成人论坛

The event is supported by Suffolk Police, the county council, Outreach Youth, Norfolk and Suffolk Probation, the Criminal Justice Board, the East of England Co-operative Society, unions and other statutory and voluntary organisations and will give people from all communities the chance to come together and celebrate gay culture in Suffolk.

The event will include a live audio link-up with crowds of New Yorkers gathered at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.

Stonewall Inn

The Stonewall Inn played a significant part in the gay rights movement in the late 1960's. The team running the inn experienced several police raids for varying reasons from claims of vice to allegations of trading alcohol without appropriate licenses.

The Stonewall Inn, New York

After becoming continually frustrated with these raids the Stonewall Riots began late on 27 June 1969 when New York City police officers raided the bar.

The resulting riots lasted three days, eventually changing the gay rights situation on a worldwide level.

It's believed that because the riots broke out in the late 1960's after the successes of the US anti-Vietnam War movement, the organizations that emerged after Stonewall were greeted with a new positive outlook which supported groups that worked for better integration and acceptance of all.

"So we had a situation 40 years ago where the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender [LGBT] community was being persecuted by the police and now forty years down the line here in Suffolk we have a pride event which is being supported beyond belief by Suffolk Constabulary," explained Gloria Wallace, the co-ordinator for Suffolk Pride and Project Worker for the Suffolk Gay and Lesbian Helpline.

"They are totally behind us and without them we couldn't have got it done so that's the wonderful thing, forty years and what a complete turn around."

Suffolk Constabulary are one of the main organisers of the event which they hope will create better awareness of the gay community in Suffolk and the issues that they experience.

A Pride flag

Rod Flory, is the Diversity officer for Suffolk Police and has been involved in the event since its inception. He's thrilled by how much interest the event has generated and the potential it has for the county.

"It's somewhat the case that from little acorns great oaks do grow," explained Rod.

"I've wanted to do this for a couple of years and a group of around four of us made contact to work out what we might be able to do and the original idea was to just have a picnic and promote it.

"One of the group members said we really need to have some music and then it started to grow.

"Suffolk County Council got involved, the police were there and Suffolk Gay and Lesbian Helpline got involved and it really began to take off.

"Somebody from the help line was a musician and he had contacts with bands and New York, suddenly there was the Stonewall link.

"We're going to have a sound stage with music on from around midday right the way through til around midnight and at some time during that there will be the link up with New York.

"From an awareness point of view for education I think this event will be a real eye opener about the needs of young gay people."

The importance of the Stonewall Inn link up can not be underestimated for the organisers, or the gay community. It's an indication of the scale of the event which caters for a community which many feel are under served in Suffolk.

"People think of us as sort of a stereotypical rural county, a place to go that's somewhere to retire when you've come to the twilight years," explained Rod.

"People think it's probably a place where 'there isn't a gay community in Suffolk because it's a sleepy little place' and this will hopefully prove it's not.

Organisers are avoiding a flamboyant Mardi Gras

"People can expect a really fun family day out and that's what we've tried to do," explained Rod.

The family emphasis on Suffolk Pride is very important to the event organisers, who want to make it open for everyone to come along and share the day together.

For the community

Suzie Reynolds is a well known member of the gay community in Suffolk and organises gay friendly events across the county.

Suzie believes that a lot more needs to be done to support gay people and their families when they first come out and that better understanding is needed of the issues surrounding this often difficult time.

As a member of the gay community living in Suffolk she is excited about pride and the way support will be on hand there to support members of the LGBT community with their issues.

"There are a lot of gay people out there who have families and it's all about family, the gay community is a big family.

"My children have a great insight, not just into the gay community, but with lots of different communities because they mix with different groups and it makes them a lot more open minded and it educates them."

Police

As well as providing support for the organisation of Suffolk Pride, Suffolk Police have recently recruited 14 Gay Liaison Officers in an effort to break the "history of distrust" between the gay community and the police.

"There has traditionally been a lack of trust between the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender [LGBT] community and the police," explained Rod.

"Until 1967 you were criminals anyway because homosexuality wasn't legalised until then, so prior to that you were criminals and as you were criminals you were obviously targeted by the police.

"But what we're saying now is, you are not criminals any more, we are not persecuting you and we want you to tell us when you are a victim of crime, and we can take it seriously, it's about breaking down these old barriers."

The organisers hope the event will attract around 3,000 people and will mark the beginning of a popular event for the county which will continue to grow.

"I think it'll be here for a long, long time and so will we," explained Suzie.