Disabled people confined to ‘access tent’ during Kylie Minogue Brighton Pride show
Kylie Minogue is up for a Madonna collaboration. (Florian Ebener/Getty)
Brighton Pride has issued an apology to people with disabilities who were confined to an overheated tent with no view of the stage during a headline performance from Kylie Minogue.
LGBT+ people took to Twitter to voice their anger at the decision during the gay icon’s Pride In The Park set on Saturday (August 3), pointing out that there were a number of free seats in the VIP section.
In a statement to PinkNews, Brighton Pride explained that it had arranged for an accessible platform with a view of the stage.
However, the platform had a capacity of 100 people and was quickly filled on a “first-come, first-served” basis.
The accessible area reached “full capacity at the time of the main stage performances,” with those not admitted to the platform instead confined to an “access tent.”
There were more than 275 people with access needs at the festival, according to organisers—nearly three times as many as the size of the accessible viewing platform.
People with disabilities stuck in ‘access tent’ with no view of Kylie Minogue
LGBT+ campaigner Liam Hackett had attended the festival with his grandmother, who uses a wheelchair, and his mother, who has a prosthetic leg.
In videos he filmed from inside the tent, he explained: “There’s not letting us out of the tent, because apparently there’s no free seats. You can probably see behind me, there’s probably about 50 seats available [in the VIP section].
“It’s not only us in this tent, there’s currently about 10 or 15 people who are trapped inside this boiling hot tent, there’s nothing to see. It’s absolutely ridiculous and this cannot happen again.”
My mum is an amputee and my grandma is terminally ill with cancer. Going to her first Pride was on her bucket list so they travelled 400 miles to join me only for @PrideBrighton to shove them out of the way in a ‘disability tent’. Take a look: pic.twitter.com/QOLrIHcc4w
— Liam Hackett (@DiageoLiam) August 4, 2019
He added: “People with disabilities get the luxury of being able to hear Kylie Minogue, but can they see her? Shame on you, Brighton Pride, for not having the same provision for people with disabilities.”
Hackett explained that his grandmother has terminal cancer, and travelled over 400 miles to attend the event because “going to her first Pride was on her bucket list.”
Many LGBT+ people with disabilities simply “gave up” and went home after being told there was no space on the platform, he added.
Brighton Pride ‘sorry people were unable to be accomodated’
Becky Stevens, Head of Operations at Brighton Pride, told PinkNews: “Our aim is that all Pride-goers are able to enjoy what Brighton Pride has to offer.
“We work hard with our provider Tiger Tea to create safe, accessible spaces throughout the Festival.
“Over 100 people with accessibility requirements enjoyed the main stage shows on the accessible viewing platform, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Kylie Minogue (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
“We encouraged people with accessibility requirements to contact us after purchasing tickets, so that we could help to make their day as inclusive and enjoyable as possible.
“We are sorry if some Pride-Goers were unable to be accommodated at the viewing platform later on Saturday night.”
