WHENEVER there is a Pride event, you inevitably get a handful of people who ask why we still need a festival to show support for the LGBT+ community.

They say that we now live in a society of equal rights, free from discrimination, and so these kinds awareness events are pointless.

Sadly, they’re wrong.

Go to almost any school or on a night out in any town or city in the UK and you will almost certainly hear language which is derogatory of people who are gay, transsexual or transgender. Indeed, one of the most common criticisms among young people is to say that something is ‘gay’ if it’s disappointing or of poor quality.

This kind of language is ingrained in British culture.

That’s why, as the chair of Worcestershire Pride points out, many young people still feel uncomfortable with ‘coming out’: they see being gay or trans as something negative.

And that’s why there is still very much a need for Pride events, and why we should welcome the second annual one in Worcester this September.