MORE than 100 guests packed into the banqueting suite at City Hall for the inaugural Bradford Pride Awards, which recognise work carried out in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

The event was hosted by Bradford Council in partnership with local groups, with winners announced in seven categories.

Organiser, Councillor Richard Dunbar said: “Tonight is a night of celebration in which the Bradford district says loudly and proudly that the LGBT community do matter and along with our allies we do make a great contribution to making this city the warm, vibrant and friendly place people are starting to recognise us for.”

Guests included the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Geoff Reid, and speakers included writer, artist and activist Nicola Field, who was the original member of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners group, which supported the striking British miners in the 1980s.

She regaled tales of how bemused the miners were when they first turned up to support them, but how they all became friends.

“Our support for them was unconditional and as we as a group were struggling to fit in we felt like we were fighting a common enemy alongside the miners. Then people in same sex relationships were vilified.

“Sadly the miners strike was lost but the friendship we gained was invincible,” said Ms Field.

She spoke of the problems and attacks she herself faced from organisations as well as the police at the time.

She spoke about how same-sex marriages were a wonderful victory, but also spoke of sadness of the surge in racism and Islamophobia and how refugees were the “scapegoats of an oppressed group”

“I am very proud to be a part of LGBT and very proud to be a part of LGBT against Islamophobia,” she said.

Presenting the awards, Cllr Reid offered the chance for anyone wondering what Queen frontman Freddie Mercury would look like today.

“I was actually born on the same day as Freddie, albeit a few hours earlier and in a different continent, but if you wondered what he may look like today, then here you are!”

Cllr Reid added that he was proud of Bradford Council’s involvement with the LGBT community. He also acknowledged Ms Field’s help during the miners strike. He said he was living in Barnsley at the time of the strike and remembered the scenes well.

Award winners were:

LGBT Group, presented by John Vinnicombe, hate crime co-ordinator at West Yorkshire Police - Transmission;

Young Active Citizen, presented by Tom Doyle, chief executive of Yorkshire Mesmac - Koban Crew, Ty Richardson and Ash Edmondson;

LBGT Community Champion, presented by Ann Kendal, Equity Partnership - Lindsey England;

The Incommunities LGBT Volunteer Award, presented by Dave Forrest, director of Bradford Volunteering Centre - Hafsa;

The Scene Award, presented by Jason Courcoux, general manager of Flares - Nick Dennison Moorhouse;

Outstanding Contribution to the LGB Community, presented by Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe - Norrina Rashid;

Outstanding Contribution to the Transgender Community, presented by Councillor Abdul Jabar - Lisa Lee.

Closing the evening, Cllr Dunbar added: “This event, I’d argue, is very much a showcase event of our LGBT History Month programme of events. At the beginning of November we had zero events planned, by mid January we had 109.

"If history has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t see positive change of the LGBT community unless we are visible, willing to show support and challenge the prejudiced while simultaneously educating the ignorant.”

The 32 nominees selected for the categories were judged by a panel of representatives from the LGBT community, Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Police.

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