YESTERDAY CASTLEBAR HOSTED the inaugural Mayo Pride Parade.

The parade took place in Castlebar as part of a three-day festival organised by LGBT+ group Outwest in conjunction with the local community.

As you can see, it was a joyful celebration.

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Unfortunately the parade didn’t come without protests.

A small group of protesters gathered in the town holding banners reading “Respect also Christian belief and morality” and “I have a right to profess and practice my Christian belief”.

Over the course of the day, comedian Alison Spittle happened to snap a photo of a young marcher defiantly walking past the objectors.

“I’ve never seen someone so beautiful and joy filled,” she wrote.

The person in the photo is Bradley Brock, a 21-year-old from Ballina, Co. Mayo.

“I work in a pharmacy called Molloy’s in my hometown but I also do drag acts on the side,” he explained to DailyEdge.ie. “I’ve been doing drag since the age of 16 and it started in Galway in the gay bar that used to be known as G-Bar.”

Brock explained that yesterday was a “proud moment” for him as he felt Mayo Pride was symbolic of the country Ireland is blossoming into while noting that there were still some ways to go before everyone felt equal.

Yesterday was amazing to see so many different people come together to show their support for one another. Being a family unit and a community – more than just strangers. I was happy to see not only gays marching, but straight couples holding hands  and marching alongside us as well as families, teenagers and children holding their parents hands. Their parents showed them it’s okay to be who you are and to love who you want to love.

For the day that was in it, Brock decided to don something warm, summery and celebratory.

I wanted to wear something summery. But not only that I wanted something with colour to tie in with being proud of who I am and what I do. I wanted it to flow and for it to stand out to match me.

Brock noted the presence of protesters and questioned their motivation for being there.

The protesters unfortunately graced us with their presence due to the fact that they thought they had a right to be there. You never see me walking into a church dressed in drag holding a man’s hand or even two gay lads kissing in a church because we respect their beliefs and their ways. But for some reason keeping to ourselves and just wanting our own day to be proud of who we are is wrong.

Rather than feeling dispirited, however, Brock said he felt emboldened and determined.

I felt empowered when I saw them. Because I know they won’t stop us, they can’t stop us and it will not change who we are. I stood my ground. Kept the smile on my face because I was happy being with everyone and carried on marching and hopefully next year it will only be bigger and better.

If ever a photo summed up modern Ireland, eh?

(h/t Alison Spittle and Bradley Brock)

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