Pride in the Park.

Where were the community groups and the political stalls? Where were the free condoms? Where was the literature being handed out? Someone told me that GMFA could not be there as organisations were banned from handing out materials. Surely a case for civil disobedience?

Freedoms had a stall there. Single condoms were being handed out and small bottles of lube at £3.50 sold. ‘Cheapest you will find anywhere’ I was told. True enough, over at the Clone Zone stall the same bottles were £3.99. But then I’d expect a public service to be handing out lube and condoms, if not freely, then at least massively reduced prices.

There’s still in an epidemic. Gay men continue to get HIV.

On Sunday walked back to Hyde Park to see the remnants. Then onto the City of Quebec (12 Old Quebec Street, London W1 - an easygoing pub with a grey and gay tradition), just to hang around and see what was happening. No community newspapers. No HIV prevention leaflets (fair enough, they could have gone after a busy weekend. But is there not a way of keeping racks full?). Not a single HIV/AIDS poster in sight, although plenty of b/w images on the walls. The only condoms I saw were packed into very discrete ‘Freedoms’ boxes. Unless I had seen them on the stall at Pride I would not have known what they were.

Is this the way to respond to an epidemic?