West Lothian Pride will put on their first live celebration in three years in Livingston this month.
The event on July 30 will be the first in-person one held in West Lothian since 2019.
A parade will be held in Livingston for the event on Almondvale Boulevard from 1pm to 2pm, with stalls and events held at West Lothian College from 11am through to 6pm.
The entirety of Almondvale Crescent, Almondvale Boulevard (both sides) from the College Roundabout to the Terrace Roundabout at Asda will be closed for the West Lothian Pride Parade from roughly 12.30pm to 2.30pm on July 30.
Chair of the West Lothian pride committee, Christine Rarity-Middleton, said: “In West Lothian we don’t have a lot of LGBT spaces or youth groups. The schools and colleges have a large LGBT presence and spaces for young LGBT people, but there’s not that big a presence in the community at large.
“There’s nothing like a gay bar or a hub for LGBT people in West Lothian, like they have in Perth and Fife, which goes a long way in supporting LGBT people find their tribe.
“There’s a lot of LGBT people in West Lothian, statistically the last census showed that four per cent of the national population were LGBT - with the new census we could see that number doubling.
“We don’t have a vibrant LGBT community here - which is why everyone is massively excited for pride this year.”
Organisers are aiming for a family festival pride event with spaces for younger kids and an under-18s disco at Reconnect Regal Theatre following the event on the Saturday.
Live music will also be played from 2pm to 6pm, with local musicians to be announced and promises of other performers with creative on-stage entertainment to surprise on the day.
The pride event will feature the ‘pride bus’ supplied by Lothian Buses - which will join the procession, going a long way in making the march a lot more visible with its rainbow decal.
The event will also be supported by the fire service in West Lothian, local charities SPARK and The Larder, international telecommunications company, Sky, and several local businesses across West Lothian.
Also supporting the event are Saltire Burlesque Academy who are performing at an over-18s ‘pre-pride’ event on July 29 at the Reconnect Regal Theatre in Bathgate.
Christine Rarity-Middleton, added:“This year we massively want to be a voice for trans rights as we’re seeing the global pile-on on trans folks has seeped back into the UK.
“It’s really key for us to support trans people now - from the LGB side of things we can see them going through what some of us went through back in 80s and 90s. If we don’t support trans people now we could see more step-backs in how LGBT people are viewed and treated in the future.
“There’s still a need for Pride - it has been and always will be a protest for equality and equity, but it also makes the LGBT people in our community feel safe and represented.”
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