This year’s Darlington Gay Pride event has a loose theme which can basically be boiled down to one word: Rome.

Why Rome? Well despite not releasing a new single, designing a new clothing range or indeed invading any new countries in the last year or so, the Emperor Hadrian has been very much in the news recently. The Roman head-honcho – who openly had a gay lover

- has been the subject of a series of new books and TV documentaries recently on the back of a crowd-pulling exhibition at the British Museum. And of course he’s also famous for building a big wall somewhere round here (which still looks half finished if I’m being brutally honest). Several licensed premises are taking part in this year’s pride event including Joe’s Bar, Retro, Avalon, The Quays, Harvey’s, Inside Out and Seen and over 1000 people are expected to attend. The focus of this year’s do is “inclusion throughout society” and the organisers, GADD (Gay Advice Darlington/Durham) are pleased to note that the rainbow freedom flag will be flown over both the police and fire station in Darlington as well as the town hall. All the up-to-the-minute details on this event can be gleaned from the GADD website below. RM

Darlington Gay Pride 2009, Monday August 10. www.gayadvicedarlington.co.uk

< Back | View Archive