Edinburgh locals on groundbreaking 1988 Pride event just days after Section 28

Just days after Section 28 was introduced in the UK, campaigners in Edinburgh wanted to ensure their voices were heard.

Held in Princes Street Gardens back in 1988, Lark in the Park was an afternoon of music, comedy, performance and speeches. At the time, it was the biggest organised gay rights event to take place in Scotland.

The Scottish Homosexual Action Group, along with other activists, persuaded local authorities to allow to stage the event right in the city centre. It was still seven more years until the first official Pride march through the capital, and 12 years until Section 28 was repealed in the north by the Scottish Parliament.

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Section 28 was a series of laws across Britain, that prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities and was introduced by the Conservative government of the day. While opposition to the legislation was made, it stayed in effect from 1988 until 2000 in Scotland.

Lark in the Park was held in Edinburgh three times - first in 1988, then again in 89 and 92. Mark Kydd, who was 20 at the time, worked as a steward in 88.

We spoke to Mark about the groundbreaking event, that brought together the community for a cause. Remembering Lark in the Park, he told us: “We were really galvanised politically to make a stand.

“Section 28 had just been introduced, and people were outraged. People had to take a stand, and we had to show it in a big way."

Mark, who was a drama student at the time, said it was the first time he got politically involved: “It opened my eyes to what was really going on.”

Mark told us that even at the time, the LGBT+ community was well aware of the potential damage it could cause. He added: “We definitely saw the writing on the wall.

“I knew that I was gay, but I found my own path to my sexuality. This idea of indoctrinating kids is absolute nonsense.”

When it came to preparing for the Lark in the Park protest, Mark had concerns. He said: “Before the event I was worried I’d feel exposed or threatened, but once we were there I felt quite safe.

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“That day in the Ross Bandstand you were free to be yourself, be affectionate with your partner. But the minute we all walked away of course it went back to checking yourself.”

That being said, not everyone at the event was ready to proclaim their sexuality. Mark recalled: "I was reading some comments on Facebook, and one guy said he sat at the back during Lark in the Park because he didn't want to be photographed."

In Princes Street Gardens, members from all walks of the LGBT+ community as well as supportive allies gathered for performances. Mark recalled his memories from the stage: “I remember Ian McKellan speaking, it was hosted by a trans magician named Fay Presto.

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“She was very active at the time, and a great advocate for the community. I didn’t even know it existed but I found, by accident, a photo of myself at the event.

“I’m out to the side, in a photo of the bookshelf for Lavender Menace getting set up.”

In the late 80s, the gay community was (and is arguably to this day) suffering from the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS - something that would only be made worse by the introduction of Section 28.

While homosexuality was still, in a sense, underground - venues for LGBT+ were potentially higher at the time than they are in Edinburgh today. That is something from the 80s that Mark misses, he told us: “There’s some places that can be cliquey, and you have to fit in to get in, but I think that the pubs where it feels like a community and you know everyone in the place - that’s amazing.”

While many things have changed for the better, Mark hopes that young people don’t take anything for granted. He said: “I think sometimes young people do (take it for granted), they don’t think about it because they don’t have to.

“In a way that’s good, because if you don’t have to struggle, maybe it doesn’t cross your mind.

“But you can’t take anything for granted, because the minute you take your eye off it, that's when things start to slip. It happens slowly, and you probably wouldn’t even notice it, and then before long we’re all back where we started.”

This article was first published on June 3, 2022.