Tips for an Accessible LGBT+ Pride
Pride month is here, and we’re so excited to wave our rainbow banners and flags for another celebration - but how can we do so in an accessible way?
At SIC, more than half of our team and board identify as LGBT+, so LGBT+ Pride Month is really important to us. We asked Emily, our Marketing and Operations lead, to share her tips for an accessible pride.
I’ve been to many pride parades over the years, but after my first Pride parade, I was scared away from them because of how overwhelming I found it.
It’s important to mention that the event itself is partially responsible for your enjoyment, too—my local pride, luckily, has accessibility built in, with quiet spaces along the walking route, wheelchair and mobility aid-friendly pathways, and lots of marshals who are accessibility champions to help out.
It wasn’t until I put my access first that I started to enjoy Pride events - so here are my top tips for how to enjoy LGBT Pride as a disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent person.
Mobility
Most prides are wheelchair accessible, but you should contact local event organisers for further advice. Much information will be available on the organisers’ website, but sometimes it’s worth asking for an accessibility rider. This is where the organisers give you more detail, including accessible transport routes, landmarks to look out for on your way, and who to contact if you need support on the day.
If you don’t have a mobility aid but feel that having one could help you enjoy one, you can find out about renting one. Remember, mobility aids are fabulous and they’re there to help you!
Dressing comfortably
Some people wear amazing, colourful costumes to Pride, but these are often uncomfortable and overstimulating to wear for long amounts of time. Feel empowered to go to Pride in whatever is comfortable, and celebrate your identity without exhausting yourself!
If you’re walking around the event, comfy trainers are a must, too. If you have some killer footwear to complete your outfit, maybe take a bag so you can change in and out of them for photo ops.
LGBT+ Pride is all about being yourself, so don’t feel like you have to wear what everyone else is wearing. It’s all about self-expression!
Noise reduction
Pride can get loud as well as proud, so every time I attend I make sure that I bring my trusty noise-reducing earplugs with me. If you don’t have earplugs, you can use your regular headphones without music playing - this will help to dampen the noise and make it less overwhelming.
I use Loop earplugs because they’re insanely comfortable. They also come in some awesome colours - perfect if you want them to match/ or mismatch your outfit. Click here to visit Loop’s website.
Sunflower lanyard
A sunflower lanyard is an easy signal for the event staff and other attendees that you might have extra access needs. It's handy as a nonverbal signal to others, and I’ve also used it as a conversation point with new acquaintances if I notice that they also have one!
Click here to visit the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website.
Sunflower lanyards are relatively universally recognised, and you’ll probably spot quite a few at the event.
Get in touch with event staff ahead of the time
If you have complex access needs, it can be a great idea to contact the event staff before you attend with any questions you have. A few of these can include:
Questions about toilets and how to access them
Questions about disabled seating and views of any event stages or parades
Questions about lighting, volume, and other sensory elements of performances
Questions about food and drink
Questions about BSL interpreters
Stim toys
If you’re like me and get easily overstimulated in a crowd, having a stim toy with you can help to get out your nervousness and excitement, and is a great way to regulate. Colourful stim toys would fit right in at pride, but if you’re not comfortable using ones that are so overt, there are lots of subtle options that don’t look out of place in an everyday outfit. I got a metal stim ring which blends in with my regular jewellery, and it’s really soothing!
Take water and other boosts
There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through the parade route and realising that you’re thirsty and there’s no chance to get a drink. It can be just as frustrating if the parade interrupts a regular mealtime. Take some water and a snack with you for these emergency situations—also, things that are safe and comforting might be good.
Celebrate Pride your way
Pride events aren’t always accessible, especially for those of us who are clinically vulnerable. You might decide to attend Pride as normal and encourage those around you to mask up, you might go to a smaller Pride event (such as a picnic or outdoor mixer), or you might decide to celebrate Pride at home in your own way.
Pride isn’t all about parades and parties; it’s also about protest, so you could use the month to advocate for the freedoms of LGBT+ people on social media.
Your energy, health, safety, and needs are the most important things when it comes to pride, so never forget that.
And don’t forget, next month (July) is Disability Pride so let’s celebrate who we are all over again then!
