The small community of Millport is to have an LGBT+ pride. Thoughts?

[MintBird]

Millport is on Cumbrae (don't confuse with Cumbria)- a small island on the West of Scotland coast, population not much over 1,000 with a lot of elderly. It's the only town on the island so most people generally just say Millport. As one of the more Southern islands and its small size it is popular for tourists and cycling.

So they are going to have their first ever pride on Sep 12th. Pride events usually happen in cities so it's unusual for one to take place in a small island with a lot of elderly and Christian residents. Some on social media are complaining the "ideology is being pushed on small island communities" whilst others are saying Ayrshire is a decade behind Glasgow in terms of LGBT acceptance with men or boys being targeted even for discreetly holding hands.

https://millportpride.wixsite.com/millport-pride

www.heraldscotland.com/news/26252152.millport-host-first-ever-pride-festival-september/

Have they ever said how they square that with the other stuff that goes on at Pride? The banning of women-only lesbian groups and the LGB Alliance, the placards extolling violence against women, or the men in fetish gear for example.

I have been to Millport. Admittedly about twenty years ago. I spent a week staying at the cathedral. It was beautiful as a place to be on holiday/retreat, eating sandwiches for lunch on the beach and watching the seals. There was a mildly interesting museum and an aquarium but not much else to do. There seemed to be a lot of cheap vodka available for sale. It's probably a hard place to be young and a hard place to feel different and a hard place to be LGBT. I am not sure a festival will solve that but good on someone for trying.

I could not give a shiny shit who decides to have a PRIDE march or not, hope that helps.

That would be Ms not Mx. Ffs, even the "proud to be a Mrs" crowd on here (who tend to cluster on AIBU not FWR) know the difference.

Trans/nb people know what it's like to experience misogyny, homophobia, biphobia and acephobia as well. Lots of trans people are gay, bi, pan or ace.

Ah yes, all the lovely straight blokes larping as "lesbians". Sure Jan.

I'm surprised to hear that. I used to live in Largs and getting the car over on a sunny day was a nightmare. www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-samsung-rvo1&source=android-browser&q=can+you+book+the+ferry+to+cumbrae+in+advance#lfId=ChxjMe

When I was a little girl, my mum told me that Elton John’s Crocodile Rock was written about the Millport crocodile.

Literally only dawned on me like a year ago that she was making that up 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve been to Millport on a family holiday and didn’t notice it being particularly Christian tbh. I’m a single parent and took my kids for a cycle around the island and references like the crocodile has brought back many happy memories.

Hope it’s a fun event for everyone attending.

Oh that's lovely! Would have been amazing if it were true 😂

Cycling round Millport in the rain with a visit to the crocodile rock and a visit to the ice cream shop is a rite of passage for many Scottish kids - it's a lovely wee place.

That's a good question. Back in days of yore when I used to attend Manchester Pride (early/mid 90s) it was all about gay rights. There was a palpable sense of community.
Now it seems to been a fragmented party for (often slightly odd) disparate groups under a guise of 'inclusivity'.

In between it's also been a big corporate money spinner but I think that ship has sailed now.

Goodness only knows where the awareness comes in. Awareness of how far Pride has fallen as a concept maybe ?

Raging if that gets altered in anyway AT ALL!! Iconic 🐊

Depends who has organised it. Is it the small rural Christian community themselves?

Or is it people from outside of the locale who are going to arrive to hold the event?

I suppose it will either be popular or it wont. Be a bit of a damp squib if about 30 people turn out.

The local Pride event here recently was badly viewed and received due to a fetish presentation from lots of the people taking part, huge emphasis on trans and families are rejecting the involvement now. I heard people talking about it near work recently.

Why shouldn’t they? Gay people do exist even on islands! We have a lovely celebration in our small town and it’s important because there has been homophobic bullying in the high school. Religious beliefs are irrelevant to whether there’s a pride event. It’s just a jolly occasion here

we campaigned for equal rights and received them. Pride isn’t the inclusive place it used to be imho. There is already so much ‘awareness’ in workplaces, government, media etc I’m also not sure what else we need to be aware of.

It sounds like your saying Christians and the elderly are homophobic to the point they'd be offended by Pride. But obviously the people who live there are the ones setting it up? So they must be fine with it.

I live close to Millport on the mainland and had noticed this being promoted and discussed on local Facebook groups with a typical mix of those passionate about its importance and those taking the piss.

it’s being organised by a local female secondary teacher (who is married to another woman, not trans) and very much has the vibe of one of the typical Millport festivals which happen for all sorts of things. I really hope they will avoid entertaining those in fetish gear or with nasty placards and lean into the inclusive family raising awareness and celebration angle. If so I’m sure it will be a fun day out for those who wish to celebrate.

The children who live there all go to high school on the mainland daily on a short coach ride - unlike other island communities mentioned is very close by, other than getting delayed occasionally when there are ferry issues this is not a remote location. Their secondary school is very active with LGBTQ+ activities and promotion. There are gay role models on the staff, and students openly exploring their ‘gender identity’ as well as sexuality. acceptance of all is actively taught in lessons. These aren’t oppressed remote kids growing up in a traditional Christian village where no one speaks of such things. The school did just change the toilets to single sex at the start of term, but made it clear that they still have alternative options and are still inclusive. I presume they were made to by NAC.

If you do plan to attend take heed of the comments about the ferry and leave the car on the mainland. All the events are in Millport so just go as a foot passenger and use the shuttle bus. Unless you want to visit other parts of the island a car is unnecessary. While you can book a ticket online that does not get you a queue jump and the queue can go up to 2 hours for a 5 min crossing on sunny weekend days or when there is a festival on.

I thought Pride was dying out? Homophobia is about as acceptable are racism and gay people have no desire to be associated with the AGP creeps that turn out to these events to be turned on with ‘validation’.

While you can book a ticket online that does not get you a queue jump and the queue can go up to 2 hours for a 5 min crossing on sunny weekend days or when there is a festival on

Do island residents get to jump the queue? On the Kerrera ferry they do.

They’re Facebook friends and not close enough for me to have asked those questions. I do wonder, but haven’t found anyone to ask. It’s difficult to know how prominent those things are and whether they can simply be avoided or ignored, if you’re in a group.

That makes sense - it's difficult tp raise this issue if you're not close to them. I think a lot of people who wave the Pride flag do so with blinkers on - they simply see it as a pretty rainbow that shows how inclusive they are without any knowledge or understanding of the wider context or what it actually stands for. It demonstrates that they are either ignorant (wilfully or otherwise) or they genuinely believe that men should be given everything they demand through violence and intimidation, fetish gear on display in public is OK, snd children's normal healthy development should be chemically stopped. Neither is a good look and anyone who attends or promotes Pride goes way down in my estimation.

@SirChenjins my thoughts exactly. DH best mate is gay, he is just a regular bloke who happens to be gay. He would be marching in his M&S lambswool jumper.

I agree. My gay friends don't bother with Pride, they're just getting on with their lives!

Omg don’t even joke about that.

I don’t think people should introduce foreign ways into our country. We need to make sure these foreign idols from the Middle East are driven out.

I think a pride festival to celebrate our community is called for and then we need to sacrifice a Christian to the ancient Gods. this is how our communities thrive when people try and introduce all this modern nonsense into our communities.

how can our community thrive without our annual sacrifice to our ancient Wikkan Gods in a wicker man?

It is for everyone, even if you are cis. And for those who have always wondered, they even helpfully explain what cis is

"So if it says male on your birth certificate, you feel like a boy/man, people describe you as he/him then you are cisgender."