On the 50th anniversary of the first ever Pride march in the USA, FRIENDS OF DOROTHY, an LGBTQ Support Group in the UK are launching Silver Pride to celebrate the older people in the our community.
They think it important that we remember the sacrifices the older LGBT+ community made for us. They took to the streets to campaign and fight for our rights, and paved the way to enjoy life as we do today. F.O.D. believe that hosting an online celebration for them is the least we can do.
It’s not simply a case of senior gay man and women being invisible to an LGBTQ community that is overly fixated with youth. Craig Burton, the event’s organiser and founder of Friends of Dorothy, said: “Older LGBT+ people are twice as likely to be living alone, and six times more likely to suffer from mental health issues, often related to loneliness and isolation”
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We strongly believe inter-generational friendships and events like Silver Pride are vital to help tackle these problems. Lockdown has exacerbated the issues of isolation and loneliness, but we’re determined to make sure the older generations have a reason to celebrate and socialise online.”
Organisers are hoping for all kinds of performers to get involved with the event and share their skills, “Whether it’s theatre, literature, live music, comedy, dance, wellbeing classes, or simply sharing your life stories, we’d love to hear from anyone who’s keen to get involved.
They expect appearances from Miriam Margoyles, Christopher Biggins, Owain Wyn Evans, Carol Vorderman and Ben de Lisi, as well as some drag make-up tutorials, mental health classes, live DJ sets and performances from choirs, musicians, dancers and storytellers.
The event will be held from 25 to 26 July, and tickets for the event go on sale on 6 July. https://friendsofdorothy.org.uk/
Labels: 2020, Friends of Dorothy, Silver Pride
