31/07/2017
Commissioner Duane Farrell reflects on the strides NI has made since he first attended Pride in 1999.
Pride season is upon us again, and teams of volunteers in Belfast, Foyle and Newry are making final preparations for what will hopefully be great festivals, attended by many. Pride festivals are a great opportunity to reflect on Northern Ireland’s journey over the last twenty years. My first Belfast Pride was in 1999. A few hundred people walked up Royal Avenue, to the surprise of a bemused and wary Belfast shopping public. A wide range of reactions greeted the parade that day. Some support, some embarrassment and more anger than I was expecting. However, the intervening years have seen huge shifts.