Highland Pride in Inverness will celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the north of Scotland, says organiser Sand Owsnett
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Pride this weekend is a chance to celebrate the diversity of the Highlands, according to event organisers.
For the first time in four years, Highland Pride will return to Inverness, with a parade through the city centre being followed by a party and celebration at the Northern Meeting Park.
Months of hard work and planning has gone into Saturday's event, which is expected to see up to 3000 people converging for a Party in the Park.
Chair of the Highland Pride committee, Sand Owsnett, hopes that LGBTQ+ people are able to relax and enjoy being surrounded by supporters and other members of their community – especially those who may be travelling to Inverness from smaller and more rural parts of the Highlands.
"We have a different geography and people, and this will be a representation of the diversity of the Highlands," they said.
"It's a chance for people to celebrate their diversity as LGBT+ people and also as the Highlands as well. The Highlands are a welcoming place, and that's what we want to get across.
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"I hope they feel like they can be themselves, and enjoy being amongst a group of people who are being themselves.
"They will have that safe space, but also the parade particularly is an opportunity for people to do a bit of protesting responsibly – that's where the placards will come in.
"I hope people are able to just enjoy themselves in an open and safe space, and feel as though they belong, and that people will take hope from that and realise they're not alone.
"People will probably be travelling quite long distances through the Highlands from rural areas, and hopefully they will realise how many people there are and how much support there is for the LGBT+ community."
As LGBTQ+ identities in and of themselves come under a severe microscope in political and media spheres, many other such events around the UK have sought to remind LGBTQ+ people that pride is a protest as much as it is a celebration.
With two guest speakers from the world of politics, Emma Roddick MSP and Councillor Sarah Fanet, Owsnett anticipates that it will be a theme of Highland Pride too.
"The parade is a mixture of celebration and protest, and the party is more of a celebration – let's enjoy where we've come from and how far we've got," they reasoned.
"I have no doubt that Emma and Sarah will be covering the political environment that we're currently living in, not just in this country but around the world, so there will be a reminder of that at least.
"We still can't be complacent in terms of where we've got to and where we are now, but hopefully it will make people feel a lot happier and safer when they are there and able to celebrate with friends and family.
"We can celebrate the sheer diversity of this community, because we'll all be very different, and celebrate who we are."
