On Pride.

Pride. It's a funny old word. There are many definitions offered by the glorious dictionary.com, but the most useful for our purposes is 'pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself.' Now, I've never had any problem understanding the concept of pride in achievement, since there's skill, dedication, hard work and all sorts of other challenging, and therefore praiseworthy, factors involved. Where I start to struggle, however, is with the use of the term in relation to elements of our lives over which we have little or no control. National pride, for example, has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Of course, before we go on, I should clarify my position: I can grasp the idea of people taking 'pleasure or satisfaction' in the area in which they live, especially if they have chosen it as their locale. What truly baffles me is 'pride in one's place of birth', something none of us have any say in whatsoever. I don't feel preference for the UK over anywhere else in the world just because I happened to pop out of my mother there; I had just as much chance of being born in Japan, and if I had, I'd feel no less apathetic about the fact.

Unfortunately, it's this concept that often forms the basis of the rhetoric of the world's nationalists, as they attempt to justify the rejection of multiculturalism. All too often, they wheel it out in support of their horrifically reactionary and dangerously right wing politicking. It's 'pride' that forms the backbone of the manifestos of groups like the English Democrats, UKIP, No2EU and, most troubling of all, the truly abhorrent British National Party, as they attempt to drum up the supposed importance of the sanctity of one's country and its populace, and disregard the rest of the world. Never mind that the British Isles have been part of Europe for hundreds of years, that we live on a continent; no, sever ties, close the borders, erect the fifty-foot thick steel walls around the country, we need to look after ourselves! Oh, and before we do that, chuck out those that 'aren't really British', the 'illegal' immigrants we're apparently awash with, we only want white, UK-born people walking the streets of our nation! We're proud to be born here, to be Caucasian Brits and if you can't say the same buster, you're out. Frankly, such attitudes scare the living daylights out of me. The fact that anyone would actually consider voting for any of these blinkered, bigoted idiots sends shivers down my spine. And then, when I see BNP vans with their British flags sticking out of every corner, stopped outside my local church and hear couples talking about 'how they'd sort the country out', saying they'll vote for them, my heart sinks even deeper into a cesspool of despair, and my resentment of 'national pride' reaches bursting point.

Of course, there are other areas of our lives that we have no control over that become subjects of 'pride'; most notably, ethnicity and sexuality (you can add physical ability, sex and age to that list too.) Unlike 'national pride', in contemporary Western society, these don't tend to become tied up with forms of discrimination; they aren't used by any of their proponents to justify the mistreatment of or prejudice towards others. This is because their key component is their requirement in the face of bigotry; they are born as a result of the determination of a white, male-dominated, heterosexist hegemony to make invisible those that don't fit its stringent pattern; the 'others', if you will. Now, I will concede that there have been, and there will continue to be, instances in which nationality, where one lives or is born, has been the target of the prejudicial, and therefore 'national pride' becomes at least understandable. However, in this country at least, we are far beyond this in the 21st century - even the formation of Welsh and Scottish parliamentary assemblies occurred more out of necessity than anything else, since the governmental system simply did not represent the interests of these nations. They were not created because the laws of the land discriminated against the Welsh, or there was an uprising in anti-Scottish violence from the English.

The problem is, such things have taken place, and still do, in the service of racism and homophobia. This is why we have a Black History Month; this is why we have gay pride... because society seeks to discriminate against those it doesn't normalise. It treats the LGBT community as second class citizens. Sure, we've had much progression in recent years, from the repeal of Section 28 to the introduction of specific anti-discrimination laws, but there's plenty road to travel yet. We still aren't afforded marital status. Civil partnerships are our alternative and yes, they're nice but they're still different - it sends the message that we can't be equal to our heterosexual brothers and sisters, regardless of who we love. It defines us as something other. We still have a culture in which people are considered straight until otherwise indicated, that requires a painful and bizarre process of 'coming out', to be repeated ad nauseum throughout one's life. We still synonymise the word 'gay' with 'bad', bandying it about in every day conversation, making comments like 'euw, that's so gay' when what we really mean is 'euw, that's so rubbish.' And we still foster an environment in which gay people fear to be themselves: homophobic bullying is common in the workplace as well as the classroom; 'queer bashing' remains a regrettably popular pastime for many and, aside from in more conventionally gay friendly cities like Manchester or London, when was the last time you saw two men walking down the street holding hands? Or kissing on a park bench? When was the last time you saw that and no one batted an eyelid?

These realities are what make gay pride so important. It's not so much about taking pleasure or satisfaction in something one cannot control as it is in telling the world that we exist, that we have rights and that they should be upheld. I will confess to being a little disillusioned with 'pride', to rolling my eyes when I first read the advertisement for the North Eastern leg of this year's celebrations. The stereotypical conception of the event is of a bunch of queens, drag artists and bears dressing up, making prats of themselves and parading their junk up and down Northumberland Street (yes, topless and trouser-less is a popular style choice.) And while this element will undoubtedly be present and correct, and the media will represent the event as consisting only of them like it always does, there will be hundreds of fairly sane average Joes and Janes in T-shirt and jeans too, silently celebrating the fact that, despite whatever discriminatory diction, legislation or anything else the world might throw their way, they can still stand up for their rights as plain old human beings. Sure, the line-up is so depressing it's untrue: tents full of cabaret and drag, rehashing the same bitchy comedy routines, a 'main stage' that consists of Eurovision entrants Scooch and Nicki French playing, um, one song each, but these are mere window dressing. It's the people that attend that make the day; their presence that says far more about what it is to be queer in the 21st century than any stereotype-reinforcing live act. (And in any case, what's stopping any of us from organising an alternative pride celebration on another night, eh? Something a little more low key and less gaudy? Think I might look into this...)

I do still have concerns, of course. I still believe that the program of events will end up reinforcing the heterosexist equation of queer with sex, that there will be as much bad as good done to our 'reputation'. This article was originally going to be about these fears but then, I turned on BBC News 24. Then I saw that the English Democrats have come to power in Doncaster, with its mayor being a member of the party. And I saw him, Mr. Peter Davies, pledging to cut funding to the town's gay pride event because he 'doesn't think councils should be spending money on [us] parading through town, advertising our sexuality.' He was quick to clarify his position, of course, assuring us all that he has 'nothing whatsoever against gays and lesbians, what they do in their private lives is absolutely fine. But I don't see why councils should be spending money on that sort of thing.' It's the same sort of 'I'm not homophobic, but...' rhetoric that fills the BNP's manifesto. They have no problem with us really; what goes behind closed doors is apparently our business. Take it outside, however, and things are a different story. As we 'can't produce children', the party doesn't believe we should be 'promoting' ourselves, especially to impressionable kids who, they reckon, might suddenly start fancying members of their own sex if they so much as get a whiff of a gay person. They'd like to ensure schools shut up about the issue, advocating the same policies as produced the horrendous backwards step that was Section 28, and that allowed tripe like this and this to be broadcast on American television.

They also want to dissolve all the civil partnerships that have already been ordained and 'restore' marriage as an institution between a man and a woman. On their website, in answer to a question about their suggested homophobia, they even state that they are advocates of 'don't ask, don't tell', the American archaism that makes sure the queens keep themselves to themselves and 'don't bother the rest of us.' It might seem like a justifiable position - hell, everyone's entitled to their opinion, you don't have to like us - but it's problematic and, above all, highly dangerous. This sort of language is the politics of invisibility: it creates a binary between the heterosexuals and the non, 'othering' those that don't fit the bill of straightdom, packing us away in a safe little box where the rest of the world doesn't have to look at us. It's shaming; it suggests that, because of our differences, we are somehow lesser, and is the kind of institutional bigotry that strengthens both internalised homophobia, and more worryingly, externalised too. It's straightforward social economics: 'other' something and people will fear it, turn on it, scapegoat it. If it's alien, certain sectors of humanity will vilify it. Schools have just begun to make some progress in the stamping out of homophobic bullying and rhetoric by being able to talk openly about it. Now the English Democrats, the BNP and more than likely the bloody Tories if they get into power, want to take it all back and reintroduce ignorance and fear? It's a truly, truly frightening prospect.

The argument that Doncaster's mayor will undoubtedly trudge out of the dirt in an attempt to justify his actions (which, by the way, include promising to cut the number of translators or non-English speaking folk in the town because he doesn't believe in multiculturalism) is the whole 'well, what about a 'straight pride' or a 'white history month'? malarkey. Already, Nick Griffin, in his new position as an MEP, has been bleating on about how terrible it is that there are groups that represent the interests of black police officers and not white ones. This sort of tit-for-tat reactionism is blind to the reasons behind the creation of these groups in the first place. The exist because we live in a society that perpetuates a cultural norm of one sexuality, one ethnicity; one persuasion, one colour. This monolithic set-up disenfranchises those that do not fit its very rigid bill (and there are many) and so, those people set up interest groups to represent them. History and literature events are introduced so that everyone can share in cultures that they would otherwise never be exposed to. Children learn 'straight', 'white' ideologies/values/histories in the classroom, in their homes, in every facet of their every day lives. Why shouldn't they have the opportunity to be exposed to other, equally as valid, concepts as well? There is little need for a 'White History Month' or a 'Straight Pride' because society already provides it in its teachings and its legislation. But hell, if you really want to have such things guys, we won't stop you, as long as you let us have our share too.

So, what can be done about this sorry state of affairs? Well, it's truly an abomination that the BNP has managed to acquire two seats in the European Parliament and we're all very angry about it, and at those who either didn't vote or voted for the party simply to 'stir things up' - imbiciles - but does it really pay to kick Nick Griffin's van or hurl eggs at him? Democracy requires that we let him have his say... and then shoot him down vociferously with counter argument. These kind of knee-jerk, petty acts make his opposition seem childish and only add more fuel to his 'woe is me' fire. Griffin has built a campaign out of his supposed vilification by the mainstream parties and the British media, drumming up sympathy because he's apparently been 'misrepresented.' 'A campaign of lies', he calls it, the politics of besmirchment. 'Don't believe the press!', he bleats, 'They just want to shut us up because we speak to truth, we represent the common man!' And look, a bunch of people prevent him from being able to get into Manchester Town Hall. Another load of idiots chuck eggs at him during an interview, cutting it short. I appreciate that we're all incensed but freedom of speech is a two way street, guys. He needs to be able to start talking about his policies because then they'll be exposed for the glorified claptrap that they are. Then we can set about rigorously revealing just how frighteningly fascistic the BNP really is.

As for 'pride', well, Doncaster's gay scene has vowed to go on, irrespective of the mayor's withdrawal of funding and, frankly, good on them. While it's tempting to look on this rather prototypical celebration of gay culture as little more than tokenistic and a little counter productive, to have it taken away from us would be the most harmful result of all. Sure, Newcastle's 'Pink Picnic' might be as appealing as the latest Brokencyde album but in these troubled times, we need to give it all the support we can. We need to stand up and tell the English Democrats, BNP, the Tories and UKIP even, that we will not be forced to hide who we are, that we will not accept legislation that makes us invisible and tells us to be ashamed,, that we will never accept the abhorrence of 'don't ask, don't tell.' It's not about feeling 'pleasure or satisfaction' because it happens that our genes decided we'd be homos, black, Asian, disabled, whatever. It's about holding firm in the belief that we are all equal, that we deserve the same rights and treatment as all of our neighbours, that, at the end of the day, all we are is human, with differences that make us kinda wonderful. That, my friends, is all the justification that pride really needs.