Relaunched Pride to be LGBTQ+ community 'voice'

The Isle of Man's first Pride event was held in 2021 in Douglas

A charity which champions equality and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community has been relaunched, after its activities were paused three years ago.

Set up in 2019, Isle of Pride organised events and promoted inclusion awareness in businesses, schools and healthcare settings over a two-year period before it then agreed it should be wound up to allow for "new ideas".

Following a hiatus, a new board of directors has revived the group, announcing plans for a year-round outreach programme and the return of Pride in 2026.

Director James Cherry said the new members were keen to work with the island's LGBTQ+ community to "act as a voice" and "signpost people to support".

Homosexual acts were decriminalised on the island in 1992, 25 years after England and Wales and 12 years after Scotland.

In June 2022, pardons were given to men with historical criminal convictions on the island after an "unqualified apology" was issued by the then chief minister Howard Quayle the previous year.

Established with the aim of holding a Pride event on the island, more than 8,500 people attended the inaugural parade and festival in 2021.

But in September 2022 the directors confirmed they had "unanimously resolved to wind up Isle of Pride, after considering that the time is right for new ideas to be explored and steered" by the LGBTQ+ community.

James Cherry said 'no one should be treated differently for who they are'

In a statement, the new team confirmed a refreshed board had been appointed in September 2024, with the new board taking some time to "reaffirm our goals" and work "to get the charity to the place it is now".

The group said given the "context of the current political climate around the world" it was "vital that people of marginalised communities have a voice and representation".

It was important for the LGBTQ+ community to "stand together, along with our allies, to protect the rights so hard fought for", it added.

The new board is set to work in association with a Pride on the Quay event set to take place on 30 August on North Quay in Douglas, with details of a 2026 Pride event expected to be released at a later date.

A scheme to deliver education and training initiatives, as well as a safe spaces project, called Chree - which is Manx Gaelic for heart - are also being progressed.

A spokesman said it was hoped the programme would bring "more awareness and inclusion for our community and will bring us closer to creating an island society in which no LGBTQ+ person feels alone".

Mr Cherry said "no one should be treated differently for who they are, everyone should be able to love who they love".

The reboot of the organisation was about "representation" and "telling people there is support and the return of events that celebrate the community", he added.