Moray is to host its first-ever Pride event aiming to raise the visibility of the LGBT+ community in the region.
The event is being organised by Pride in Moray, a new venture started aiming to promote diversity and inclusivity in the county.
Moray is one of the last areas in Scotland to put together its own pride event, and the chair of the event says it’s high time there was that visibility for LGBT+ people.
While Moray has large towns such as Elgin, Buckie and Forres, many people live in remote areas.
It is hoped this event will hopefully connect people with their own tribe.
Statistics show that across Scotland, hate crime incidents are on the rise. From 2019/20 to 2020/21 the total rose from 1,508 to 1,580.
Hate crimes relating to sexual orientation in Aberdeen rose from 105 to 117 in the past year.
Homophobic and transphobic hate crimes can have a devastating impact on LGBTI communities, so events celebrating differences often can help offset this negativity.
Pride in Moray will take place on Saturday, September 3, with a colourful parade through the streets of Elgin to Cooper Park.
Empowering speeches will be made to the brightly dressed crowd, letting them know the power of pride and promoting visibility in the wider community.
Pride is all about inclusion, so organisers want those who feel unsure about their sexual orientation or nervous about their first pride event to feel welcomed and supported.
Rural isolation affects LGBT+ communities in Moray
Kay Percy, chair of the Pride in Moray event, said: “It has been 50 years since the first pride event in London, and nothing has ever been done in Moray, so we wanted to change that.
“Moray is similar to the Highlands in that it has several main urban centres, but a lot of it is rural and scattered, so rural isolation plays a big part for the LGBT+ community.
“Within Moray, we are a very disparate community and we felt, now that we have opened back up again, it’s essential to get people to meet each other and realise they are not alone.
“When we come together, and we are visible to not just Moray, but to each other, it does help people with the mental health aspect and the social stigma attached to the LGBT+ community.”
Mrs Percy says the LGBT+ community must maintain a level of visibility to act as a beacon for those who are lost or questioning their identity but are unsupported.
Moray councillors voted unanimously in favour of staging the event with one councillor highlighting verbal and physical abuse against LGBT+ people was an issue in Moray.
Being the first-ever event in Moray, it gives organisers a rough idea of where and who makes up the Moray LGBT+ community.
Mrs Percy hopes this first Pride in Moray event will be “the start of many beautiful and wonderful things to come” for the people of Moray.
To find out more about the Pride in Moray event, click here.
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