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Nicola Sturgeon at Glasgow Pride 2018 | Photo: David Hudson
LGBTI people in Glasgow are now left without an official Pride event after two rival groups failed.
Pride Glasgow and Mardi Gla have insisted there will two parades in the Scottish city.
The ‘original’ event, that disappointed Pride-goers in the past two years, says a march will take place on 17 August.
However, Mardi Gla – a grass-roots rival – is organizing another march in Glasgow on 20 July.
Permission to hold a Pride Glasgow event was withdrawn by the council after organizers failed to repay debts.
And now, the rival group Mardi Gla, has said the ‘challenge was too great’ to hold an alternative Pride event.
What happened with Pride Glasgow?
A pro-refugee contingent at Glasgow Pride (Photo: David Hudson)
Gay Star News understands that Pride Glasgow organizers owed upwards of £30,000.
In 2018, hundreds of people with tickets and wristbands were unable to obtain entry to the event.
Critics say the event knowingly oversold the event, which promised disappointed Pride-goers with free VIP tickets for this year.
But then new trustees took over at the end of 2018, and reports of financial irregularities were made to police.
And then following this, Mardi Gla was set up as a co-operative with its own board.
Glasgow council spokesperson told GSN they Mardi Gla ‘certainly engaged with the council and we are supportive of their plans’.
Mardi Gla unable to put on Pride festival events
But it appears the pressure of putting on a new event was too much for them.
A statement on their Facebook reads: ‘We have been trying hard to also deliver entertainment on the streets of the Merchant City following the March. However, we have to hold our hands up: We have fallen short.
‘Everyone knows what a turbulent time it has been for our community. Many businesses are taking the view that they would rather see how the March goes this year. This is understandable.
‘As a grassroots group of activists we need to focus our energy on delivering Glasgow’s Pride March. We are sincerely sorry that we will not be able to hold a festival on the streets as we would have hoped. This was an extremely hard decision to make.
‘We would rather have egg on our face today then deliver something that would not have been up to the high standards a Pride festival in Glasgow deserves. It has been a challenge to organize a free and inclusive festival for the first time with no ticket money, grant from the Council or Scottish Government.’
LGBTI people in Glasgow are the ones to lose out
LGBTI people have voiced their anger at the mismanagement of the festivals.
Glasgow held its first pride event in 1996, it was held bi-annually in the city until 2010 when it became an annual event. It’s sad that Scotland’s largest city will not have a major pride event this year.
— Scott Cuthbertson (@ScotCuthbertson) June 26, 2019
This is beyond fucking shameful… So now Glasgow has two big non-starter Pride events due to mismanagement and complete lack of self-awareness from the organisers. I’m fuming. https://t.co/ZRunSnZdCm
— Garry Mac v4.0 configuring… (@GarryMac4) June 26, 2019
Catching up on news of Glasgow’s Pride events. Eesh. If running a large scale festival event is beyond your financial or organisational abilities, then STOP PROMISING LARGE SCALE EVENTS.
— Steve Greer (@stevegreer) June 26, 2019
I hope that over the next year, a serious effort will be made for the LGBTI community to put personalities aside and unite under one banner for Glasgow & deliver the pride event the city deserves. I stand ready to work with anyone who has this ambition. ?️? #PrideGlasgow #MardiGla
— Austin Sheridan (@ASheridanSNP) June 26, 2019
See also
26+ images from glorious Pride Glasgow in Scotland
Transphobes nowhere to be found at euphoric Edinburgh Pride 2019
Anti-LGBTI hate crimes in Scotland reach record highs
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