I think PRIDE is the very best thing that has ever been thought of to foster understanding and acceptance of us that are GLBT (that’s Homosexual, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender for those who might have ever wondered what these letters stand for).

So I have always supported and attended from the very first march in London, and then the Brighton one as well, both financially and personally driving all the way down from London and in those days we were able to leave the car right in front of Preston Park, now for the last ten years I attend just the Brighton one. In London we paid (some of us) very willingly the entrance fee and then donated as well into the official buckets. Now every year I have heard that we don’t pay our way and there is a large deficit, in fact there were rumours that Brighton Pride might not take place at all this year.

Some years ago it became more and more difficult for me to walk any distance, so I got a mobility scooter, now if I wanted to watch the parade I had to get to the front somewhere and then wait and follow every one to the park. So I thought why don’t I take part in the parade then, not only I can I ride freely on an open road all the way to the park but be cheered along the way. But then I thought I can’t just go on the scooter as an old man I must decorate or dress up as something.

Never having been attracted into "dragging up" and having been a sailor much of my life, with my own yacht and still sailing it from the Marina, (you can’t walk far on a yacht) I spent a couple of months transforming the scooter into a miniature "Woody too", (my Bavaria 34). It was a great success and had I had an official bucket I could have collected a lot of money if only by asking for a donation from those who wanted a posed photograph with me. (Many young girls not enough young men).

The next thing was of course. What am I going to do next year? My inspiration came from Little Britain, “I’m the only gay in the village”. It was an unparalleled success everyone roared with laughter I could have collected a lot of money, but my attempts to get an official bucket came to nothing. Having published my memoirs ten years ago where I tell what life it was like to be gay during over fifty years from the end of the 40’s to the end of the century. I still had a hundred copies in stock, so this year I though “why not sell them from the scooter and donate the proceeds to Pride”. I rang the pride office twice, wrote to them and e mailed them all to no avail, no official bucket or contact from any one from Pride, so I had to make up my own collecting boxes and I know for a fact that some thought “I wonder if that is going to pride or into the pockets of my young collectors”? Me being a “friend of Dorothy” one of my young collectors dressed up as her.

We collected just short of £300 from the sale of the books and from donations to pride into our rough unofficial boxes. Had we had an official bucket I’m sure it could have been £500.  Now, I will hand over my cheque for £300 only if some one who is a senior member of the Pride committee contacts me gives me giving me an official receipt and a promise that this amount will be recorded telling where it came from and put in the published accounts and if I take part next year  - (that’s if I can think of some thing to do, any one with any ideas please contact me, if I’m still round)- then we can come to some better arrangement.

Finally I say a very big THANK YOU to all those who trusted us, bought a book and donated, I will do my best to get the money to where it belongs
 
George Montague “The oldest gay in the village”
Kemptown