Yay, we’re in the parade!
Liverpool Roller Birds has been taking part in the Liverpool Pride parade for the last few years, with our numbers growing each time! Some of us in the parade identify as LGBTQIA+ and others are allies – either way, everyone is welcome and it’s an important date in our team calendar. It’s an opportunity to get together, go out into the city and meet others from the community in a giant celebration and show of solidarity.
What does Pride mean to you?
In the run up to us joining in with this year’s Liverpool Pride parade, we asked some members of the league what Pride means to them:
K-Trix, A team skater and B team coach
‘ To me, Pride means the norm. It means that no one blinks an eyelid when you hold your partner’s hand or want to get married or use they/them pronouns. It means not feeling anxious when you’re trying to find a housemate, or join a group, or apply for a job.
I am lucky that a lot of these things are true for me the majority of the time. But for other people in the UK and around the world this isn’t the case. So Pride also means challenging my own and others’ privilege, learning and sometimes getting it wrong.
It means standing up for myself and others when I can and supporting those who aren’t lucky enough to be able to roller skate around their (adopted) home town with a big rainbow flag and glitter on their face’
Snarlie Manson, A/B team skater
‘Pride isn’t just about being proud to be gay. It’s about being proud of yourself for standing forward and continuing the fight for equality.
With all the recent hate crimes committed against gay/trans people we need to shout louder than ever that WE WILL NOT be forced back into our closets. We need to be proud of ourselves for being brave enough to say that.
Regardless of your sexuality, if you positively promote equality for gay/trans/bisexual people then you should also be proud of yourself for doing that. You are helping us in our fight. Pride is a celebration for you too’
Miki Parr (BabySkates), pre-minimums Bird and Equality Lead
We live in a world currently where equality is assumed. It’s so easy to assume that the non-binary person living next door to you has a loving family they talk to everyday. It’s easy to assume that the gay couple that eat at your favourite café have the same marital rights that you and your spouse do. It’s easy to assume that the transgender guy that sits next to you on the train finds it so easy to walk through the streets without fear.
All these things are so easy to assume, because we hardly talk about them anymore.
But it’s not always true.
That’s where Pride comes in.
Pride, to me, is not just an expression of happiness, joy, love and equality… It’s a way of showing power and strength to all those injustices and battles each and every one of us face every single day.
Pride is a way of showing the world who we are and how we are still fighting to be treated and respected the way we all should be.
The people of the LGBTQIA+ community face battles every day and for one day, every year, we come together to show the middle finger to those who are against us and to tell everyone with us that it’s OK to be who we are. We are all together. We are all brothers, sisters and everything in between.
We should love each other, care for each other and fight for each other. And not to stop fighting until everyone is equal.’
‘Come As You Are’ – and see us at Pride!
This year’s theme for Liverpool Pride is ‘Come as you are’ so whether you identify as LGBTQIA+ or are an ally, all are welcome to come along and show their support. The march starts at 11.45am at St George’s Plateau, so come and give LRB a wave, as we’ll be there on our skates, with our glitter and flags!