The only activities today were the beach picnic and the group swim. I had to leave before the swim took place, but I spent a few hours at the picnic and grabbed a few more bits of audio.
The picnic also reminded me why, much as I love Brighton as a city, and the people who live there, I don’t think I could make it my home. I grew up on the sandy beaches of South-West England and South Wales. Brighton doesn’t have a beach, it has a pile of rocks. Even super-tough Aussie flip-flops designed for walking on coral reefs won’t save you, because the rocks move and get between you and the shoe. Also the water is freezing, despite Steph Scott saying that it was the warmest for 15 years. Lake Doom in Jyväskylä was warmer, although I suppose that Doctor Doom’s secret lake-floor lair generates a lot of waste heat.
The final numbers for the event are not in yet, but everyone seemed confident that it was larger than last year. There seemed to be more stalls too, and more events.
One thing I did say to Fox & Steph today was that we need some more uplifting stalls. Aside from the committee stalls, Brighton*Transformed and the food vendors, every stall was about helping trans people in some way. We are apparently in danger of catching sexually transmitted diseases; of suffering violence, domestic or otherwise; of having mental health issues; and so on. Where help was offered, it was always from cis folks: from local councils, social workers, health workers, trade unions, parents. Anyone but ourselves.
Now obviously for some people these services are desperately needed, so they should be on offer. However, I’d like to see a few more positive stalls next year. Something that recognizes the creativity and positivity that you see on the performance stage, in the film festival and so on. These days by no means all trans people are desperately in need of help. Some of us are standing on our own two feet, holding down jobs, starting and running businesses, and blossoming amazingly thanks to transition relieving us of the burden of trying to live a lie. I want to see more of that being proud of ourselves in Trans Pride.
One final organizational niggle that I think will go away with growth is program planning. The main stage and the afterparty both mixed types of acts. I’m not convinced that an open-air stage is a good venue for stand-up comedy, or even for poetry reading. You want somewhere smaller and more intimate. The afterparty should have been a better venue for Beth, but because she was just the opening act for a band and a dance party she had to deal with a whole bunch of people who were only there for the music, many of whom were wandering in while she was on. Beth, of course, has dealt with some really bad audiences, so it didn’t phase her, but it didn’t make best use of her talents either.
The problem is that a small event can only run with the hand it has been dealt. There are only so many trans and trans-friendly performers, and only so many places to put them. A bigger event might be able to do better. Then again a bigger event would need more volunteers, and could easily outstrip the ability of the local community to support it.
Finally, of course, we all want to maintain the friendly and politically aware nature of the event. While the attendees were all very cognizant of the many political issues facing trans folk these days, there was none of the divisiveness you tend to see on social media. Also we don’t want to turn into a big, commercial party, a fate that has overtaken so many LGBT pride events.
Anyway, well done to Fox, Sarah, Steph, Sabah, E.J. and the rest of the crew in Brighton. The weekend was a momentous achievement. Here’s hoping that it continues to build on that success.
