Bristol Pride March 2023

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Bath Spa University makes Bristol Pride Day debut

Bath Spa University made its Bristol Pride Day debut on Saturday 8 July 2023 as a group of colleagues, students and alumni joined thousands of others in the annual Parade March.

The Bristol celebrations have become known as one of the largest Pride events in the whole of the UK and in 2022 the festival welcomed 40,000 people to the city on Pride Day alone, with this year’s turn out looking to have been just as successful.

The crowds braved the rain as the march snaked through the city centre before ending up at the Downs in Clifton for a festival-style event with music from 100 acts across five stages.

Bath Spa had a pop-up stand at the festival where colleagues gave out Pride-themed temporary tattoos and pin badges to complement its sponsorship of the Queer Vision Film Festival element of this year’s Bristol Pride.

Josh Gulrajani, Chair of the Bath Spa University Staff LGBTQIA+ Network, said,

“It was fantastic to be involved in Bristol Pride, demonstrating the University’s unwavering commitment to inclusivity and amplifying voices from underrepresented groups in the South West and beyond."

“Queer Vision is a fantastic example of professional creativity in action, and we are so proud to be involved in and support such a worthy programme and organisation more broadly. We marched in protest, spoke to a huge number of people, and we look forward to growing the success of this sponsorship over the next year to provide further activities for students to engage in filmmaking opportunities.”

Megan Robertson, Equalities Officer at Bath Spa University added: “I am so pleased that we have sponsored Queer Vision and been a part of the amazing Bristol Pride this year. As a queer staff member myself it has been heartwarming to experience the support and love that has gone into organising this. 

“The day was filled with so much joy - from walking in the march to speaking to people at the Downs, the rain definitely didn't stop us. Pride allows us to celebrate queer joy, creativity and community, but is also vital to remember that Pride is still a protest and we are very much committed to continuing our support for the LGBTQIA+ community.”

At the Bristol Pride Parade, Megan also joined forces with Neetu Karwal, Vice President Welfare and Community at Bath Spa University’s Students Union to record their first outdoor version of their podcast, Be Open.

Launched at the beginning of 2023, Be Open is a joint equality and diversity podcast from Bath Spa University and Bath Spa Students’ Union. Over the course of the show, Meg and Neetu have explored their experiences of mental health, race, gender, sexuality, disability and all things equality and diversity. Live from Bristol Pride the duo discussed the importance of the event, delved into its history and focused on the topic of allyship. The episode will soon be available to listen to on Spotify.