Hundreds of supporters turned up for the Mind OUT Stamp Out Stigma! walk between Brighton Pier and the Bandstand on Saturday, October 9.

Many dressed in outrageous costumes to help draw attention to the effects that discrimination has on LGBT people's mental health and the Barulho Samba Band led the walk in noisy fashion bringing sections of the seafront to a standstill.

The walk finished with a competition at the bandstand for those wearing the most outrageous footwear.

Speeches were given by Cllr Paul Elgood, leader of the Lib Dems who reaffirmed his opposition to any cuts to front line LGBT services in the city and James Ledward, editor of Gscene who highlighted the importance of local fundraising to secure the future of front line LGBT specific services. Speeches were also given by Sue Baker, Director of Time To Change Campaign and Scott Durairaj from Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Cllr Elgood said:
"I was really pleased to support MindOut's Stamp OUT Stigma! walk to help highlight the very real issue of mental health issues in the LGBT community.  Stigmas literally cost lives and so Mind OUT'S awareness raising work is very welcome.
 
"I was also pleased to-reaffirm my position against any cuts to LGBT frontline services in the city. We need to speak as one voice against cuts to any of the frontline services our community needs so much."

James Ledward editor of Gscene Magazine said:
"2011 is going to be a defining year for the LGBT community in Brighton and Hove. Cuts to voluntary sector organisation are inevitable and as a community we need to make some very difficult decisions as to where we concentrate our fundraising efforts.

"At Gscene we will be putting our full support behind raising money to secure the future of our LGBT specific organisations who deliver frontline services to vulnerable LGBT people both young and old.

"We have spent the last fifteen years developing these organisations we cannot stand idly by and let them close down without a fight."

The winner of the most outrageous footwear competition was Karol Michalec with his fururistic Space Boots.