June is Pride Month, and it's a time to protest, celebrate and surround yourself with supportive friends and family. You may experience the season as part of the LGBTQ+ community or be a supportive ally to your peers in the community - this could be in the form of a pride party or parade or attending a Pride protest. There is enough time and space in the month of June to experience both queer joy and queer rage. 

However you choose to spend the month of Pride, it's crucial to prioritise your wellbeing and safety. Nobody should be made to feel unsafe at events, and so we have put together a list of top tips for staying safe at Pride 2023, specifically at protests and rallies. 

1. Stay Hydrated & Bring Snacks.

- Remember to drink plenty of water, eat a meal before hitting a Pride parade and pack some snacks and a water bottle to take with you. 

2. Always have a group or friend to check in with at events. 

- While attending Pride events alone is completely fine, it's always great to attend with a group or you could share your location with a friend to make sure you're okay and having a good time. It allows you to have someone there to support you if an event becomes overwhelming. Another common task to do is to write your emergency contact details on your arm, in case you happened to lose your phone, you'd then have access to a number of someone who can help. 

3. Have your phone fully charged beforehand.

- This allows you to take all the selfies and videos to your heart's content, and means that you can stay in contact with friends throughout any event. 

4. Have a plan in case you need to leave an event early. 

- Establish a meeting point with your friends - this could be the person you arrived to the event with or someone outside of the event on standby in case of an emergency. This can also be a great way to set up a quiet space as well when you need to recharge from the louder, busier Pride events. 

5. Keep yourself safe with protective clothing. 

- Wearing longer clothing, in solid colours, covering identifiable tattoos can help you blend in with the crowds, especially at big protest events. It can help maintain a low profile but also helps protect your skin from sun damage on longer hot days. A face mask is also a great item to include here as it can keep you safe from COVID, as well as keeping you less identifyable in bigger crowds. It's always a good idea to pack a waterproof jacket too, especially in Scotland! In addition, having sunglasses/glasses/goggles in your bag can be very useful to protect your eyes in the event of a protest escalating. 

6. Prioritise what items you keep on your person.

- It's essential that you carry both photo ID and some cash for a big protest. This is so you can validate your identity and age, as well as having some emergency money to get home or buy food or drink without worrying about carrying bank cards with you. It's always easier if you lose cash rather than a bank card at busy events. 

7. Pack a backpack or small bag with essentials. 

- Having a bag with your essentials in it is very wise in case you are out at a protest event for longer periods of time. It also means you can have space to carry all your snacks, water bottle, extra clothing and a first aid kit for emergencies. Try to avoid bringing any valuable belongings or personal items with sentimental value. 

8. Know your protest safety basics.

- As long as you follow these tips above when attending big pride events, and have support around you from your peers, you will be on your way to having a fantastic Pride Month! 

 

Below are some websites & resources that might be helpful throughout the month of June that may be helpful:

All about Edinburgh Pride 2023: https://www.prideedinburgh.org/, the protest March will be on the 24th June, from the Scottish Parliament at 12:30pm (https://www.prideedinburgh.org/the-march/)

Knowing your LGBTQ+ rights: https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/advice_information/lgbtq-people-of-colour-rights/

Sober queer space, full of afforadable food, art, exhibitions: Kafe Kweer, 5 St. Peter’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH3 9PG, Instagram Page

Community Services and Support: LGBT Health and Wellbeing are an online, safe space for LGBT+ people in Scotland that provide support services, social events and resources to improve health, wellbeing and equality. https://www.lgbthealth.org.uk/services-support/


Stonewall Scotland, supports individuals to work out how they can make a difference for LGBTQ+ people at work, home and in their communities: stonewallscotland.org.uk

Scottish Bi Network, provides resources and online support to raise bi+ visability and increase awareness of the issues the bi+ community faces. scottishbinet.org

Equality Network, a charity that works for LGBT+ equality and human rights in Scotland and provides education & support. equality-network.org


Waverly Care, support and education around sexual health in the LGBT+ community aiming to end stigma. waverleycare.org

Scottish Trans Alliance, assists transgender people, service providers, employers, and equality organisations to engage together to improve gender identity and gender reassignment equality, rights, and inclusion in Scotland. They strive for everyone in Scotland to be safe and valued whatever their gender identity and gender reassignment status and to have full freedom in their gender expression.

They also provide information about local support groups, resources and run a Trans Forum, which welcomes involvement from trans people across Scotland. www.scottishtrans.org

 

Coming out: There's no requirement to disclose any information about your private life to anyone unless you want to. For many people, College is a time to explore themselfes and their lifestyle and it can be a great time of discovery and acceptance amongst peers. As a resultm many LGBTQ+ students come out during their time at College. If this is something that you or a friend need support with there are lots of great online resources:

- Coming out for LGBTQ+ people
- Coming out for Trans people
- Advice from Stonewall

Clinics and Contraception: The main sexual health clinic in Edinburgh is the Chalmers Street clinic. LGBTQ+ clients are welcome to make an appointment any time. You can find a list of Scottish Gender Identity Clinics here. In the wellbeing hub on this website, there's also lots of information regarding Physical & Sexual health, including the c:card scheme: https://ecsa.scot/content/physical-health

Other useful websites:

Gay and bisexual men:

Lesbian and bisexual women:

Transgender:

Advice on general sexual health and relationships: