MORE than 70 businesses, organisations and community groups across Mull and Iona have issued a rare joint statement condemning hate and affirming their support for the LGBT+ community after this year’s Pride celebrations were targeted with online abuse.
The show of solidarity follows a “joyful” Pride event in Tobermory in June which drew more than 100 attendees — a significant turnout for the island — but was overshadowed by a small number of highly offensive and extremist comments, including images of swastikas.
In response, a broad coalition spanning local shops, hotels, charities, arts organisations and churches has come together to publicly reject the abuse and assert that “everyone is welcome” on the islands.
Rebecca Atkinson-Lord, artistic director of An Tobar and Mull Theatre, told The National that the scale and tone of the backlash this year marked a turning point.
“Until this year we've sort of rolled our eyes about it and gone, 'OK, look, we know that this is a joyous thing and everyone turns up to you and it isn't actually a controversial thing, we're just going to let it run',” she said.
“It's been escalating every year, getting a little bit more unpleasant, and this year we got a couple of people who – from a little bit of sleuthing – don't live on the island, being very, very, very vitriolic.”
She added that the use of Nazi imagery crossed a clear line.
“It felt like it stepped over from something that you can maintain a dignified silence around into something that you have to do reject and push back against because it isn't fair for people to not feel that they're safe turning up to a Pride event on the beach in Tobermory because someone elsewhere is posting hate images online around it,” she said.
“The Nazis in the 40s systematically murdered queer people and what that says is those people posting are supporting that as an attitude and believe that is acceptable. It is an act of aggression and violence to be doing that.”
Despite the online hostility, the Pride event itself remained a positive and inclusive celebration, with families gathering on the beach during the day and a community disco in the evening.
Atkinson-Lord described the turnout of more than 100 people as significant in the context of island life, however, the impact of the abuse was felt within the community, with concerns being raised about safety and belonging.
“It made something that has always been joyous and positive quite upsetting and frightening," she said, adding that one person she knew questioned whether they should stay on the island if that was how a Pride event was received.
Determined to ensure the abuse did not define perceptions of the islands, Atkinson-Lord and her colleagues decided to act.
Leaving her office, Atkinson-Lord walked along Tobermory’s Main Street, speaking to businesses face-to-face and asked for signatures to go along with the written statement.
“I walked down Main Street at 11:30 in the morning and I just popped into every shop to say, we're thinking of doing this statement because we don't want people on the island to think that that represents the whole island and we don't want people from off the island to think that that represents our community,” she said.
By lunchtime, dozens had agreed to support the initiative.
The effort quickly expanded, with staff reaching out to organisations across the islands. The final list now stands at around 70 signatories, including hospitality businesses, cultural institutions, community trusts and local churches.
“It was really important that we reached out in a really kind way,” she said. “We really didn't want it to feel like pressure. We said here's the thing we're doing, we'd love you to be involved, no pressure, you don't have to be.”
The resulting statement emphasises inclusion, safety and the importance of diversity to island life, while making clear that the abuse does not reflect the wider community.
For Atkinson-Lord, the response has transformed an upsetting experience into something more hopeful.
“Suddenly now it's gone from feeling quite hurtful and unpleasant to something that feels really inspiring and great and reassuring,” she said.
She also stressed that the absence of any individual or business from the list should not be interpreted negatively.
“There are 70 organisations on that list, but it doesn't mean that the people that aren't on that list are like horrible homophobes. It's just that we reached as many people as we could in the time available,” she said.
Beyond the immediate response, Atkinson-Lord highlighted the importance of Pride events in rural and island communities, particularly for young people.
“If you're a kid growing up on the island, you can't sneak off to the nearest gay pub and have a look and meet people. There isn't a queer youth club. There's nothing that means you can go and find your people and know that they're there,” she said.
“So many young people leave the island anyway and being queer is a reason. Anything we can do to say, 'you do not have to leave, you can make your family here, you can make your life here' – that's really important not just because it's the right thing but also because that's for the health of our community.”
She acknowledged there are concerns about future events, particularly the possibility that publicity could attract further hostility, but added: “It doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do.”
Framing the statement as an extension of long-held island traditions, she added: “That sense of welcome and being a good host, this might be the contemporary version of it, but it's rooted in that same value system.”
With Pride set to return next summer, she hopes the message will resonate both locally and beyond.
“I would encourage people to come along and make it a reason to come to Mull on holiday,” she said.
The full statement reads:
On 21 June, more than a hundred people came together in Tobermory to celebrate Mull and Iona Pride; a joyful, welcoming expression of our island community. Alongside that celebration, a small number of individuals posted hateful and discriminatory comments online, including swastikas and other symbols of extremism and messages intended to intimidate and exclude. They do not speak for our island. As businesses, organisations, community groups and individuals, we stand together in solidarity with our LGBTQI+ neighbours, friends, family members, colleagues and visitors. We believe that everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and valued, and that diversity is one of the things that makes island life richer, kinder and more vibrant. Everyone is welcome here. The future of our islands is one of openness, curiosity and belonging. There is no place here for hatred, bigotry or discrimination.
The full list of those who have signed:
- Rev Amanda MacQuarrie, Minister of the Church of Scotland Congregations of Iona & The Ross of Mull linked with North Mull
- Alison Dugdale
- An Cala Cuin
- An Camus
- An Tobar and Mull Theatre
- Anne Baxter, Bunessan
- ar bòrd
- Archipelago Folkschool
- Bendoran Watersports
- Blethers
- Browns
- Café Fish
- Cathryn Burge, Bunessan
- Chilli Grillz
- Co‑Op Tobermory
- Croft 3
- Eas Fors, Salen
- Fisherman’s Pier
- Glengorm
- Glengorm Cafe
- Harbour Garage
- Himalayan Craft Fayre
- Hook’d
- Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust
- Iona Community
- Iona craft shop
- Iona Housing Partnership
- Iona Music Festival
- Iona pods
- Iona Services
- Island Blue Tobermory
- Island Sauna Shack
- Isle of Iona Gin
- Isle of Mull Silver and Goldsmiths
- Isle of Mull Soap
- Jeff Todd, Dervaig
- Jo Hunt, Dervaig
- John Faithfull, Bunessan
- Loch & Loaf
- MacGochans
- Malcolm Elliot Stores, Salen Spar
- Mattias Greuter, Bunessan
- Mull and Iona Community Trust
- Mull and Iona Vets
- Mull Community Council
- Mull Pottery
- Nina Tans Studio
- Oran Crafts, Iona
- Pier Café
- Post Office
- Ronnie Leckie / The Picture Gallery
- Ross of Mull Historical Centre
- Salen Hotel
- Spice of Mull
- Tackle and Books
- The Bellachroy
- The Creel Seafood Bar
- The Foodie Shack
- The Galleon Bistro
- The Gallery
- The Mish Nish
- The Ninth Wave
- Thorne Wyness Architects
- Tobermory Bakery
- Tobermory Corner Shop
- Tobermory Handmade Chocolate
- Tobermory Hotel
- Tobermory Pharmacy
- Western Isles Hotel
