Festival is event we can all be proud of

THIS weekend’s Pride festival in Cardiff is not simply for gay people, but for the whole community.

We have come a long way in the half century since homosexuality was decriminalised.

Historically, that’s a short time, and we must not forget how gay people were forced to behave furtively and break the law if they wanted to live lives that were at least partially fulfilled.

Someone like Alan Turing, who should have been a national hero but was driven to suicide by the cruelty of a homophobic legal system, is rightly honoured today.

Gay people need no longer hide their sexuality, and with many role models to look up to, young people exploring their own sexuality can be far less constrained than was once the case.

Yet there is no room for complacency, as frequent news stories demonstrate. Only this week we reported how a Welsh councillor had written that he would not vote for a woman or a gay person. His defence was that it was no more than banter, and wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.

But the comment was evidence of prejudice that has not been expunged from our society.

Events like Pride will have an additional educational purpose for as long as bigotry exists. Equality of treatment can still sometimes be elusive, and Pride can help enormously to break down the barriers that too often set people apart.

It is also important to remember that not all parts of the world are as accepting of gays as we increasingly are. There remain many countries where gay sex remains illegal, and some where it is a capital crime.

Such bigotry cannot be tolerated and should be taken into consideration when overseas aid budgets are being drawn up.

Serious concerns of this nature must not, however, undermine the celebratory nature of Pride this weekend. It is a truly joyous occasion that must be cherished.

Many straight people are regular attenders, and one of the great merits of the event is its inclusive approach, where everyone of goodwill is welcomed.

This makes it a commercial as well as a social success.

Cardiff has a growing reputation for the success with which it stages large-scale events – a fact which is doubtless enhanced by the downto-earth nature of native Cardiffians.

Pride is now an irreplaceable part of the city’s calendar – and will undoubtedly remain so.