London Pride Bi DIY - help us make things!
London Pride looms in July (Saturday 4th). I've booked bisexuals a walking group on the march, and a stall in the aftermath, and it would be brilliant to have your creative contributions, and lovely presence, for both.
You may be wondering - why no float?
I'd hoped we might be able to organise a float this year - it would be highly visible and possibly allow people to participate who couldn't usually walk the route.
However,
- You can't join, or leave, floats - we'd be stuck on there for the duration, and we can't pick up people along the way.
- You can't give out flyers or speak to the crowd.
- Floats need a driver and six wheel stewards. The wheel stewards have to attend a separate training. We would have been entirely relying on seven volunteers, without any of whom, no float.
For these reasons, and particularly as I've never coordinated London Pride before, I opted for a walking group again. Do let me know if you'd like to help with/take on the organisation for next year.
It would be entirely awesome to have your assistance in making our walking group bigger, more visible and as much fun as possible.
To make some visible, memorable and bisexual items in advance, come along to a creative meet-up in the park at 5pm on the 27th June. Meet us in St James Park, on the grass behind and beside the Artillery Memorial (visible at the entrance to the park if you're coming from the direction of Trafalgar Square; map here) (if it's raining, assume we won't be meeting - if it's drizzling indecisively, meet in the entrance hall of the Institute for Contemporary Arts).
(And you don't have to be coming to London Pride to come along and help make things - all assistance appreciated.)
You'll be bringing ideas and maybe some paint, T-shirts, other bits and bobs; I'll be bringing paint, fabric for a big new stall banner, and a lot of purple umbrellas.
Why purple umbrellas?
- To make the group visible. People usually wear purple to visually unite the group, and this seemed a logical extension. With umbrellas, however far we spread out, we'll still stand out.
- Having got soaking wet at Oxford Pride, sunburned at Black Pride UK, and sunburned and soaked on the same day at Brighton Pride, I noticed a pattern. Shade and cover are good.
- Bisexuality: it's an umbrella term! It's used to cover everything between 'straight' and 'gay', and nothing expresses its broad, unrestrictive appeal like an enormous umbrella.
(Funding for the umbrellas has entirely come out of my pocket and not from the money kindly donated at BiCon to help support regional prides.)
The umbrella in the picture is a basic, boring bi umbrella at the moment (which has just got back from some serious rain at Oxford Pride). With your assistance, it could become bisexual, bi friendly, bi fabulous, bi curious, or bi furious. Or it could end up with a totally different slogan of your own devising. Come along and personalise one.
If we make good things, I hope we can then lend them out to other Prides and bi events.
And if you've got any other ideas for either the stall or the walking group, do post below, or send me a message.
You may be wondering - why no float?
I'd hoped we might be able to organise a float this year - it would be highly visible and possibly allow people to participate who couldn't usually walk the route.
However,
- You can't join, or leave, floats - we'd be stuck on there for the duration, and we can't pick up people along the way.
- You can't give out flyers or speak to the crowd.
- Floats need a driver and six wheel stewards. The wheel stewards have to attend a separate training. We would have been entirely relying on seven volunteers, without any of whom, no float.
For these reasons, and particularly as I've never coordinated London Pride before, I opted for a walking group again. Do let me know if you'd like to help with/take on the organisation for next year.
It would be entirely awesome to have your assistance in making our walking group bigger, more visible and as much fun as possible.
To make some visible, memorable and bisexual items in advance, come along to a creative meet-up in the park at 5pm on the 27th June. Meet us in St James Park, on the grass behind and beside the Artillery Memorial (visible at the entrance to the park if you're coming from the direction of Trafalgar Square; map here) (if it's raining, assume we won't be meeting - if it's drizzling indecisively, meet in the entrance hall of the Institute for Contemporary Arts).
(And you don't have to be coming to London Pride to come along and help make things - all assistance appreciated.)
You'll be bringing ideas and maybe some paint, T-shirts, other bits and bobs; I'll be bringing paint, fabric for a big new stall banner, and a lot of purple umbrellas.
Why purple umbrellas?
- To make the group visible. People usually wear purple to visually unite the group, and this seemed a logical extension. With umbrellas, however far we spread out, we'll still stand out.
- Having got soaking wet at Oxford Pride, sunburned at Black Pride UK, and sunburned and soaked on the same day at Brighton Pride, I noticed a pattern. Shade and cover are good.
- Bisexuality: it's an umbrella term! It's used to cover everything between 'straight' and 'gay', and nothing expresses its broad, unrestrictive appeal like an enormous umbrella.
(Funding for the umbrellas has entirely come out of my pocket and not from the money kindly donated at BiCon to help support regional prides.)
The umbrella in the picture is a basic, boring bi umbrella at the moment (which has just got back from some serious rain at Oxford Pride). With your assistance, it could become bisexual, bi friendly, bi fabulous, bi curious, or bi furious. Or it could end up with a totally different slogan of your own devising. Come along and personalise one.
If we make good things, I hope we can then lend them out to other Prides and bi events.
And if you've got any other ideas for either the stall or the walking group, do post below, or send me a message.