Friday briefing: Can LGBTQ+ communities rethink pride in a hostile landscape?
Good morning. Remember June in years gone by, when it seemed as though a ginormous queer unicorn was burping rainbows everywhere you turned? When even straight-faced Marks & Spencer launched an LGBT (lettuce, guacamole, bacon and tomato) sandwich to proffer bread-based solidarity? This year, pride month has lost some of its sparkle, with the boss of one of the world’s largest queer events, London Pride, sacked for financial mismanagement, and LGBTQ+ charities warning of a hostile environment as the ripple effect of Donald Trump’s attacks on equalities programmes sharpens financial pressures around the world. Across England, particularly since their success in May’s elections, Reform-led councils have imposed bans on flying the pride flag from civic buildings, holding pride events in council-run spaces and, in some areas, defunded pride events that were previously sponsored by local authorities. (I was tickled to read that some staff at Norfolk county council started using rainbow screen backgrounds during online meetings after Reform stopped flying the pride – and Ukraine – flags at County Hall in Norwich.) So I took First Edition to Gateshead, in north-east England, to find out what a pride ban really means. But first the headlines. Five big stories UK news | The heatwave scorching western Europe is the most severe and widespread ever and is only possible due to the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning, scientists have said. Middle East | A United Nations agency has paused the evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman. UK politics | The Foreign Office chief who lost his job over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal is in discussions with Andy Burnham’s team about taking on a security-related role under the likely new prime minister, the Guardian understands. World news | Rescue teams are racing to Venezuela’s shattered northern coast after almost simultaneous earthquakes reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, with thousands of people feared dead. US news | The US supreme court has ruled to strip temporary protected status from hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians, who were legally in the US and protected from deportation. In depth: ‘It’s about visibility. It’s about representation’
The One Centre is an airy, brightly coloured community space a couple of metro stops east of Gateshead high street. It’s here I meet chief exec Peter Darrant, who has been delivering pride events across the north-east for 15 years. This year, however, it’s been a bit different after Reform did so well in the three local authorities he works with. In Gateshead and Sunderland, Reform-led councils have withdrawn funding for pride events and stopped flying pride flags on council buildings, while South Tyneside council has restricted the flag’s display at South Shields town hall to a single day at the start of pride month. “We were prepared,” Darrant says, explaining how the usual three months of pride happenings has been consolidated into one, and events relocated from council land to private spaces like shopping centres or the One Centre itself, which only opened four months ago and is the north-east’s first LGBTQ+ community space. This weekend the focus is on Sunderland, where a march tomorrow will gather opposite the flag-less city hall. “In previous years, it’s always turned into a concert at the end, but this year we didn’t think it was right to party,” Darrant says. “We wanted to do something political, in response to what the community has told us: they want to be heard, they want to chant, they want to show their pride in who they are.” Because of threats received, Tarrant has had to double the private security for the event. “Some people will say ‘it’s just a flag’,” he says, “but it’s everything. It’s about visibility. It’s about representation. And some people say: ‘Do we need that visibility any more?’ Well, look what happens within a few weeks when a different doctrine comes into power.” *** In economic terms While online vitriol sadly comes with the territory, Darrant reports that offline aggression is becoming more marked. “Some people are more empowered and emboldened. Before, when we had a street stall, people walking by might mutter and look in disgust. Now, we notice more people coming up, slamming the table, challenging us.” “Pride was formed from protest,” he adds quickly, “and I would never stop anybody’s right to protest. But let’s debate and have a conversation.” Quite aside from arguments about visibility, there’s a sound economic argument for pride, Darrant says. He estimates that for every pound he got from the local authority, pride events gave £7 back to the local economy. But money is now proving its own challenge, due to the rollback in sponsors happening around the world as hostile parties come to power. “We’ve seen a sharp drop in people wanting to engage with pride. A couple of big previous sponsors have said: ‘We can’t get involved with you this year, because we’re pitching for contracts with the local authorities’.” *** ‘I couldn’t care less’ In Trinity Square, just off Gateshead high street, most people I speak to have heard about the flag changes: “They’re homophobic!”. And not many are willing to say (to a Guardian journalist) that they agree with the Reform council’s actions. There’s more support for other Reform-adjacent concerns: the country is “in a mess”, the government “puts asylum seekers before their own people”, some folk are “playing the system” to qualify for disabled benefits. I’m especially interested in one chatty business owner. She tells me she’s a lesbian, and how she’s benefited from legal changes around equal marriage and access to IVF. She says “I couldn’t care less” about the flag ban or the funding cuts. “Not that I believe Reform is going to put the money to better use. But I feel very accepted compared to when I came out 20 years ago,” she says. “Pride was saying ‘we do exist and we want rights’. Putting flags everywhere today is sending the message ‘we’re different’.” *** The ‘silver lining’ There’s a poster on the wall of Darrant’s office from the campaign to scrap section 28, Margaret Thatcher’s notorious 1988 amendment that prevented local authorities “promoting homosexuality” – and effectively told a generation that who they loved was something to be ashamed of. Darrant was 16 years old when he went on his first political march in London to protest about the Tory government’s plans. “I got truncheoned by the police”. He rubs the scar on the top of his head, as though reminding himself it’s still there. He tells me about a talk he gave to a group of 20-year-olds recently; how confident they felt about reporting anti-LBGTQ+ hate crime to the police. How he had to say to them: “That change is within my lifetime, but the law could change where your rights are not protected.” Darrant believes it’s time to go back to the roots of Pride – that very first march in London in 1972, inspired by the Stonewall Uprising in New York three years earlier. “We’ve got to go back to protest.” I mention the chant that was popular when I started going to London Pride in the nineties: “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going shopping.” I was trying to recall if that was an early kick back against creeping commercialisation. But checking in with my march buddies, we think it was more sass about reclaiming the capital’s major thoroughfare. In the nineties, London Pride was still a couple of quid in a bucket at Brockwell Park and Hazel Dean on stage. It was getting into this century – yeah, I’m that old, so are you, don’t write in – that the vibes changed to wristbands and entrance fees and hyper-branding. “There was a time that we had moved to the party – and we should always celebrate who we are”, says Darrant. “But this could be a silver lining, if we realise that we’ve got to start fighting again for our rights, even learn how to set up a campaign group – a very 70s concept,” he laughs. He identifies the current backlash against the trans community as another reason to pull together. “We’ve got to bring our allies along with us too,” says Darrant, reflecting on the past decade of culture wars. “I don’t think we’ve been great to our allies of late. We’ve shouted at them about pronouns, we’ve not talked to them.” Once this pride season is over, everyone involved in north-east pride should get together for a proper conversation about all this, Darrant suggests. “We do need to rethink what it is – and that might not be a bad thing.” What else we’ve been reading
In the absence of affordable accommodation, growing numbers of young people in Cornwall are living in vans. The Guardian’s video team spent time with them. Patrick I’ve always loved the Minions movies and now my son speaks fluent Minionese, so we both enjoyed this piece about how children have adapted the melodic, global language of these cheeky yellow creatures. Libby She’s far too modest to mention it – so I’ll do it on her behalf. Our very own Libby Brooks won the Scottish Refugee Council media award in the news category for her reporting on the pushback against Reform in Glasgow, talking to those affected by the heightened rhetoric brought to the city by Nigel Farage’s election campaigning. Toby Moses, head of newsletters World Cup 2026
On the pitch Group D | The Socceroos secured their place in the last 32 after a nerve-jangling draw with Paraguay, while the USA’s momentum cools after losing late 3-2 to Turkey, although they still advance as group winners. Group E | Tournament dark horses Ecuador secured their place in the World Cup last 32 after Gonzalo Plata sealed a 2-1 win against Germany, and Côte d’Ivoire sealed second place after beating Curaçao 2-0. Group F | The Netherlands finished top of the group after a 3-1 win over Tunisia, and Japan’s draw with Sweden puts both teams into the knockouts. Off the pitch The ball | Several goalkeepers have been caught out by long range screamers this tournament, with some theorising that the ball is moving differently. Paul MacInnes reports on a new study that finds evidence to back up the suspicions. Bangladesh | The south Asian country has never qualified for a World Cup, but huge numbers of people are following the tournament. Many support Brazil and Argentina with the same enthusiasm as fans in Buenos Aires and São Paulo. Melissa Hellmann has been finding out why. Top scorer | Messi, Kane, Mbappe and even Cristiano Ronaldo are banging goals in at this World Cup. Seán Clarke and Andrew Beasley have complied the all-time list to see how they compare with previous generations of attackers. Today’s Fixtures Norway v France, 8pm on ITV Senegal v Iraq, 8pm on ITV Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia, 1am on ITV Uruguay v Spain, 1am on ITV Egypt v Iran, 4am on BBC New Zealand v Belgium, 4am on BBC Sport
Cricket | New Zealand openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway piled on the runs on day one of the Trent Bridge Test, before England fought back with a flurry of very late wickets. Something for the weekend Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now
TV The Bear season five | ★★★★☆ Whatever your perspective, it’s hard to deny that The Bear is one of the shows that best encapsulates what was so great and not-so-great about peak streamer-era TV. So how does it feel like ending? With an eight-episode, near real-time chronicle of what could be the restaurant’s final service. The very last episode wasn’t made available to reviewers, but in the rest are hints the show will conclude with a gratifying level of catharsis and closure. If there is a happy ending, the gang have earned it – and so have viewers who have stuck with a show whose refusal to water down its own peculiar flavour (mostly) paid off in the end. Rachel Aroesti Film Chris and Martina: The Final Set | ★★★★☆ Here is a Netflix documentary with a real story to tell: the giant friendship and frenmity (or frivalry) between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, the two titans who throughout the late 70s and 80s dominated international women’s tennis and did so much to boost the sport whose existence, incidentally, helped to silence certain sexist reactionaries who doubted the feasibility of women’s football. The film shows us their intense relationship now, supporting each other as they both go through the challenge of cancer. Peter Bradshaw Music Muse: The Wow! Signal | ★★★★☆ Barely three minutes of Muse’s 10th album has elapsed before a choir make an appearance: a choir that isn’t singing so much as chanting in Latin, like something you might hear on the soundtrack to an occult-themed horror film. “Sanctus!” they cry. “Dominus!” And, inevitably, “Lucifer!”. The music gleefully updates the florid sound of 2006’s Black Holes and Revelations: amid the hulking riffs, Count Dracula-at-the-keyboard organs, widdly-woo guitar solos, prog-rock synth arpeggios and Bellamy’s vocals – a man never afraid of leaving teeth marks on the scenery – there’s a noticeable pop influence. Muse write melodically strong songs, capable of withstanding whatever the arrangements throw at them. Alexis Petridis Theatre Pride | ★★★★★ A group of 1980s LGBTQ+ activists begin fundraising for a south Wales pit village in the dark days of the miners’ strikes. It leads to an enduring friendship between the communities and a massive ripple effect beyond. This nugget of intersectional queer/mining history might sound like the unlikely trajectory of a feelgood Richard Curtis film – but it really happened. What gives this show an added layer is its example of how coming together can take on prejudice. It feels especially important to revisit at a time when queer rights are being rolled back, when difference is seen as a threat and intolerance is the prevailing currency of conversation on social media. This is an uproarious musical roadmap, of sorts, reminding us of ways to love each other, and a reminder that to overcome our fears, we must talk to those we are fearful of. Arifa Akbar The front pages
“How did a US pilot avoid UK trial after strangling a woman in England”, is the Guardian’s front page today. The Telegraph has “King will never live at the Palace”, the Express, on the same story, writes “A palace not fit for a King!”, the Mirror says “Big bucks for an empty home” and the Times has “Public funding for royals will double in three years”. The Sun’s take is “Buck stops here”. Elsewhere, the FT’s headline is “Burnham must simplify ‘complex’ tax code to boost growth, warns Haldane”, and the Mail leads with “Labour to free waves of killers and rapists early”. The i Paper says “Heatwave UK: 50-year record broken again”, and Metro splashes “Prickly heat!”. Today in Focus: The Latest
Deadly double earthquake hits Venezuela Rescue efforts are under way in Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes caused buildings to collapse and killed at least 164 people, and there are fears the death toll could rise significantly. A state of emergency has been declared by the country’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, who said 971 people have been injured and more casualties are expected. Lucy Hough speaks to Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips. Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings
The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird uses a wheelchair and yearned to dance as she once did as a child. She was a fan of hip-hop and ballroom dancing, but the diagnosis of a rare, progressive neuromuscular disease meant her coordination has been eroded over time. When she spotted an adaptive ballet class at the Royal Ballet School in London, she travelled from Dublin to take part – alongside dozens of others. Niamh writes about her experiences alongside other wheelchair dancers – and the need for more places for disabled people to dance. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
