Dirg and Ted’s Brighton Pride weekend

When Ted Brown told me a couple of years ago that he’d never been to Brighton Pride, I have to say I was a little surprised. As an original member of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in London, who helped organise the UK’s first Gay Pride in 1972, I just assumed he’d have found his way to visit our regional affair over its considerable history.

The first Brighton Gay Pride in 1973 was inspired by the GLF’s 1972 event. However, it seems Brighton’s gay community wasn’t quite ready to march through the streets declaring they were ‘Glad to be Gay’ and it wasn’t repeated. That changed, as a direct reaction to Section 28, and Brighton Lesbian and Gay Pride in 1991 made the point, loudly.

Ted’s first visit to Brighton Pride was in 2024, after coming to Brighton to attend a screening of the film Ted & Noel (see below). Perhaps the adventures of that particular weekend is a tale for another time.

Ted’s activist credentials are too numerous to go into here, but they’re summarised in this BBC article about the ‘Pride pioneer to recieve honorary doctorate‘, which also handily explains what Ted was doing back in Brighton in the summer of 2025.

Dr Ted Brown

I caught up with Ted and three of his friends including Dirg Aaab-Richards (Instagram), along with Ted’s brother Bobby Walker at the Brighton Centre, for Ted to receive his honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton.

I recognised Dirg, another pioneering figure in Black UK LGBTQ+ activism, from his appearance in the wonderful and very moving documentary Ted & Noel.

If you decide to watch the film below, and you really should, you’ll need 25 minutes and a tissue to give to your friend who will probably have a tear in their eye…

Dirg: “I was very humbled to be Ted’s chaperone for the weekend. Witnessing Dr Ted receive his ‘Man of Letters’ doctorate honour from Brighton University was quite prestigious. It was honestly fabulous listening to him ‘prick’ teasing the audience, as twice from the podium I thought I heard him say … ‘penis’ and legislation. It must be the first time the p-word was said in such austere company, in such an arena of graduating students and their parents!

“I recall Ted was given an invitation to speak for 10 minutes. I think he spoke for 25 minutes. He spoke really well – largely without notes and passionately. He outlined the need for his latest campaign where older, some out, gay people are being forced back into closets because of a fear of abuse inside care homes – where staff didn’t get the message that they shouldn’t be abusive to gay residents!

“Let’s hope Ted’s campaign triggers nationwide awareness and care home staff becoming LGBTQ+ sensitised, with appropriate training. We have to recognise this aspect of our future relationship with care homes nationally. A recognition that will come too late for victims such as Ted’s partner of 50 years Noel, who suffered home care abuse.”

Room for one more?

Ted and I had been in touch in the months beforehand about his visit to Brighton, and Paul Kemp had welcomed him into the Brighton Pride parade, which as luck would have it was the day after his award. It was gloriously sunny so we had some food on the beach after the award ceremony. Dirg said he’d quite like to stay for Brighton Pride as well. A couple of emails later and Paul had kindly arranged tickets for Saturday so Dirg could join us too.

With less than 24 hours before the Brighton Pride parade would get going, I briefly contemplated trying to get Dirg a hotel room. It would be a mammoth task, not to mention expensive. I asked him if he liked cats, he said he had four, and with that it was solved – he was staying with me (and my cat Lulu).

What followed in the next 24 hours was something teenage me could never have dreamed of – I accompanied two legends of LGBTQ+ activism at the front of Brighton Pride. My friends would remember it as the year I said I wasn’t up to much at Pride, only to appear at the front of the parade.

Up, up and away

After a hearty breakfast, Dirg and I got the bus to Ted’s seafront hotel. A simple sentence but one that holds a vivid memory for me. It felt like something out of Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, except we were on a bus rather than a tram.

As we rolled into the city centre, a range of passengers filled the bus, from Saturday shoppers to Pride revellers starting early. At the back of the bus were the Brighton-based drumming collective Drum and Blaze, gently practising some of their pieces for the parade. Feet were tapping, strangers were joking with each other, and the sun was shining down on all of us. I smiled at Dirg and picked up my phone to capture the moment…

Moments later I was jolted out of this reverie by a phone call from Chris Jepson: “The i360 leaves in ten minutes love, are you joining us?”. I was under the impression that the Pride Breakfast event was taking place in the beachfront meeting room at the base of the i360, but it turns out we were going for a trip up the pole. Or whatever it’s called. I rang Ted to let him know and the three of us bolted to the i360, making it just in time.

I thought I spotted Dame Kelly Holmes among the people gathered for the pre-flight speeches, and made a mental note to introduce her to Ted afterwards. However, I looked around after we had started our journey skyward and couldn’t find her. Maybe it wasn’t her after all. That would have been awkward!

Ravishing rage

After we returned to solid ground, we made the short walk to Hove peace statue where the parade was to leave from. Ted was very much in demand and was interviewed by ITV Meridian as well as BBC Radio Sussex. Before long it was time to get in position behind the Pride banner for the parade to move off. I thought I’d take the opportunity to get a photo of everyone… then in true old man style I took a video instead (cringe).

Moving on – which is literally what we all did – we made our way from Hove peace statue to Preston Park. On a normal day that would take an hour at the most, but with the amount of floats and people involved everything runs a bit slower (more like two hours). Just before we got to to the park things totally ground to a halt, and smoke filled the street ahead. We never found out what the issue was, but when we reached the park entrance the smell of burnt burgers was very noticeable. Yummy.

We were flagging slightly by this point and were keen to get into the park. Ted was scheduled to give a speech on the main stage with Peter Tatchell, so we headed to the backstage area. There was time for a little food and drink before Ted was on stage, as well as a moment to recline on a giant deckchair. Watching these two old friends laughing together with We Are Family by Sister Sledge playing in the background, was an honour, and so lovely.

On the stage again

After a moment’s respite, I accompanied Ted to the stage area to meet up with Peter Tatchell before their joint appearance. I had most definitely not anticipated following them onto the stage, but I was swept up by the stagehands and ushered on with them. We were unable to see anything initially due to a wall of dry ice in front of us. Terrifying. As it cleared I did my best to blend in with the loudspeakers and other stage furniture, before pulling myself together and taking advantage of my position to snap a few photos.

All-star cast

With speeches completed and a roar of applause from the crowd, I exited the stage behind Ted and Peter. I was still in shock from being on the main stage and totally unprepared for what came next.

Backstage was Dame Kelly Holmes (with partner Louise Cullen), chatting with Kathy Sledge from Sister Sledge, along with Briony May Williams from the Great British Bake Off! This was a lot to process. It was indeed Dame Kelly I had seen by the i360. I had fanboyed over Briony in the park already, saying ‘Hi’ and other things I can’t remember in my flustered state. And it turns out we had heard Sister Sledge performing live on stage earlier, not just one of their songs being played. Mind. Blown.

I got a grip on myself and steered Ted towards Kelly Holmes. Moments later they were chatting away, Kelly asking Ted what it was like back in the 1970s. I turned round to see Briony who looked at me with a grin and said ‘It’s you again’. I realised I was holding Ted’s food and wanted to get a picture of him and Dame Kelly. Without thinking it through I asked Briony if she would hold Ted’s food while I took a photo. ‘Of course’ she said. As I positioned myself to get a good angle my brain was having a fit – Did you just ask Briony from Bake Off to hold some food for you. OMG.

A few minutes later, after I had picked my jaw up from the grass, we said goodbye and left the backstage area. We returned to find Dirg in exactly the same position as we had left him – relaxing under a canopy with a drink.

Other plans

Earlier in the year, before Ted had confirmed he would accept his honorary doctorate, I had promised to attend a function across town on Pride Saturday afternoon. I had already told Ted and Dirg about it and they wanted to come with me, so we left as a group.

Just as we were about to leave the way we had come in, I realised they hadn’t seen the main park area at all, so we doubled back and walked through the happy crowds. It was dense with people by the main stage but slowly thinned as we approached the far side. I live by the park so we stopped at mine to collect our thoughts, our bags, and set off in search of a cab to take us across town…

Reflections

A few months later, after we had all returned to our respective homes and the Pride sequins had settled, I asked Dirg and Ted for their reflections on that action-packed weekend in August last year.

Dirg: “I was expecting to travel back to be cuddling with my cats… instead I ended up holding the lead banner marching beside Amanda Grimshaw, the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, at Brighton Pride – it was quite surreal!

“Celebrity-for-a-day smiling and waving, greeting bystanders with: “Happy Brighton Pride”, until my cheeks hurt!

“I met a young man behind me on the parade [Alan Hiscutt] from South London Lesbian and Gay Young People’s Group (Catford), who introduced himself to me, reminding me that he attended the group (aka ‘The Slagy Pig’ youth club) that I helped to run forty years earlier!”

Ted: “Coming to Brighton for the award ceremony and for Brighton Pride was so refreshing and exhilarating. I enjoyed the whole thing, and was particularly pleased to give a speech with Peter Tatchell.

“Even though I’ve been to most Prides in London since the very first one in 1972, they often felt like our Pride was entertaining an audience. Brighton Pride felt much more like a community joining together in celebration.”