Those attending the event were told that ‘Pride saves lives’ at the sun-soaked celebration on Saturday afternoon, which was attended by thousands. Once again, town was lit up as the marchers held aloft rainbow flags as they snaked from the Royal Square to Jardins de la Mer.
Following the parade, the celebrations continued with a string of musical acts, including the London Gay Big Band and local group Inside Job, bringing a party atmosphere to St Aubin’s Bay.
The Pride of the Beach event took on a family feel with beach games, including backward-running races and sandcastle competitions. Organisers said that it was a celebration of the ‘community at its best: affirming our common humanity while honouring our differences, where we fight for everyone’s right to live free from prejudice, persecution and invisibility’.
This year, the event was a celebration of the Island’s greatest assets, its community, coastline and heritage.
Pride director Christian May said that ‘Pride saves lives’ by bringing the LGBT+ community together in the face of adversity and personal trauma.
‘Pride wasn’t born out of celebration but to protest our right to exist without prosecution,’ he said.
‘Why do we need Pride? Because in the last two years since we celebrated in Jersey the political climate around the world has changed. We have seen a backlash in certain countries against LGBT people and especially our trans family.
‘That is compounded when some global leaders, who are meant to be a source of inspiration, build a foundation on hate, division and intolerance. That’s when we need to show our solidarity and speak out.’
He added: ‘Why do we need pride? Because there is a young man sitting in his room contemplating hurting himself because he believes his family will never accept his sexuality.
‘Because there’s another young trans or gay person who could take their own life tonight, convinced that they have disgraced themselves and their family.’
Special guest Ollie Pike, the chief executive of Pop n’ Olly, which runs an LGBT+ education programme for primary school children, also addressed the crowd.
He said that he wanted to plant a seed ‘to stop the trans and homophobia vibe before it can even begin’.
He added that an initiative, backed by change management company Mason Breese and Pride CI, had been launched to provide all of the Island’s primary schools with Pop n’ Olly Books.
The first Pride rally in Jersey, organised by equality charity Liberate, took place in 2014.
