Holstebro Pride returns after internal disputes

Holstebro Pride is being held again today after internal disputes brought the event close to collapse, DR reports. A new board has replaced the previous one, and the procession is set to bring celebration back to the city centre.

Jesper Linde Kjeldsen, the new chair of Holstebro Pride, said the biggest changes have been made behind the scenes, including the organisation’s structure and preparations.

“How we have organised ourselves and tried to get started earlier is where we have focused on making many improvements,” he said.

Last August, seven former board members and volunteers sent a letter to the then-chair, Lone Kjær Hein. The letter described alleged backbiting, insecurity and, according to the signatories, a lack of financial transparency on her part. Both Hein and the board subsequently stepped down from their work with the pride event.

A new board is now in place, and it has managed to organise a pride event within a few months, although the process has been demanding.

“When you are just a struggling IT man like me and suddenly have to talk to PET, the police and the municipality about permits and apply for funding, there are many completely new things,” Kjeldsen said.

He said the work had been exciting but also a major task, involving many different responsibilities and a need to understand how the process works.

The new board has also had to handle practical matters such as obtaining permits for the procession and making contracts with food suppliers. Some of the previous suppliers had already committed themselves to other events.

“It will be a celebration of diversity. The rest of the year, we fight. Today, we celebrate that we can be ourselves and who we are. We just have to enjoy it,” Kjeldsen said.