Rainbow Island

14/11/2026

🌺🏳️‍🌈 THEY SERVED THEIR COUNTRY.🏳️‍🌈🌺

Their country punished them for being LGBTQ+.

Ahead of Remembrance Day tomorrow, we want to recommend something we recently watched:

Forced Out: Their Fight for Pride

This powerful Sky documentary tells the stories of LGBT+ people who served in Britain’s Armed Forces when homosexuality could lead to investigation, interrogation, dismissal and, in some cases, imprisonment.

People lost careers.
Some lost medals and pensions.
Some were publicly outed.
All because of who they were.

The UK military ban on gay and le***an personnel was not finally lifted until January 12, 2000.

The documentary also tells the story of those who fought back and helped bring that discrimination to an end.

We also strongly recommend Fighting with Pride, the charity supporting LGBT+ veterans, serving personnel and their families, and campaigning for those affected by the ban.

Tomorrow, when we remember those who served, let’s remember them too.

🏳️‍🌈🌺 They served. They sacrificed. They deserved better.🏳️‍🌈🌺

Forced Out: Their Fight for Pride
https://www.sky.com/watch/programme/962633b5-64c3-3848-8b1a-859677e318ef

Fighting With Pride
https://www.fightingwithpride.org.uk/
🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🤎🖤🩶🤍

02/11/2026

We love Sophie B. Hawkins! 🌈🌈

In 1992, with "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" climbing the charts, a New York Times writer asked Sophie B. Hawkins if she was a le***an - and her answer was a word almost nobody had heard.

"I'm omnisexual," she told him. Her gender didn't define her sexuality, she explained; her creative spirit did. A male partner didn't make her straight, and a female partner didn't make her gay.

Sony, which was giving her a huge push, was not pleased. She kept talking anyway, telling macho morning-radio DJs about the gender spectrum while they looked at her like she was crazy. Eventually, she says, the label told her to move to Europe: "America doesn't get you." She did, and made her second album in London.

Hawkins turns 62 today. In 2023 she summed it all up in one line: "I was just 30 years too early."

01/10/2026

🌈PLEASE SHARE 🌈

Since Fighting with Pride was founded over six and half years ago we have connected hundreds of LGBTQ+ Veterans across the country and from around the world.

Many of you have shared your stories, lobbied, campaigned, travelled the ups and downs of the campaign and shared the pain of the delays.

As we await the outcome of the application for a Judicial Review, there is a deadline looming. 12th December 2026 is the end of the road for applications for both Discharge Dismissal Payments, Impact Payments AND NON Financial reparations.

We believe there are upto 1000 more people to come forward. In the first thirty day of our Battle For Lost Veterans campaign we found 50 more Veterans who between them could be eligible for more than £3,000,000 of reparations.

We don’t want anyone to miss out. So as well as asking LGBTQ+ People- DID YOU SERVE? We are also asking a wider question of everyone?

Please share and post this message and graphic to encourage others to come forward and ask your friends family and neighbours to share too.

The next Veteran to come forward could be someone who is now in their early 40s or under in their late 80s.

Let’s not leave anyone behind.



Royal British Legion Help For Heroes SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity Army Benevolent Fund Women's Royal Army Corps Association RAF Benevolent Fund Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity Blind Veterans UK Veterans' Foundation Veterans Scotland

01/10/2026

Get ready for a wild night full of glam, laughs, and fierce performances you won’t wanna miss!

Join us for this Drag Extravaganza, in aid of Isle of Wight Pride, on Friday 23rd October at Strings Bar & Venue - Isle Of Wight. Enjoy performances from Drag legend Cherry Liquor and fierce and fabulous Queens Brenda Rant, Lou Lou Louboutin and Elly Baby. Plus banging DJ set from HB resident DJ LXGala.

This event is for everyone who supports Isle of Wight Pride and all monies raised go towards putting on our annual event.
Get your tickets now! 👇
https://dragextravaganza.eventbrite.co.uk
7pm-12am/18+

31/08/2026

30/08/2026

So sad to read this….

PLEASE SHARE THIS FAR AND WIDE
It’s easy to show up for Pride when there are flags flying, music playing, performances to share and glitter on our faces.

BUT, we are heartbroken today and this is when showing up really matters.

Last night, a member of our Pride community was surrounded by a group and violently attacked close to her home in the Cale Park area of Wincanton. She has been left with a split lip, a black eye and bruised ribs. Her family have told us this is being treated as a hate crime.

We won’t name her. But we want you to know something about her. She came to her first Sherborne Pride alone, without telling her mum.

One of our team spoke to her that day. Afterwards, when we were all emotional and swapping the moments and people we’d remember, she was one of them. The brilliant human in the knight’s helmet with the rainbow Christmas tree, right at the front of our parade, beside us. Someone we remembered for being brave enough to come alone.

This year’s Pride her mum knew about Sherborne Pride and proudly came along with her, I personally met her on the day and shared a beautiful conversation.

Last night, her mum reached out to us for help.

That has broken our hearts. Because this is why Pride exists.

Not just for the sequins and the party. For the night somebody is attacked. For the morning after. For the frightened parent who doesn’t know how to make people listen. For making damn sure that hate is not allowed to happen quietly.

So today we need our community — and everyone who has ever stood beside it — to be loud.

Share what happened. Share this post. Help it travel beyond our own little corner of the internet. Help make sure it is seen, recorded and heard by the people with the responsibility and power to act. The police MUST act.

If you witnessed the attack or have information that could help identify those responsible, please contact the police. Please do not speculate publicly, name individuals or take matters into your own hands.

To the very brave human recovering today: you walked into Pride alone once.

You are not standing alone now.

Love lives here. And when hate shows up, so do we. ❤️🏳️‍🌈

07/08/2026

🍺🌊 TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE 🌊🍺

This autumn, Joe Plumb’s hard-hitting play Ryde Boy returns to Department after two smash-hit runs in 2023, before restoration work began on the building. We’re thrilled to welcome this powerful production back.

We’re also delighted to announce that Joe has written a brand new companion piece, Ryde Girl, which will be performed on alternate nights this October.

And for ONE NIGHT ONLY, you can experience both plays back-to-back in a special double-bill event, with a curry, naan and drink included between the shows.

Tickets are expected to sell quickly, so don’t miss your chance to see one, or better yet, both of these incredible new works.

Ryde Boy
📅 20 & 22 October, 8pm

Ryde Girl
📅 21 & 23 October, 8pm

Double Bill: Ryde Boy & Ryde Girl
📅 24 October, 6pm

🎟 Book now: https://department.byretail.net/menu/Theatre

26/07/2026

Today our thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragic events that happened at Berlin Pride. We are one community, no matter where we are in the world we stand together.
Berlin Pride we are standing with you.

21/07/2026

SAVE THE DATE!
SATURDAY 17TH JULY 2027 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
Join us to celebrate 10 years of Isle of Wight Pride 🥳❤️

28/06/2026

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈