Deliveroo Pride Rap, Rachael Nealson, Oakham Pride Vice Chair, The Sun on Sunday
Oakham Pride is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Oakham, Rutland. The event will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Cutts Close Park.
The day will feature a protest march*, a festival, and a range of activities and entertainment. The protest march will start at 12:00 PM at Oakham Castle and will make its way through the town centre to Cutts Close Park.
*Oakham Pride call it a parade. Oakham Pride is one of the few Prides that has forgotten that a Pride March is a protest.
Oakham Pride are asking people to arrive at Oakham Castle earlier, so those who wish to take part in the protest march can be issued with an official wrist band?
The festival will run from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM and will feature live music, dancing, food, and stalls.
Oakham Pride is a free event and is open to everyone.
If your a male member of the LGBT community, I would avoid asking to join the committee. Oakham Pride Committee is certainly not Diverse or Inclusive.
The published members of Oakham Pride Committee are almost all female.
https://oakham-pride.webnode.co.uk/about-me/
I have asked many times to be involved with the organisation of Oakham Pride.
As a gay man living in Oakham, I do not feel Oakham Pride is representing me in anyway.
I have spoken to self appointed chairman of Oakham Pride, Lucy Slessor. in the past I was told we don't need anymore people. More recently I was told I offered you one of the roles as official photographer. I don't need a title to take photographs of public events. Last year I photographed the march and event. I published them I received abusive and threatening messages from Lesbians who objected to being photographed and claimed to be with vulnerable people at the front of the march? through the town. I don't need the crap, so I wont be taking photos this year or attending the event in Cutts Close. To be fair to Lucy she is a much nicer person than the founder who made a complete mess last year leaving Lucy to pick up the pieces whilst expecting everyone to bow to her as the founder.
Despite the committee being full to capacity, Rachael Nealson has been appointed the Vice Chair & Logistics, she identifies on the Pride website with only with her initials RN and the pronouns She/Her and does not live or work in Oakham.
Rachael is today quoted in an article published by The Sun on Sunday.
The article is titled 'Deliveroo Pride Rap'. she suggests Deliveroo's scheme to help homeless people throughout Pride month 'feels like a gimmick'
I think she has commented too soon, of course there are plenty of companies that are rightly accused of Pink Washing. I personally don't think this is the case with Deliveroo's initiative. If it succeeds in getting one homeless LGBTQ young person off the street, then it has to be a good thing.
Deliveroo is funding thousands of free meals in 11 participating restaurants for LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness, starting this Pride Month
Saying “I’m a friend of Dorothy” or “Dorothy” will unlock a free main meal, no questions asked they will also be given information about help and support available in the area.
Customers at participating restaurants can also donate to Albert Kennedy Trust (akt) after the charity reported a 58% increase in referrals within the last three years
The Albert Kennedy Trust provides safe homes and better futures for lgbtq+ young people.
24% of homeless people identify as LGBTQ+ and 77% believe coming out to their parents was the main factor for their homelessness*
You can donate here: www.akt.org.uk/donate/donate/6
Participating restaurants:
Smashing Plates (2 sites)
Unit 3, Tooting Market, 20 Totterdown Street, Ground Floor Market, London, SW17 8TA (Opening Times: Sunday to Thursday 11am - 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am - 10.30pm)
Unit GR12, Boxpark, Olympic Way, Wembley, London, HA9 0JT (Opening Times: Sunday to Thursday 11am - 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am - 10.30pm)
Tonkotsu (2 sites)
20 New Road, Brighton, BN1 1UF (Opening Times: Monday to Wednesday 11:30am -10:00pm, Friday to Sunday 11.30am - 10.30pm)
Arch 334, 1a Dunston Street, E8 4EB (Opening Times: Monday to Wednesday 11:30am -10:00pm, Friday to Sunday 11.30am - 10.30pm)
Bleecker Burger (2 sites)
Old Spitalfields Market, Lamb St, London E1 6EA(Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 11:00am - 11:00pm, Sunday 11:00am - 10pm)
205 Victoria St, London SW1E 5NE (Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 11:00am - 11:00pm, Sunday 11:00am - 10pm)
The Athenian (2 sites)
Unit 16, Cargo 2 First Floor, Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol BS1 6WD (Opening Times: Sunday to Thursday 11:45am - 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday 11:45am - 10:30pm)
Unit 54, Boxpark, 2-10 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E1 6GY (Opening Times: Monday to Thursday 11:00am - 10:30pm, Friday and Saturday 11:00am 11:00pm, Sunday 11:00am - 10:00pm)
Club Mexicana (2 sites)
46-48 Commercial St, London E1 6LT (Opening Times: Monday CLOSED, Tuesday 5:00pm - 9:00pm, Wednesday to Friday 12:00pm - 10:00pm, Saturday 11 :00am–4:00pm, 5:00pm –10 pm, Sunday 11:00am - 4:00pm)
Kingly Court, London W1B 5PW (Opening Times: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12:00pm - 10:00pm, Saturday and Tuesday 12:00pm - 9:00pm)
Hank’s Dirty (1 site)
Castle Quarter Mall, Norwich NR1 3DD (Opening Times: Wednesday 11am-9pm, Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday - Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-9pm, Monday - Tuesday 11am-7pm)
And finally here is my comment to Oakham Pride Committee, perhaps they can work on this before they continue to a make public comments about others.
A diverse and inclusive committee is a group of people who come from different backgrounds and experiences. This diversity can include things like race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, and socioeconomic status. It is evident that Oakham Pride has not considered any of the above when appointing its committee members.
There are many benefits to having a diverse and inclusive committee. First, it can help to improve decision-making. When people from different backgrounds come together, they bring different perspectives and experiences to the table. This can lead to more creative and innovative solutions.
A diverse and inclusive committee can help to build trust and rapport among a community in this case the LGBTQ+ residents.
There are a few things that Oakham Pride can do to create a diverse and inclusive committee. First, they need to be intentional about recruiting members from different backgrounds. This can be done by advertising the committee widely and by reaching out to underrepresented groups.
Oakham Pride need to create a welcoming and inclusive environment. This more than just words on a website or social media platform.
Oakham Pride need to be willing to listen to feedback and make changes as needed. A diverse and inclusive committee is not a static thing. It needs to be constantly evolving to reflect the changing demographics of the LGBTQ+ community.
Here are some specific examples of how diversity and inclusion can benefit Oakham Pride:
A committee with a diverse range of ages can bring different perspectives to decision-making. For example, a younger member might be more likely to suggest new things, while an older member might have more experience and knowledge of the LGBTQ+ community.
A committee with a diverse range of genders can provide different perspectives on issues that affect both LGBBTQ+ men and women.
A committee with a diverse range of races and ethnicities can provide different perspectives on issues that affect different part of the communities.
By creating a diverse and inclusive committee, Oakham Pride can improve. build trust and rapport among the LGBTQ+ community.
