Why doesn't it feel like Pride month?

Is it just Ava and Conor, or does Pride feel different this year?

In this highlight from today's pod, Conor talks about the stifled atmosphere at World Pride in Washington D.C., and what a Pride movement looks like during the reversal of LGBTQ+ progress across the Atlantic and at home in the UK. He also shares his experiences attending dozens of Pride events around the world, reflects on the legacy of the AIDS epidemic, and highlights how Pride is increasingly returning to (or rather never left_) its roots as a protest movement.

The pair also touch on the corporate aspect of Pride, from rainbow-washing to Co-Op Funerals' allyship. Has this diluted the original spirit of Pride, and how can LGBTQ+ communities keep the flame alive when the narrative is increasingly taken out of their hands? They also discuss how a new wave of reactionary politics, fuelled by culture war narratives and imported ideologies, is endangering hard-won rights and silencing vital conversations. The overturning of Roe v Wade in America and recent abortion debates in the Commons are just one example of this.

Conor reflects on Pride's history and its entwinement with grief, resilience, and expression, and makes the case for why we should never lose sight of it.

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