Brighton Dyke Pride: Creating Space for Community, Queer Joy and the Dyke Community
Brighton Dyke Pride is putting community at the heart of Pride — and its co-founder Jen Benyovits tells g10 group why creating dedicated spaces for dykes and the wider queer community matters more than ever.
Brighton has long been recognised as one of the UK's LGBTQ+ capitals, with a rich history of activism, community and queer culture. But despite that history, dedicated spaces for the dyke community have become increasingly difficult to find.
That is one of the reasons Brighton Dyke Pride was created.
Taking place on 5 September, Brighton Dyke Pride is a dyke-centred, not-for-profit DIY event created by and for the local community — while welcoming allies who want to celebrate alongside them.
For co-founder Jen Benyovits, the event grew from a simple desire to create something different.
"It was born out of a love for the dykes of our city and a feeling that corporate Pride doesn't serve our community," Jen explains.
Rather than focusing on commercialisation, Brighton Dyke Pride aims to put people, community and queer joy first. The organisers want the event to be financially, physically and emotionally accessible, while creating an environment where people can come together without the pressure often associated with traditional Pride celebrations.
Putting community before corporate Pride
For Jen and the organising team, Brighton Dyke Pride is about creating an event that feels genuinely connected to the people it represents.
"We wanted to create an event that is accessible to everyone, and centres joy rather than capitalism and drinking culture," she says.
That approach has already struck a chord within Brighton's LGBTQ+ community, with organisers receiving messages from people excited that the city is getting an event specifically centred around dykes and community. And the need for those spaces is particularly significant in Brighton.
As a native Brightonian, Jen says she feels proud that Brighton Dyke Pride has found its home in the city. "Brighton has such a rich LGBTQ+ history, politically and socially," she says.
But that history exists alongside a changing LGBTQ+ landscape. Jen points to the closure of every lesbian bar in Brighton & Hove over the past decade as an example of why new spaces for the community are needed. "We crave spaces to come together," she says.
Why a Dyke-centred Pride still matters
While Pride has become a major part of the LGBTQ+ calendar, events specifically celebrating the dyke community remain important. For Jen, that importance goes far beyond simply having another event in the city's calendar.
"We are living through some extremely turbulent political times and acknowledge that it's our community that keeps us safe," she says.
Brighton Dyke Pride is also deliberately inclusive of trans people, with Jen making clear that supporting and celebrating the trans community is central to the organisers' approach. The event comes at a time when LGBTQ+ rights and particularly the rights of trans people remain subjects of intense political debate in the UK. "We want to show up for all of our trans friends and loved ones, and in our organising platform create spaces for them," Jen says.
For Brighton Dyke Pride, inclusion isn't simply about who is invited through the gates. It is about how the event is organised and the kind of community it aims to build.
A day of music, performance and queer joy
So, what can people expect when they arrive at St Ann's Well Gardens on 5 September? Quite a lot. The programme will feature community stalls, DJs, cabaret, speeches, food, live music, line dancing and activities, all taking place in the surroundings of the beautiful gardens. Jen is particularly excited about the range of performers involved and the opportunity to bring their work to the event's audience. The daytime, outdoor format also forms an important part of the organisers' vision for accessibility. "It is a sober space in a park in the daytime with plenty of fun activities," Jen explains.
The organisers hope that this will make Brighton Dyke Pride particularly welcoming to younger LGBTQ+ people, as well as those who may not feel comfortable in traditional nightlife or alcohol-focused environments.
Come alone, find community
One of the strongest messages from Jen is that you don't necessarily need to arrive with a group of friends. In fact, she actively encourages people who might be nervous about attending alone to come along. "Come solo!" she says.
The organisers want Brighton Dyke Pride to be a place where people can meet others, make connections and find community — regardless of whether they already know people attending. That sense of collective ownership has already been one of the most rewarding aspects of putting the event together. "We are amazed to have had such a huge response from the city's wider queer community," Jen says. "Seeing the event take shape thanks to so many people in this city, not just dykes, has been a tiny bit magic."
Looking towards the future
Although this year's event is the immediate focus, the organisers are already thinking about what Brighton Dyke Pride could become. For Jen, the dream is simple: for it to become an annual fixture. "I think it would be a dream of ours to have this be an annual event," she says. With the closure of dedicated lesbian venues and an ongoing desire for community-led LGBTQ+ spaces, she believes Brighton needs more events that are created for the community rather than built around corporate interest
Whether Brighton Dyke Pride becomes an annual event remains to be seen, but its first edition is already demonstrating that there is an appetite for something different.
For one day in September, St Ann's Well Gardens will become a space for dykes, queer people and allies to come together, celebrate, connect and create a little more queer joy. And perhaps, as Jen puts it, "watch this space."
Brighton Dyke Pride takes place on 5 September at St Ann's Well Gardens, Brighton.