purple Productions events team.
Joe’s design combines the progressive Pride flag with a bold lightning bolt, capturing both the celebration and protest at the heart of Pride. He said he was inspired by the Power Rangers, as they fight injustice.
Joyous occasion
“The crowds were ten people deep for much of the route, they cheered, high-fived, and shouted ‘Happy Pride’ at us all the way along – it really was a joyous occasion.”
Anna Prior, Head of Marketing, Team Domenica
Local celebrity Daniel Wakeford, who appeared in Channel 4’s The Undateables, also joined the group. Daniel, who has autism, was regularly recognised along the route by people keen to stop for selfies.
Pride at The North Star
The celebrations continued to The North Star pub, which hosted its first ever Pride event. Visitors tucked into a delicious Pride menu, including takeaway burgers and wraps, while helping to support Team Domenica’s work.
DJs Nick T and NJ Strange of House of Disco kept the party moving with a day-long soundtrack of disco classics, house, nu-disco and funk, while guests chose from three specially created cocktails inspired by LGBTQi+ activists.
On Sunday, the feel-good weekend continued with the pub’s first Ska Sunday, serving up Caribbean food, Red Stripe and rum punch, with DJ Bmore ‘Smiley’ McVowty bringing the soundtrack through the day.
The weekend was a vibrant reminder of what Pride is all about: celebrating individuality, standing together for inclusion, and creating a city where everyone has the confidence and freedom to be themselves.
