No Pride In Genocide
By Sophie Molly
Grampian Pride 2025 was a local revolution of queers taking back the streets of Aberdeen. Several radical left wing groups came together in solidarity to take Pride back to it’s radical Stonewall roots.
Ohhh, we did it in style – would of brought a big smile to the face of the late and great Marsha P. Johnson.
Under the Banner ‘Queers Against BP + Shell’ we formed a massive protest bloc that was easily the largest on the Granite Mile march. So large that the organisers of Grampian Pride tried to stop us with a cordon of police officers. We sang and chanted slogans of trans liberation, freedom for Palestine and an end to pinkwashing. There was a real sense of solidarity as we broke through the Police line chanting ‘let us go! Let us go!’
After months of getting nowhere trying to convince Grampian Pride to drop there big oil corporation sponsors it was time for action!
Eight radical left groups got together to organise a protest bloc to take part in the Pride March. Artists performing at the UKs only fossil fuel backed Pride where actively encouraged to boycott it.
Grampian Pride were not best pleased at eight performers joining the boycott. With the ongoing genocide in Palestine, climate emergency, and trans people under constant attack – the queer community of Aberdeen had enough of entertaining a pinkwashing of Pride.
Joining the protest bloc I got chatting to a trans woman – it was their very first Pride. They were both nervous and excited to take part. They remarked about how great it was to see so many queer folk out on the street together. They kindly offered to hold a long banner with me. The Banner was homemade. My partner Heather and I stayed up late the night before Pride to make it. It turned out great! The Banner represents the Aberdeen campaign group “Aberdeen Trans Action”. A group I set up earlier this year.
The woman thanked me for supporting her and said she had a wonderful time and that it gave her hope and courage. It felt good to hear that. Really shows the importance of taking pride back to its radical and community roots.
‘Pride is punk rock. It doesn’t work when It’s corporately sponsored’. These are the words of a trans-ally who marched with us. I feel these words perfectly sum up how I feel about it too.
After the march the protest bloc assembled on Union Terrace Gardens to host a DIY Pride Village. Food was shared and queer anthems blasted out in defiance of the looming storm clouds overhead.
Even the torrential rain that engulfed the gardens was not enough to extinguish our high spirits.
At the event I got chatting to a lovely enby. They wore the coolest threads and thought I was based – think that’s young folk language for cool. As we chatted away we were joined by more lovely queers.
What a brilliant day of authentic queer Pride and rebellion.
