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Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Pride: 10 best photos from Edinburgh's first ever Pride march in 1995, 30 years ago
June 17, 1995 was a real landmark occasion, as it was the day Scotland's capital conquered prejudice with a resounding display of Pride, as more than 3,000 people triumphantly marched together from Broughton Street to the Meadows via Princes Street. Fast forward to today, and the longest-running LGBTQIA+ celebration in Scotland has grown massively since 1995. This year's event is a weekend-long affair, which includes the annual march through the streets of Edinburgh on Saturday, June 21. As thousands of people gather to celebrate diversity, we look back to that first ever Pride march in the city. Take a look through our photo gallery for a nostalgic trip back to 1995 – and let us know your own memories in the comments section before you go. 1 . Remembering Edinburgh's first ever Pride march Browse our gallery to see 10 of the best photos from Edinburgh's first ever Pride march in 1995. Photo: Third Party Photo Sales 2 . Pride Scotland 1995 The march took place in Edinburgh in June 1995. Photo: Tina Norris Photo Sales 3 . The Mound A huge crowd make their way up the Mound to show their support. Photo: Equality Network Photo Sales 4 . All bar nun The inclusive event saw thousands take to the streets in an effort to conquer the prejudices felt by the LGBT community. Photo: TINA NORRIS Photo Sales Related topics: EdinburghScotland
The Herald Scotland
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
It's time to stop the scaremongering over heat pumps
If you take away the cost of a gas boiler, which would not be required, this makes the cost difference about £10,000 maximum. Is he suggesting that the housebuilders should leave out the insulation and double glazing as well? The difference in heating costs between a standard house built around 1970 and current standards is significant and I doubt if anyone would want to live in a basic 1970s house or pay the heating bill. The housebuilding standards in the UK for insulation have been extremely poor compared to the standards in Scandinavian countries for at least the last 60 years and we are paying the price now in high retrofit costs to bring them up to a similar standard. Most of the hype about additional measures required to install a heat pump result from this failure in building standards, and any changes to the heat emitters of new-build houses should result in a reduction in costs as less heat output is required. For interest, you only need to replace the heat lost from a building and a heat pump can do this just as effectively as a gas boiler although it may be necessary to increase the radiator size as the flow temperature is lower. This does not apply to new-build and therefore it will not result in additional cost. There was no incentive for builders to build houses with decent insulation and this could have reduced the potential profit per build and it was only when the Government eventually started introducing proper building standards that this situation slowly improved. The before-tax profits of one major housebuilder last year were £359.1 million for 10,664 completions which amounts to £33,674 profit per house (11.1%). Some of these properties will include most of the standards for net zero and should be heat pump-compatible if they are still fitted with gas boilers. I am not suggesting that housebuilders should not make a profit as that is how capitalism works, but perhaps it might put Ross Lambie's claims in perspective. There are lots of reasons why we should be moving from gas to electricity, reducing global warming and saving the planet is only one of them, but misinformation is making a sensible transition more difficult. Iain McIntyre, Sauchie. Read more letters Pride has had its day I found the first half of the letter (June 4) from Rebecca Don Kennedy, CEO of the Equality Network, regarding the removal of Pride flags from lampposts on Arran quite enlightening. I read it thinking that we may well have an outbreak of common sense. Until. The CEO went on to accuse Mark Smith of hypothetical and imaginary views, indeed, accusing him of victim blaming. There then followed a completely non-evidential, truly hypothetical and imaginary reasoning of what someone must be thinking if they dislike a flag. The removal of a flag is straightforward vandalism (if damaged) or theft, and nothing else. Until the perpetrator is found nobody knows what their thought process was. They may just have been having a laugh. Under no circumstances is that then a hate crime. For me, and many like me, I'm afraid that Pride has had its day, and it seems to me that it, and the "inclusive" groups of people behind it, are more about continually causing and promoting division in society. Why can't we all just let people be? Gregor McKenzie, East Kilbride. A Pride march in Glasgow (Image: PA) Frustration over hospital parking Today (June 4) I failed to make a significant appointment at Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI), booked at a specialist unit in October 2024. I spent two hours attempting to find a parking space, and failed. I recall that there was some problem in making the GRI car park free, which was eventually resolved. As a regular patient, I enjoyed a brief period when outpatients had an allocated parking area: that privilege did not last. A missed appointment costs the NHS around £233 and I have now to wait until at least September for a new appointment. I do not believe that the GRI car park is solely occupied by staff and patients. Glasgow is restricted and punitive in parking, and I suspect that this car park has a high occupancy of selfish non-entitled healthy parasites. Stewart MacPherson, Kilsyth. Dictionary corner The faulty English usage Steve Barnet despairs of (Letters, May 29) doesn't exasperate me as much as the profusion of malapropisms that have become common. Educated writers can no longer use the following, for fear of being misunderstood: apprise, which will be confused with appraise; beg the question will be supposed to mean pose the question; deprecate (an obscure theological term) seems to be supposed to be a posh modern variant of depreciate; enormity is used as a synonym of magnitude; fulsome is used instead of full (it is cognate with foul); ilk is presumed to mean sort; iconic is used as though it means special rather than totally standard; the verb loathe is used where the adjective loth would be correct; the adjective staunch is used where the verb stanch would be correct. This stems from the modern practice of guessing at meanings instead of consulting a dictionary. Some hold that words should mean what people think they mean rather than what a lexicographer declare them to mean, but this leads to degeneration into baby-talk shorn of all subtlety. Robin Dow, Rothesay. Cruise control It annoys me that CalMac ferries, the latest Glens Sannox and Rosa in particular, are referred to by several of your correspondents as "cruise liners". They are actually "crew's liners", a very important distinction and the root of a large number of the problems imposed on CMAL and CalMac by each other. Peter Wright, West Kilbride.
The Herald Scotland
04-06-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Letting libraries crumble is attacking the vulnerable
Libraries have always been more than shelves and silence. They're vital spaces for the whole community and one of the few places where you're not expected to buy a coffee just to sit down. In today's digital world, they're a lifeline for those who can't afford broadband or don't have access to a printer. We talk about levelling up, tackling isolation, improving literacy, supporting mental health – libraries do all of that and more with far too little credit. It's not just short-sighted to let them crumble; it's attacking the vulnerable. If we're serious about building a fairer, more equal Scotland, we need to stop treating libraries like optional extras. They are – and always have been – lifelines. Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, Tayport. Read more letters Definition of a hate crime To be a hate crime in Scotland, something must first be a crime. Then, for any crime, if it is proven in court that the motive was prejudice on grounds such as race, religion or sexual orientation, the crime is recorded as a hate crime. The motive can then be taken into account by the sheriff in deciding an appropriate sentence. That's been the law for 15 years and more. Tearing down the street decorations for a parade is likely to be the crime of vandalism. In the case of the Arran Pride march ("A hate crime on Arran? No, just a sign of where we are", Mark Smith, The Herald, June 2), the fact that it was an LGBTI+ event and was targeted in that way suggests that it may in fact have been a prejudice-motivated crime. In that case it's right that the police look into that. Whether it ends up recorded as a crime, and potentially prejudice-motivated, depends on what evidence there is. Mark Smith suggests that the perpetrator may have been a gay person who doesn't like the rainbow flag. Hypothetical, dare I say imaginary, based only on his own views about trans people it seems, and frankly a great example of victim-blaming. Disliking what a flag represents suggests more than a dislike of the colours or design, it suggests disliking the inclusion of those that the flag represents – the wide and diverse LGB+ community alongside the people of colour who founded the LGBTI+ movement, those lost within the AIDS crisis and of course, trans people. It's hardly surprising that the police might consider this flag being torn down to have been motivated by prejudice and hate. The Equality Network's Scottish Trans team were at Arran Pride, and we're happy to report that despite the vandalism the night before, everyone had a really great time with locals – celebrating everyone's diversity and calling for a better Scotland for everyone. Rebecca Don Kennedy, CEO, Equality Network, Edinburgh. Glasgow's transport shame I fully agree with Stuart Neville (Letters, June 3) who comments on the fact that Subway travel in Glasgow is a difficult and confusing experience if you are not familiar with all the stations on its circular route, due mainly to the lack of any visual indication of which station the train is approaching, in spite of over £28 million spent on its upgrade. As Mr Neville says there are the occasional spoken announcements, some of which are understandable and some not. I am also somewhat puzzled as to why after this lengthy and expensive revamp the service frequency is less than in the days of the previous "Clockwork Orange" system. Another obvious drawback is the fact that the service stops operating at 6pm on a Sunday, something that was previously blamed on the need for extra maintenance to keep ageing rolling stock and infrastructure working. Sadly the Subway seems to be like the rest of our city's disjointed and expensive public transport in that passengers come, by some distance, a poor second to what suits the various operators in Glasgow. The city centre is no longer the thriving and busy place it once was as retail, hospitality, theatres and music venues suffer from the lack of footfall. Surely it is obvious that easy-to-use and affordable public transport is a must to help Glasgow get back to being the city it once was. William Gold, Glasgow. A train on the revamped Glasgow Underground (Image: SPT) Educating Nigel AJ Clarence (Letters, June 2) remarks on Nigel Farage's likeness to one Joe E Brown. As one of your older readers, I have always thought Mr Farage unnervingly like 1950s ventriloquist dummy Archie Andrews, in oh so many ways. Rosemary Parker, Troon. Memories of Canada scheme In the "100 years ago" section today (The Herald, June 3) mention is made of a scheme for young boys to go to Canada. My mother's brother was sent to Canada aged 16 with £2 in his pocket in 1929 under this scheme. It was run by the British Immigration and Colonisation Association of Canada (BICA). It would be considered very controversial nowadays as its slogan was "Keep Canada British". They had an office in Bath Street, Glasgow. Boys aged 14 to 18 were recruited to work as farm hands for 10 shillings a week with full board. Boys who went out under this scheme and who saved £100 by the age of 21 would receive a loan of £100 from the Canadian Government to set up their own farm. My uncle returned to Glasgow in 1931 having completed his first three years. He returned under the scheme in late 1931. However the coldest weather on record hit East Ontario in late December 1933 and my grandmother paid for his return home. He spoke about his time in Canada often. It was not easy for many of the young farm labourers. Some were badly treated and lived in wooden shacks. There was very little supervision of essentially a fairly wild bunch of teenage lads from modest backgrounds. He was aware of one lad who had not been paid, was molested by the farmer, and stole food. Then he found himself in prison and was deported. However my relative struck lucky and was well treated. Eric Flack, Glasgow.
The National
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
UK ranked second-worst in western Europe for LGBT+ laws
Despite coming in first place in 2015, Britain has slipped further down the index every year since and is now ranked as the second worst country in western Europe and Scandinavia for LGBT+ legal protections, with a score of only 46%. Beating only Italy in the ranking, the UK fell six places this year as a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding transgender people and the Labour Government's subsequent response. READ MORE: Graham Linehan pleads not guilty to harassment of transgender woman Rebecca Don Kennedy, CEO of the Equality Network, said: 'It is shameful that having been ranked best in Europe for LGBT+ laws ten years ago, we have fallen so far. 'For our treatment of trans people, after the Supreme Court ruling we are now known as one of the worst countries in the whole of Europe. 'The UK must do better.' ILGA-Europe — the international human rights group behind the index rankings — noted that, while hate crime law in Scotland improved with the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act, it had little effect on the UK's overall score. Don Kennedy added: 'Scotland, when analysed separately, has in the past been considered progressive and a beacon of LGBTI+ equality and human rights. 'That seems to be quickly deteriorating – we ask the Scottish Government to act now and do everything they can to improve the lives of LGBTI+ people in Scotland and to not submit to growing anti-LGBGI+ narratives both globally and right here in Scotland. 'We call on the Scottish Government to lead, and to fight for a future Scotland that cares.' READ MORE: Keir Starmer 'completely rejects' comparisons with Enoch Powell The top five countries on the index — Malta, Belgium, Iceland, Denmark and Spain — almost double Britain's score, with theirs ranging from 78% to 89%. The European transgender rights network (TGEU) said: 'Previously a frontrunner on equality, the UK now has a Supreme Court, Prime Minister, and equality body singing from the same hymn sheet as anti-trans campaigners. 'The UK Supreme Court's decision, which defined a 'woman' for the anti-discrimination law, has severely undermined legal certainty for trans people.' You can click here for the full European Rainbow Index.
The National
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
UK ranked second worst in western Europe for LGBT+ laws
Despite coming in first place in 2015, Britain has slipped further down the index every year since and is now ranked as the second worst country in western Europe and Scandinavia for LGBT+ legal protections, with a score of only 46%. Beating only Italy in the ranking, the UK fell seven places this year as a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding transgender people and the Labour Government's subsequent response. READ MORE: Graham Linehan pleads not guilty to harassment of transgender woman Rebecca Don Kennedy, CEO of the Equality Network, said: 'It is shameful that having been ranked best in Europe for LGBT+ laws ten years ago, we have fallen so far. 'For our treatment of trans people, after the Supreme Court ruling we are now known as one of the worst countries in the whole of Europe. 'The UK must do better.' ILGA-Europe — the international human rights group behind the index rankings — noted that, while hate crime law in Scotland improved with the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act, it had little effect on the UK's overall score. Don Kennedy added: 'Scotland, when analysed separately, has in the past been considered progressive and a beacon of LGBTI+ equality and human rights. 'That seems to be quickly deteriorating – we ask the Scottish Government to act now and do everything they can to improve the lives of LGBTI+ people in Scotland and to not submit to growing anti-LGBGI+ narratives both globally and right here in Scotland. 'We call on the Scottish Government to lead, and to fight for a future Scotland that cares.' READ MORE: Keir Starmer 'completely rejects' comparisons with Enoch Powell The top five countries on the index — Malta, Belgium, Iceland, Denmark and Spain — almost double Britain's score, with theirs ranging from 78% to 89%. The European transgender rights network (TGEU) said: 'Previously a frontrunner on equality, the UK now has a Supreme Court, Prime Minister, and equality body singing from the same hymn sheet as anti-trans campaigners. 'The UK Supreme Court's decision, which defined a 'woman' for the anti-discrimination law, has severely undermined legal certainty for trans people.' You can click here for the full European Rainbow Index.
