Sheffield Pride 2017. | Photo: Tim Dennell / Flickr
The entire committee for Sheffield Pride has resigned after months of criticism over their description of the event.
Organizers had faced backlash after describing the Pride event as ‘a march of celebration not protest’.
The committee said they had faced ‘demoralizing and unhelpful comments’ since making the comments in May, the BBC reported.
The comment was included in an email to participants of this year’s Sheffield Pride, which took place in July.
It soon began to receive backlash on social media, with one person saying the description was ‘whitewashing our entire struggle’.
The committee had also faced criticisms of the decision to vet placards which would be displayed on the march.
‘Any group attending with Banners or Placard (sic)… will be viewed by the Parade Manager. Any that are deemed to be ‘offensive’ will not be allowed in the march,’ the statement had said.
It soon began to receive backlash on social media, with one person saying the description was ‘whitewashing our entire struggle’.
The committee had also faced criticisms of the decision to vet placards which would be displayed on the march.
‘Any group attending with Banners or Placard (sic)… will be viewed by the Parade Manager. Any that are deemed to be ‘offensive’ will not be allowed in the march,’ the statement had said.
Sheffield Pride parade 2017 with a screenshot of the message from Sheffield Pride | Photo: Tim Dennell / Flickr
‘Constantly criticized’
Sheffield Pride celebrated its tenth anniversary this year.
In a statement released on the Pride Sheffield website, the organizers said ‘the event was a huge success’.
However, they went on to say it was one of the most challenging, and that they felt ‘constantly criticized’ when trying to promote the event while trying to ‘make it better for everyone’.
‘It certainly felt like what we’ve done was not appreciated,’ the statement said, before giving their best wishes to whoever will take over organizing the event.
Many comments on social media found that the organizers’ approach to be neutralizing what they believed should be a protest, and undermining the historic struggles of the LGBTI rights movement.
In now-deleted tweets, Twitter user Danny wrote: ‘When we have queer asylum seekers being deported, when trans women of colour are being killed on the streets, when gay conversion therapies are still alive and well and queer youth are suffering every day, PRIDE WILL BE A PROTEST.’
Another Twitter user wrote: ‘So cute how Pride organizers think they can make statements like this and not end up getting 10x more protesters than they would have otherwise.’
Just a few photos from today. Thank you to everyone who came to #PrideSheffield – Hope you had a wonderful day.
We have just left the site and going home for some well needed sleep before we’re back again tomorrow to take everything down.
What a great day ! pic.twitter.com/zQkgcLcM41
— Pride Sheffield (@PrideSheffield) 28 July 2018
Attempts to make Sheffield Pride more inclusive
In May, event manager Darren Hopkinson told GSN: ‘We, as a committee, have always said from day one in 2008 that we accept what Prides were initially set up for and we appreciate what they were set up for.
‘But Sheffield people at a committee meeting in 2015 said to us they wanted it to be a celebration of life, celebration of equality and diversity and a place of inclusiveness,’ he continued.
Hopkinson also said that the decision to vet placards was ‘down to the abusive and swearing that was on the placards and the complaints we received.’ He said some marchers’ placards contained swear words like ‘cunt’, and the organizers were attempting to ban offensive language to make the march more inclusive.
At the time, Hopkins noted the backlash the committee were receiving over their comments and planning decisions. ‘Because we’ve addressed this, we’re getting abuse. And it is abuse that we are getting,’ he said.
