Sussex campus held its first Pride event on 28th February. Marking the end of LGBTQ+ History Month, the Students’ Union’s event celebrated diversity and the vibrant LGBTQ+ community at Sussex. Students gathered in Falmer Common Room for a pre-parade “hype sesh”, before marching across campus. An afterparty was held in Room 76 following the march, with events at Room 76 and East Slope Bar until the early hours of the morning. Sussex Pride was organised by the Students’ Union and Sussex LGBTQ+ Society.
In Falmer Common Room before the march, students wore rainbow flags and make up, with many homemade placards present too. Students were in high spirits, welcoming the chance to hold Pride events on Sussex campus. A student at the event said Sussex Pride was important to ‘recognise the diversity of the university campus and as an opportunity to celebrate the differences we all have’.
Grainne Gahan, Students’ Union Welfare Officer who was also attending the event, enthused that it was ‘wonderful to celebrate different identities on campus and show we’re a tolerant union and university, and to empower students to march for further rights’.
Despite celebrations at the Union, the University faced criticism for removing their Pride flag on the day of Sussex Pride. The University had been flying a Pride flag at Sussex House for the duration of LGBTQ+ History Month, yet this was briefly taken down.
A spokesperson for the University said that ‘we arranged for the flag to fly throughout Feb for LGBT History Month and, being the last day of the month, SEF came to take it down today. Once we realised it was not going to be up for Sussex Pride, they put it back up. It was only down for about an hour.’
LGBTQ+ History Month has seen a wealth of activities take place on campus, from Song of Gays Karaoke Night and a global LGBTQ+ panel talk, to a Nerd Nite and ‘Blowout’ club nights with the University of Brighton LGBTQ+ Society.
Featured image: Daniel Green
