Pride Tops and Bottoms

As the USA comes to the end of its Pride Month let’s look at some of the locations around the world that have held notable Pride events.

A couple of years ago I made lists of some of the first Prides and highest Prides. Since then there have been many hundreds of new Prides. Over the next three days I’ll give specific lists of the northernmost and southernmost Prides – the top and bottom of Pride, you could say.

There’s no universal definition of a Pride. The list below is purely my own choice of defining criteria compiled to help me to decide which Prides I could consider. It’s not intended as a universally accepted list.

I wanted to keep the list as simple as possible, but the more I thought about it the more points I came up with. I have considered as many variations of Pride that I can to ensure that no Pride is left out. However, there are some Prides which I think should not be included, and these are explained in the list.

In regions where homosexuality is illegal and Prides have been known to take place in secret in the past, they do not need to comply with any of the following criteria.

I realise that a lot of these points will be unnecessarily detailed, but they helped to organise my mind even if they confuse yours. So sorry if you think this list is a mess. Ideally, I think a Pride should try to include at least three points between 1 and 10.

1) It does not need to have the word “Pride” in its name. The event should ideally include the word Pride (or its equivalent in non-English languages) in its promotional material or make it clear that it can be referred to as a Pride.

2) The Pride must promote lgbt diversity, inclusion, acceptance and respect as its main objective. Protests can occur and be used as the central themes, but other issues must be included in the official programme. The organising committee should avoid making exclusions to any event based on politics, religion, or opposing views as much as possible, except when public safety to attendees, spectators, the public, or protestors could be at risk. The Pride must be non-violent.

3) Continuity over the years is not essential, though events can be regarded retrospectively as Pride by later Pride committees. See also point 5.

4) A Pride should be held only once in any calendar year (see points 9 and 10 for possible exceptions). Promotional and fund-raising events for Pride will not be considered.

6) The Pride must be advertised publicly giving its name, dates or full range of dates, and principal venues or focal point (e.g. for the march).

6) It should have an organising committee of three members or more, preferably volunteers. Historic inaugural Prides may not have had three committee members, and these will be considered if they complied with other points.

7) There should be a central public focal point accessible to all participants, whether in the open air or an indoor venue (excluding private residences). It may need to restrict the number of attendees due to limitations of space or safety requirements. For larger Prides there can be other content such as entertainment, food and drink venues, and a market which includes charity and community stalls. A festival of a variety of artistic events can also be organised or sanctioned by the Pride committee.

8) Any march or parade must be through public areas and open to all, free of charge, and non-violent, consisting of local lgbt communities and groups, and participants of diverse identities, political beliefs and opinions. This includes any planned march that is banned or cancelled. Exclusions should be avoided, except when public safety to attendees, spectators, the public, or protestors could be at risk.

9) A Pride can celebrate a specific identity (e.g. Transgender Pride, Black Pride, Leather Pride, etc.), but must welcome those who do not identify as members of that group as well as the public. These should take place on a different date or venue to any other Pride held in the same location, unless when held as a single joint event by their separate organising committees.

10) An official national, regional, provincial, or state Pride can take place simultaneously in difference cities, towns and locations. Each Pride must be officially publicised as being part of the regional Pride. Each location will be treated separately for the purpose of determining the geographical range of the regional Pride. Other Prides held on the same date but not connected to the regional Pride will be considered separately.

Finally, if the next point applies to any event that calls itself a Pride, it will not be considered for the time being (any exceptions are given).

11) The Pride event should not be organised for profit by an independent commercial business or company (e.g. Disney Gay days). Some Winter Prides held at ski resorts will only be considered if the Pride has not been organised by the ski resort itself. Pride events held by organisations, companies, charities, and businesses for their employees will not be considered, but they can be represented at Pride events. They can take part in the march, or have a market stall, but they must not be there to sell any of their products. There presence must only be to support the lgbt community (free handouts are usually welcome). Alternative Prides, held in direct competition to established Prides, will also not be considered for the time being.

These points cover most of what I think a Pride can be. They are not official and subject to constant revision, so if you know of a Pride that doesn’t meet at least three of points 1-10 but which obviously qualifies, make a comment below and I will amend the list after I’ve collected evidence of its eligibility should anyone question its inclusion in the future.

That’s enough of the boring bits. Tomorrow I’ll tell you what you really want to know, beginning with the TOP 5 northern Prides. The day after that I’ll list the BOTTOM 5 southern Prides.

Until then, the map below shows you the latitudes marked with a red line showing where those 10 listed Prides are located.