Manchester Pride adopts Pride flag with black and brown stripes
Manchester Pride has chosen to use this eight-striped design for its official flag (manchester pride/youtube)
Manchester Pride has chosen an official flag which includes black and brown stripes alongside the original rainbow.
The 2019 Manchester Pride Festival will use a design with eight stripes which was originally flown outside Philadelphia’s City Hall in 2017, instead of Gilbert Baker‘s classic flag.
“There is still a long way to go, especially in the recognition of people of colour in the LGBT+ community”
— Mark Fletcher, chief executive of Manchester Pride
Mark Fletcher, the chief executive of Manchester Pride—which will run from August 23-26—said in a statement to PinkNews: “We have seen that the iconic rainbow must adapt to reflect the modern society that we live in.
“A lot has happened but there is still a long way to go, especially in the recognition of people of colour in the LGBT+ community,” he continued.
“To highlight the importance of this we’ve decided to adopt the eight stripe flag created by the city of Philadelphia, USA as part of our logo.”
LGBT people oppose flag adopted by Manchester Pride
A study conducted by BuzzFeed News last year found that the majority of queer people in the US were opposed to the new eight-striped Pride flag.
According to the results, 58 percent of respondents did not want the flag to include black and brown stripes.
70 percent of gay people were opposed to the new flag, while most white people and members of the Baby Boomer generation were also against the move.
Manchester Pride has released promotional shots which appear to exclude the black stripe (manchester pride)
In contrast, Millennials, people of colour and trans people were more likely to be in favour of adopting a flag with black and brown stripes.
This included a large majority—69 percent—of trans people.
Manchester Pride will look different in 2019
As well as the main Pride parade, this year will also see the inclusion of more events for families, BAME LGBT people and women specifically.
Manchester Pride said this was as a result of feedback from a widespread consultation last year.
Its chief executive explained: “The progressive city of Manchester has always led the way in the advancement of LGBT+ rights.
“Having listened to everyone that engages with the festival and reviewed the landscape of Pride celebrations throughout the world, along with the issues still being faced by LGBT+ people across Greater Manchester, we felt that it was important to deliver a festival that not only celebrates LGBT+ life but also clearly continues to campaign for equality and acceptance.”
And after being forced to leave its iconic Canal Street location due to property development, Manchester Pride’s annual four-day festival will now take place across Greater Manchester.
The Big Weekend has been replaced by Manchester Pride Live, a new two-day live music event featuring 30 artists playing in and around the Mayfield Depot, part of the 24-acre former Mayfield Station site.
Manchester Pride has also announced that its parade will include 150 entries this year, which it has said will lead to more than 10,000 participants on the route.
