Glasgow Pride 2023
by Cameron Scott
This years’ annual Pride event took place on Saturday 15th July and followed a meandering route from Glasgow Green, through the city where it ended at George Square.
I’ve photographed this event many times in the past but have always been more interested the interactions that arise rather than the main procession, interactions between the participants themselves and bystanders, particularly the small groups of evangelists and street preachers who demonstrate in opposition to all that Pride embodies.
I was also in town to visit a workers’ demonstration at a restaurant nearby, so after spending some time there it was a short walk to the Pride start at Glasgow green.
The event was already well underway when I got there, and it wasn’t long before the deafening jeers and whistles led me to the first roadside confrontation. By the time I fought my way through the crowd the Police had already intervened and were moving the small group of evangelists away, however I managed to get some images. Rather than follow the procession in its entirety, I made my own way back to George Square, catching it at a few key locations on the way.
What turned out to be the biggest ever Glasgow Pride with around 50000 participants had brought the city and itself to a standstill, with huge crowds lining the streets to watch the colourful and very noisy spectacle. However, not everyone was having just as much fun. Back at George Square, as the first of the marchers arrived, a full blown ‘fire and brimstone’ evangelical sermon was underway, amplified to a level that only served as an attraction.
The police formed a line of separation and as more marchers arrived tensions were beginning to rise, however this was eventually diffused by the arrival of groups of revellers and dancers armed with ghetto blasters and a great collection of 70’s disco music, and eventually the square was engulfed in the huge carnival atmosphere that we’ve come to expect from Pride.
