Date set for first Perthshire Pride event

PERTH’S first major celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life will take place this summer.

Organisers are joining forces with Perth and Kinross Council for a showcase event that will celebrate diversity and encourage LGBT people to feel secure about being themselves in the region. The city centre event will be held on August 11.

Lib Dem councillor Peter Barrett, who chairs the council’s housing and communities committee, welcomed the initiative, saying: “It is great that this year we will have our first Perthshire Pride event.

“It marks a demonstrable milestone in our journey to making Perth a more inclusive and fairer city. I am looking forward to it tremendously.”

After a community consultation last year led by LGBT charity Pink Saltire, a number of community members stepped forward to get involved. Claire Mackenzie, of the new committee, said: “We cannot wait to champion the rich diversity we have in Perthshire. We are excited to put Perthshire on the map as a place of diversity and inclusion for LGBT people.”

The local economy could be set for a boost too, with the Perthshire Pride team working closely with organisers of the first Fife Pride — held in Kirkcaldy in 2017 — to learn how local businesses can gain.

The Fife event gave an estimated boost of more than £150,000 as a result of the influx of more than 3,000 people for the celebration.