THOUSANDS flocked to Cardiff this weekend for the annual Pride Cymru event which included entertainment at Cardiff Castle for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The parade started at 11am on Saturday, in a sea of rainbow flags and colourful dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the first national pride event in Wales since the results of the UK Census 2021 — the first to let people record their gender identity and sexual orientation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 77,000 respondents in Wales said they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, or another minority sexuality, equating to 3% of all aged 16 or over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cardiff had the highest percentage in Wales at 5.3%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pride Cymru started as Cardiff Mardi Gras in 1999 in response to a rise in hate crime and moved from Bute Park to City Hall Lawns in 2017 due to a clash with the Champions League final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the first time Cardiff Castle plays host to Pride Cymru celebrations with performances from, among others, Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Saturday night and Ian ‘H’ Watkins from Steps on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The celebrations take place after the United Nations Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity praised the work of the Welsh Government in addressing LGBTQ+ rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Welsh Government wants Wales to be the friendliest nation in Europe for LGBTQ+ people. A key part of its action plan is ensuring better inclusion and opportunity in sport for LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charlotte Galloway set up Cardiff Dragons FC to provide exactly this chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor us, it\u2019s the main time to meet people in the wider community, show them that LGBTQ+ sports clubs exist and need to exist,\u201d Ms Galloway told The Cardiffian<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLots of queer people are put off sport at school because of prescriptive behaviour and norms. At a club like the Dragons, this is completely deconstructed. Everyone can come as they are and they\u2019re accepted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year, Ms Galloway set up LGBTQ+ Sports Network Wales to coordinate work between similar clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHopefully, policymakers will hear us when they realise we are united regardless of sport and geography,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n