Nottingham Pride continues to go from success to success, this year's event was for the first time held at the Forest Recreation Ground, a step-up from the Arboretum where it has been held previously. Following on from last year, the event was preceded by a well-attended march. Encouragingly this year, there was an explicitly political fringe event, with a number of speakers including prominent gay rights activist Peter Tatchell.

On the newswire: Nottingham Pride: more than a walk in the park? | Nottingham Pride 2010 | Nottingham Pride - Political Speakers | Nttm Gay Pride now underway on Forest Rec Ground | Nottingham's Gay Pride Parade | Anti-gay Bollocks, stickers appearing in town

Previous Coverage: Pride in Nottingham | 'My Big Gay' LGBT Nottingham photo | Pride 2008: 1 | 2 | Nottingham Gay Rainbow Heritage Exhibition | Pride 2007: 1 | 2 | Pride 2006: 1 | 2 | Pride 2005: 1 | 2 | Pride 2004

At the meeting, Peter Tatchell, Skye Chirape (lesbian activist and artist from Zimbabwe) and Claire Jenkins (trans-activist) spoke about LGBT struggles for recognition and freedom in different parts of the world, the experiences of LGBT asylum seekers in Britain and cuts to funding for LGBT people in Nottingham. Ali Hili (Iraqi gay activist) was unable to attend through ill health, but a message from him was read out.

The meeting was chaired by Richard McCance, a veteran Nottingham LGBT activist who expressed dismay at council cuts of funding to Outburst, an outreach group for isolated LGBT youths across Nottinghamshire. He referred to a recent case in Derby where a teenage gay boy, spurned by his boyfriend, threatened to jump from a tall building. Emergency services had started coaxing him down when a crowd of people who'd gathered goaded him to jump to his death. It was people like this lad who were so desperately in need of services like Outburst.

In the discussion that followed a member of the audience expressed concern about a small handful of Islamists who had turned up to protest Pride. Peter Tatchell was quick to point out the importance of dialogue between the LGBT community and local Muslims, recounting very positive experiences he'd had in the past.

All of the speakers were clear in pointing out that much of the homophobia that exists in the post-colonial world has its roots in imported Victorian colonial values and an extremist missionary Christianity. This makes claims by macho African leaders that homosexuality is 'un-African' false. The struggle for LGBT rights in Africa was described as the continuation of African liberation.

The meeting was well attended - extra mats had to be brought into the room so that people could sit on the floor because all the seats were filled - and there were calls for it to be made an annual event. Let's hope it happens again next year.