The LCR Pride Foundation has launched a borough-wide survey seeking information about the needs and interests of LGBT+ people in Sefton.
The foundation, set up in 2019 with the aim to help Pride reach the LGBT+ community in areas beyond Liverpool city centre, hopes the survey will help it establish a Pride event in Sefton in the near future.
LGBT+ people living in Sefton towns including Southport, Bootle and Crosby are encouraged to take part in the consultation and make their voices heard.
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Andi Herring, CEO of LCR Pride Foundation, said: “The consultation has been launched in response to conversations that the Liverpool ECHO has had with the local community and feedback we have received from LGBT+ people living in Sefton who want to bring the community together in a more local setting.
“As has been the case in other areas in the city region, the feedback was originally focused around ideas for a Pride festival in the borough. However, ongoing conversations have highlighted wider concerns in the community including lack of representation or space spaces for LGBT+ people, fear of discrimination and hate crime, and isolation.
“It is important that any event, service or initiative that is created to support and celebrate the LGBT+ community in Sefton is aligned with the needs, wants and concerns of that community. We want to encourage the community in Sefton to engage with the survey so they can have their say and shape the outcomes of the consultation.”
Once complete, the results of the Sefton LGBT+ survey will be shared publicly and LCR Pride Foundation will work with the community, local organisations and Sefton council to facilitate and develop action points raised.
Sefton Council welcomed the launch of the new initiative.
A spokesperson from Sefton Council said: “We welcome the launch of the LCR Pride Foundation’s Sefton LGBT+ Survey, and we’re keen to receive and review all of the responses once the survey has concluded.
“As a borough for everyone, we’re committed to supporting our diverse communities, giving those who live, work, study and visit Sefton the opportunity to help us better understand their needs.
“Working in partnership with the LCR Pride Foundation, and other partners across the borough, we want to play our part in making the Liverpool City Region the most LGBT+ friendly region in the UK, and we welcome any ideas in how we can achieve that goal. A key part of this is ensuring that our LGBT+ community not only feel safe and valued, but that they are visible.
“Additionally, we want to make it absolutely clear that hate crimes, whether it be physical, verbal or online, will not be tolerated in Sefton, and we work with a number of partners including Merseyside Police to eradicate hate crimes from our communities. We’d like to remind people that they can report a hate crime 24/7 by contacting the police, visiting sefton.gov.uk, or anonymously via Stop Hate UK.”
LCR Pride Foundation recently hosted a similar forum with residents in Halton to learn more about the need for LGBT+ safe spaces in the borough.
Elsewhere, the foundation also helped St Helens set up its own Pride which launched in 2019.
Gareth Williams, of Freshfield, is a supporter of Pride in Sefton. He suggested Southport's Victoria Park and King's Gardens as potential venues for a Pride festival.
Gareth told the ECHO: "It's shocking that Southport has no gay bars, clubs or Pride events.
"Now, if you're young and LGBT+ in Southport, there's nothing."
Atticus Rowan, LGBT+ officer at the Southport Labour Party, also welcomed calls for Sefton to have its own Pride event, but took a different view on what the event may entail.
Atticus, 18, told the ECHO: "We definitely need representation above all.
"Pride isn't always a one-off family fun day kind of thing. We've done plenty of those in Southport."
Atticus wants Pride in Sefton to be a beacon for LGBT+ across the borough to come together and be their authentic selves without worry of negative attitudes or political challenges.
He continued: "You may get backlash. You may get people thinking this is too much. But frankly, we've had almost nothing for decades."
People living, working or studying in Sefton who are keen to make their voices heard about Pride in the borough are encouraged to fill out LCR Pride Foundation's LGBT+ Sefton survey. The survey closes at midnight on Thursday, September 30.
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