Belfast Pride has banned political parties in Northern Ireland from marching in the parade over their support for the ban on puberty blockers.
In December, Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Alliance and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) voted to introduce an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for under-18s.
Following the vote, other Prides – including Foyle Pride, Causeway Pride and Mid and East Antrim Pride – announced that the political parties would not be allowed to march in their parades.
Belfast Pride faced criticism for launching a survey to “gather opinions” on whether it should ban the parties from marching, however on Friday, March 21, organisers announced that, following the community consultation, it would not accept applications from the executive parties to march in the parade.
“Belfast Pride is deeply concerned about the impact this decision has had, and will have, on trans young people,” the statement read.
“For at least a decade concerns about the failures in trans healthcare have been expressed to political panels at Belfast Pride and by our partners in the LGBTQIA+ sector,” the organisation stated. “Despite this, no meaningful action to improve these services has been undertaken or plan developed – other than to remove one of the limited services available.”
“We are living in unprecedented times where our hard-won rights are once again under threat,” the statement continued. “We call on all political parties to take meaningful action to address the inequalities still experienced by our community.”
Following the announcement from Belfast Pride, a spokesperson from Sinn Féin said they were “frustrated and personally gutted”. A representative of DUP noted that they believe Belfast Pride organisers will “regret” the decision.
