PRIDE PARADE + EVENT >> Saturday 6 JUNE
OXFORD PRIDE FESTIVAL >> 29 May - 7 June 2009
 OXFORD PRIDE 2009
Parade - Event - Party plus a 10-day Festival of events produced by Oxford Pride & LGBT groups of Oxford : A celebration of the Lesbian Gay Bi and Trans lifestyles.
More info www.OxfordPride.org.uk
A selection of photos from FESTIVAL and EVENT are online with more to come...
Thanks to everyone for coming out to support Oxford Pride & an extra special thanks to the sponsors & suporters who help keep Pride Free and Fabulous!!
Oxford Pride Festival 2009
It was a time of Peace, Love and Flower Power as Oxford Pride remembered the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969 with a 10-day festival. Local venues and community groups came together to celebrate the birth of the modern gay rights movement with parties, discussions, art and of course the parade and main event. More photos and information online oxfordpride.org.uk
Fri 29 May
Oxford Pride Festival Launch @ Oxford Castle OX1 1AY
Official Oxford Pride Festival Launch featured speeches by Councillor Sushila Dhall and UNISON representative Anu Prashar. The Oxford Pride Mural by Afroditi Aparti was unveiled plus, everyone enjoyed the opportunity to add a personal story to the Pride History Wall 1969-2009. Sponsored by Oxford Castle. www.oxfordcastle.com
The launch continued at the Coven for a little Peace, Love & Flower Power with international DJ Paul Goodyear.
Sun 31 May and Sun 7 June
Queer Oxford lead a Walk on the Wilde Side, exploring 600 years of local LGBT History.
The walk began at an icon of British queerness, Magdalen College, the spiritual home of both Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas. Then visited scandal ridden Wadham College, attended by the raunchy seventeenth-century poet John Wilmot and, later, home of one of Britain’s first student LGBTSocs. Plus other historic colleges such as Hertford, intimately associated with Evelyn Waugh and the repressed homoeroticism of 1920s Oxford depicted in Brideshead Revisited. Queer Oxford Walks will return for LGBT History Month – February 2010.
Other Festival events included:
Queer Arts Exhibition @ Jam Factory
Sappho by Oxford Lesbian History Group @ Oxford Town Hall
Morse Code for Cats by Tom Conyers (Laguna Press) book launch @ Jolly Farmers
Flower Power Party with POPtarts @ Baby Love Bar
Stonewall at 40 : a panel debate sponsored by University of Oxford, Equality and Diversity Unit.
Karaoke @ Castle Tavern
Squeezebox presents Queer is Folk @ Brewery Gayte
Trans-script : Invisible iNK Magazine & Oxford City Amnesty International
Line Dancing @ First Sundays @ St Columba’s United Reformed Church
Sat 6 June
Oxford Pride Parade began at the old Saxon tower of St. Michael’s before winding it’s way through Bonn Square and Oxford Castle to the event. Over 200 people marched to the tunes of Horns of Plenty cheered on by local shoppers.
Lord Mayor Mary Clarkson officially opened the Oxford Pride Event and entertainment continued on the UNISON stage throughout the day. Angie Brown, Kelly Wilde and Liz Oki shared a little girl power as did the band Grey Matter. The Flurettes and Rose Garden dragged extra donations from an ecstatic audience with an seconded Can-Can encore!
Despite the relentless drizzle, spirits remained high with everyone enjoying the event. “It’s been even better than we expected,” said a delighted Gemma from PURPLE/Pink, “people have been really interested in our new LGBT law service.” Teresa from UNISON said, “This had been a great start to the Pride season for us and we’re looking forward to more fun at Reading and Brighton Pride events.”
The Post Pride Parties keep the celebration going at the Paradise Party: Jolly Farmers, Castle Tavern and Brewery Gayte.
See you all again at Oxford Pride in June 2010!
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