Pride not profit

The annual Pride event should be about the assertion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) demands for equality. It was started to commemorate the gay riot in the United States in 1969 which kick-started the modern LGBT rights movement.

Pride should be a celebration and we oppose the increasing cost and commercialisation of the event which has the effect of making Pride marches meaningless and, in certain areas, exclusive.

For example Manchester Pride charges 'not for profit' organisations Ł175 just to march in the parade (our parade!) and Ł50 to run a stall against homophobia!

For Kevin Lund, in charge of brand development from Red Bull, this is not a problem. He boasts that "2006 proved to be the most successful for Red Bull" so his company can easily afford the Ł1,250 it costs a commercial company to march to prove how 'pro-gay' they are.

As the article on page four points out, LGBT people are not always treated as equal, and we definitely have not seen the end of homophobia.

These are not issues that will fade away gradually over time but problems that need to be actively fought against. An annual Pride march could be an important part of that campaign, combining anger at inequality with a celebration of human sexuality and gender identity.

We need a march where big business and their political parties are opposed, with demands for real equality rather than a march which acts as a parade of advertisements for companies that see us as a market.