Cork Pride: 'Gay was a term used to slag me — then it became a word that empowered me'

Former chair of Cork Pride Clive Davis shares his enthusiasm for this year’s parade, along with his own pride of working in the community

Clive Davis: “It was always about those who were looking in from a distance. Those who wanted to participate, but could not, because a parent made a homophobic comment at home, or because of some other circumstance they were in.”

Pride is a beautiful thing. This was apparent when on Sunday, June 4, 2006, 200 members of the LGBT+ community courageously walked down Patrick Street, in the first ever Cork Pride parade.

Last year, 12,000 proudly marched in the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival, of which Clive Davis has been chairperson for the past 15 years. He has now stepped away from that role. But even so, at this year’s event which kicked off on Saturday, he’ll be playing a part in steering it, with practised skill, to a doubtless glittering finale.