Could Leicester's first Pride Swim provide a new alcohol-free queer community?

Polly Schute did not start out as a swimmer. Formerly on the board of London Pride, she’d heard a lot about parades, runs, and cycles, but it was not until she set up Out and Wild, a music and wellness festival for queer women and non-binary people, that she realised the power the water holds.

“I’m not a huge swimmer,” she admits, “but Out and Wild has swimming [as part of the festival] and when I saw the women come out of the water and how they connected; how the swimming just literally connected them through a shared experience and how they bonded afterwards, it got me thinking.”

This thinking soon moved into action. Last year, London Royal Docks hosted what is thought to be the UK’s first Pride swim event and this year the concept is rolling out at cities and towns across the UK, touching down at Enderby Leisure and Golf Centre on 3 August.

The event is categorically not a race. Everyone can complete a distance of their choice, and everyone gets a medal and swim cap. “I think in the same ethos of Park Run, it’s about taking part, and it’s about the camaraderie you feel about it,” Schute adds.

While the events include an opportunity to socialise afterwards, they’re alcohol-free and family-friendly spaces. Schute was also keen to bring the events outside of London and Brighton, the latter often dubbed the “queer capital of the UK.”

It is true that there are fewer LGBTQ+ people in Leicester than in some of the UK’s other cities. The 2021 census found that just under 86 per cent of people over 16 in Leicester identified as straight, compared to about 80 per cent in both the City of London and Brighton and Hove.

But that’s not to say there is not a thriving LGBTQ+ scene in the city. Thousands attend Leicester Pride every year and both the University of Leicester and De Montfort University have societies, while Foxes Pride follows the highs and lows of the city’s legendary football club. The city’s LGBT centre has served the community for more than 45 years, alongside Trade, Leicester’s dedicated LGBTQ+ sexual health charity.

Schute, however, hopes the swim can offer something new, at the intersection of sport, queerness, and wellbeing. 

Creating alcohol-free queer spaces

“I think it’s great,” agrees Matthew Clarke. He’s the chairperson of DMU’s LGBTQ+ Society, which provides community and support for students in the city. “We’ve got a lot of members of our society that aren’t comfortable in clubs and bar spaces. Some don’t drink, some aren’t comfortable around alcohol. So, I think it’s really important to make sure we’ve got spaces for these people to still engage with the community without that pressure.”

While it would be impossible to count the number of queer spaces with alcohol versus those without, it’s an issue that’s long bubbled under the surface. Neil Hudson-Basing founded House of Happiness, a queer-led sober club night and writes in QueerAF: “From our perceived love of fancy parties to drug-fuelled raves and chemsex, our community has a complex reputation. 

“Pride for me used to mean getting as messy as possible on the way there, during and after. It was fun, but that was the extent of it. Many queer spaces are often centred around alcohol and substances, especially Pride events.” Similarly, a 2021 study by University College London found that LGBTQ+ were significantly more likely to report alcohol and drug misuse than heterosexual people.

Schute adds: “One of the key drivers for me was the fact that there are 250 prides in the UK, but as much as I love prides (and I do love prides) they tend to be focused around crowded streets and alcohol. With this, there’s a different space that people want to celebrate in; something that gives you that well-being kick and gets you into healthy habits.”

For its part, Leicester Pride positions itself as a family event with activities for all ages. The parade itself also runs through several no-alcohol zones. But for James Naylor, the Leicester contract manager at Everyone Active, which is hosting the swim, it’s not about an either-or, but adding to the community in a positive way.

He says: “It can be difficult to find LGBTQ+ spaces that are alcohol-free and family-friendly, so Pride Swim fills a gap that’s needed for many of the community. We hope that Pride Swim adds something a little bit different to the LGBTQ+ landscape in Leicester.”

An inclusive space in sport

Pride Swim also hopes to establish itself as a safe and inclusive space for the queer community to take part in sport. Swimming offers a unique set of health benefits; it’s a low-impact workout that increases cardiovascular, pulmonary, and musculoskeletal health. Swim England research also shows it offers strong benefits for our mental health and, in theory, is an accessible sport for people with health conditions or impairments, and is suitable for all ages.

However, for many members of the queer community, it can feel like an unsafe space. Research by both Mermaids and the University of Bournemouth found many trans and non-binary people felt intimidated by public pools, associating them with feelings of fear, anxiety, and dysphoria.

Schute also points to conversations she’s had with masc-presenting women who “felt they were being judged for what they were wearing or how they looked.” More broadly, she says pools and changing rooms can be places where gay people struggle when discovering their identity.

With Pride Swim, Schute makes sure to be “very clear” that they’re open and inclusive of trans and non-binary swimmers. She continues: “I think it’s quite a joyous event for people to celebrate queerness in a way that’s relevant to them and hopefully, as a result of it, go on an ongoing journey to carry on swimming. That’s what this does. It gets more people into a space where they can swim and feel more comfortable about swimming.” 

For Liz Yeates, who co-founded the precursor to Leicester Pride in 2000, the backing from council-run pools is significant. While she’s cautious of the over-commercialisation of pride events in the city and hopes more organisers can connect with the movement’s anti-fascist history, she feels working with local councils is important.

 “I’m really thrilled that any local authority wants to back this, I think it's so important at the moment, when a whole section of society is under attack. So, seeing something that is literally about being able to just do something very normal, like go swimming — so normal most people take it for granted [is vital].

“Particularly if you’re transgender, being excluded from those spaces, not because there’s a sign on the door, it’s beyond that, it’s not feeling able to just do something very normal. So, anything that people are doing to create opportunities to experience LGBTQ+ joy and just living normally, without having the pressure for us to perform in a big queer way. 

“We just want to get on with normal life and sport, exercise, swimming, to have some spaces that people don’t have to second guess or send someone in first to check; just the things that so many people take for granted, to just be able to exist in your body without fear.”

For Clarke, the key is keeping this message of inclusivity going after the annual Pride Swim. “If I’m looking to go to an event, and it’s not specifically labelled as inclusive, sometimes it can put people off, especially considering sports as the example. I’m a lot more likely to go to an event if it is labelled inclusive because I know the people that are organising it are aware that there might be those issues, and they’re putting things in place to make sure everyone can attend.” He also stresses the importance of intersectionality, particularly for disabled people. 

Naylor is keen to say this is a focus for Everyone Active: “Inclusivity is something we champion all year round at Everyone Active, and we want to ensure there are opportunities for all members of society to participate in sport and exercise. Hosting this Pride Swim at Enderby Leisure Centre is another example of this, and we hope to continue creating events that celebrate different communities within Leicester.”

And, while Leicester’s Pride Swim will take place in August, early launch events across the country have already received positive feedback. Michael Gunning, a former Olympic swimmer who opened the first event of 2024 at the London Aquatic Centre, concludes: “People normally associate Pride with late nights, parties and drinking alcohol, but Pride can be anything you want it to be, and this event shows exactly that! 

“We had young children, families, competitive swimmers, triathletes, and everything in between. It really highlighted the true spirit of Pride — bringing people together and celebrating individuality and authenticity.”

Leicester Pride Swim will take place on 3 August at Enderby Leisure and Golf Centre. Details on how to book this swim and others across the country can be found on the Pride Swim website.