Wandering the streets of Cambridge in June feels no different to any other month, other than the occasional splashes of rainbow in windows, and flags peeking over old college gateways. Aside from drunken day-time post-exam celebrations that mark the month out, it’s certainly not Pride that makes the days of June feel any different. For a university that is fairly unashamedly queer, Pride month slipped by unnoticed, and Cambridge Pride itself, for Cambridge students at least, didn’t seem the place to be.

“Pride month slipped by unnoticed, and Cambridge Pride itself, for Cambridge students at least, didn’t seem the place to be”

Speaking to other queer students, there was general agreement that Pride events or celebrations were not noticeable amongst the university students, and were not a priority for most. Emily, a first-year queer student, who attended Cambridge Pride, felt that Pride Month goes unnoticed in Cambridge. Oscar, a second-year queer student, agreed, suggesting that Cambridge Pride, and the month more widely, seems to have “escaped the attention”of “not all, but much” of the Cambridge LGBTQ+ community. Apart from a pride-themed intercollege bop, essentially just an open bar night at Trinity, little else was organised by students. Emily and Oscar both attended and shared that, while enjoyable, the bop “didn’t feel like a pride event” and was more of a regular bar night.

At its core are the timings: the Cambridge calendar just doesn’t align with Pride month. June for Cambridge students is jam-packed: most finish exams sometime in early June, and the two weeks of the month before term finishes tend to be full of May Week events. Spending time with friends who’ve virtually stopped existing for the last two weeks in exam-mode hibernation, crammed into the week or two post-exam period doesn’t leave time for much else.

Perhaps one exception to Cambridge’s lacklustre embrace of Pride Month was the 15th of June, when Cambridge hosted its very first Pride parade that saw the streets of central Cambridge (round through Trinity Street, the market, and back up past Sidney) filled with queer people. Yet when I asked around my queer friends about Cambridge Pride, there were nervous mumblings and flushed-face awkwardness: most admitted they hadn’t attended, and listed various scheduling clashes or practical reasons as to why. Dani, LGBT+ officer for Emmanuel and active queer events attender, noted he “was in full exam mode for most of it” and couldn’t think of anything he had done for Pride. When it came to the actual parade, he was too busy with pre-planned events such that “the pride parade didn’t really fit in”. My friends Oscar and Poppy, who tend to frequent other queer events, also missed it. Oscar had plans for a garden party that day, and Poppy had been out the night before with only loose plans for the Pride event. Waking up in the morning and finding her friends were all hungover, she assumed it was a no-go and wasn’t hugely bothered as she was ‘just going to play it by ear anyway’.

It may come down to a simple case of priorities: many students live near cities with bigger and better Pride events later in the month when they’ve finished Cambridge for the summer. Poppy was particularly nonchalant about Cambridge Pride because she knew had plans to attend both London and Brighton Pride.

In fact, Cambridge queer students have a history of going to London Pride. The 1994 newsletter of Cambridge queer group LesBiGay features a ‘LesBiGay goes to London’ page that documented a “good turnout” on a trip to London Pride such that the train carriage the writer was on during their journey to London “did not seem to have any ’straights in it”.

“Over the past few weeks, my Instagram saw Cambridge students posting from London Pride, while pictures of Cambridge Pride were rare”

Over the past few weeks, my Instagram saw Cambridge students posting from London Pride, while pictures of Cambridge Pride were rare. Cambridge LGBT student group and Emmanuel LGBT soc both did not post for Cambridge Pride, but posted later photos of groups of Cambridge students together at London Pride.

Is it such a shame then that pride month for students in Cambridge doesn’t seem to be making that much noise? Throughout the year, queer events, such as Clare cellars queer nights, queer formals, or bar socials, are organised anyway. The Cambridge Pride event, hosted on Jesus Green, and the Parade itself, are both very grassroots; being entirely free aside for a couple of paid-for premiums, and reliant on volunteers, sponsorships, and donations.

The committee describes the event as being an “annual, free, family-friendly event” with “a parade, diverse entertainment, stalls, and a range of opportunities to get involved”. It seems very sweet and wholesome, with the focus being on community organisation, alongside different stalls for organisations. The focus on inclusivity was also evident. Describing itself as a “celebration of diversity and equality”, the events ranged from a “sing and sign” session to charity stalls such as Let’s Get Better. Emily, who visited the event with her friends, noted stalls ranging from mental health support charities to homelessness support. She found it a “very, very enjoyable event”.

What would really be the point of ‘Pride month’ specific events when throughout the year these events happen anyway - is Cambridge too gay to need a Pride month? Varsity Lifestyle wrote about the sweetness of Cambridge Pride, pointing out how some may see it as cringe. This rings especially true for a Cambridge queer community that likes an edgy club night out - while the RAID DJ set at Pride could have been an enticement, the two events aren’t exactly on similar levels. Oscar reckoned he felt ‘more hype’ amongst his LGBT friends for the rare Queer Get Down club night than for the Cambridge Pride event. The popularity of LGBTQ+ History Month may be evidence of this - it has a specific and radical focus and also appeals in an academic sense to the university. Many college Instagrams posted about raising the Pride flag for LGBTQ+ History Month but were silent in June.

While Pride month quietly passing Cambridge students by isn’t anything to be particularly worried about, and seems more a matter of scheduling issues and practicalities than any ideological concerns, we’d do well to remember being queer and proud is certainly not something to take for granted. Varsity Lifestyle wrote about the event as “heart-wrenchingly lovely”. Maybe it will take a moment for Pride Month to become a time for celebration in Cambridge also, for the Cambridge event to gain popularity amongst students, and for Pride to not be postponed until it can be celebrated in bigger home cities. It’s only the third year of the Cambridge Pride event and the first year of the Parade. Hopefully, in a few years, the Pride event will become more of a part of the Cambridge calendar - a sweet opportunity for celebration and appreciation.

*Some names have been changed.