A Pride event in Hertfordshire was scheduled for June 20 at Shirley's Roadhouse in London Colney, with performances honoring Christina Aguilera, Elton John, and Britney Spears. Organizers had sold at least 100 tickets, but promotional banners around the county were torn down twice. After the banners were replaced five weeks later, they were torn down again. A local councilor said the vandalism and hostile online comments upset LGBTQ+ people and allies, especially because banners for other non-Pride events were left untouched. Organizers canceled the event due to safety concerns and the inability to afford “ridiculous costs” for security. Supportive messages after the cancellation suggested most people were supportive.
"The Loud & Proud event was scheduled to occur at Shirley's Roadhouse, a live music venue in the village of London Colney, with performances paying tribute to Christina Aguilera, Elton John, and Britney Spears, Attitude magazine reported. Organizers had already sold at least 100 tickets. However, promotional banners displayed around the county were torn down. When organizers replaced the banners five weeks later, those were torn down as well."
""I thought we were living in 2026 and had moved on from this kind of discrimination and was really hoping we could have a nice family-run event that would celebrate the LGBTQ+ community," Liz Needham, a Liberal Democrat village councilor, told BBC News, adding that the vandalism upset local LGBTQ+ people and allies, especially since banners promoting other non-Pride events had been left untouched."
"But the vandalism and hostile comments online compelled organizers to cancel the event out of safety concerns. "My first responsibility is to ensure the safety of the venue, performers, and attendees," organizers wrote in a cancellation notice, saying that they couldn't afford the "ridiculous costs" to pay for event security."
""We're sorry for those people that can't come," Needham said, but said that the number of supportive messages that the event has gotten online since its cancellation "shows the majority of people are actually supportive of something like that, and it's just a very small minority that want to ruin it.""
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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