@meapride.bsky.social
A cross community event celebrating love, diversity and inclusion. Pride Day: Saturday June 20th 2026 in Ballymena. ❤️ contact: meapride2025@gmail.com Chair: @curtislee.bsky.social
🌈 Help us make MEA Pride 2026 Louder, Prouder & Stronger! 🎉 We’re a fully community-led event in Ballymena with no council funding — every donation helps keep Pride safe, inclusive & accessible for all. 💖 Donate & share: gofund.me/679754053 🏳️🌈 #MEAPride2026 
08.01.2026 18:56 — 👍 2 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 1
Guys🙈 I’ve been nominated for a GNI Mag award for advocate of the year for my work as chairperson of @meapride.bsky.social amongst other accomplishments, I would so appreciate if you could give me a vote. 😅😭❤️🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
www.gnimag.com/awards
Delighted to play my part in bringing this to fruition.
- @curtislee.bsky.social 🫶🏻
💜 Parents of LGBTQIA+ kids – you don’t have to do this alone. 💜 Right now, in Northern Ireland, too many families are left without support when their child comes out. It can feel isolating, confusing, or even overwhelming, and that’s not fair on parents or on our young people. That’s why we’re starting something new: NEST A peer-led network of parents who understand, who care, and who are ready to walk this road together. From Foyle to the Causeway Coast, through Ballymena, Mid & East Antrim, Newtownabbey, and Carrickfergus – NEST will bring parents together for local meet-ups, cups of tea, honest chats, and solidarity. If you’re a parent or carer and want to be part of this new community, drop us an email, and we’ll get you linked in. Because every young person deserves a family that feels supportive, and every parent deserves a nest to land in. n.e.s.t.parentsgroup@gmail.com Jason Dunne (Chair Foyle Pride) Curtis Lee (Chair MEA Pride) Gwen Montgomery (Mams4TransNI) Riley McCahon (Chair Causeway Pride)
@meapride.bsky.social @mams4transni.bsky.social
Foyle pride and ourselves have something new to announce 😁
The NI mams are super excited to be working with, @causewaypride.bsky.social @meapride.bsky.social and Foyle Pride to bring support to the parents of the LGBTQIA community. If this is you and you want support or just tea and a hug, drop us an email.
01.09.2025 17:18 — 👍 46 🔁 23 💬 1 📌 3
Event of the year 🥳 & highlight of the year at the 2025 Belfast Pride Awards. 🙌
Thank you so much. 🥹
2x awards for @meapride.bsky.social at last night’s #belfastpride awards 2025! 🫶🏻
19.07.2025 09:44 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Belfast Pride awards with Mid and East Antrim Pride on stage collecting their award
@meapride.bsky.social won best event for their first ever Pride ❤️
It took place in Ballymena just a few weeks after the racist riots.
Delighted to introduce our new permanent logo/visual identity designed by the incredible @pansysoup (on insta) 🫶🏻
Bonus points to anyone who can spot the 3 famous MEA landmarks. 😌
#MEAPride
We’re also expanding our outreach across the MEA Borough. If you’re in Carrick or nearby & fancy a sober, inclusive & safe space to broaden your horizons & meet likeminded people our new Queer Communi-tea social begins on August 12th!
09.07.2025 11:23 — 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0Ballymena now has an up & running LGBTQ+ youth group that I’ll be working with. We’re going on a trip tomorrow to Dundalk, and I just think it’s so bloody brilliant to have these local services to support young people. This is the legacy I wanted @meapride.bsky.social to create. 🫶🏻
09.07.2025 11:13 — 👍 67 🔁 13 💬 2 📌 2This was not a one off! Thank you so much for the outpouring of love & support. We go again next June! ❤️
02.07.2025 12:24 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Did you think some slurry was gonna put us off? 🤣🫣🥳😅
See you in 2026!🩷
#MEAPride
Despite the attempted disruption, @meapride.bsky.social was a roaring success 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️✊
#GCNnews
🫶🏻
29.06.2025 19:41 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0🧵 #MEAPride 2025: some thoughts from our chair & founder. @curtislee.bsky.social 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
29.06.2025 19:38 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Winner of the best outfit for #MEAPride 2025… Thomas Gordon. 😅🤣🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Smashed it!
I had an amazing day at @meapride.bsky.social today in Ballymena 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
28.06.2025 18:26 — 👍 8 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
[Photo Thread] Up in Ballymena for the first @meapride.bsky.social Parade
(28/06/25)
Ash smiles in front of the queer greens contingent at Ballymena's pride
Marching in Ballymena today with @queergreensni.bsky.social for @meapride.bsky.social 🏳🌈
In Budapest, the government tried to ban Pride and block it with neo-nazis. In Ballymena, bigots spread slurry on the parade route and shouted bible verses at marchers.
At both, Pride persisted, unbroken 💚
@meapride.bsky.social you did yourselves proud today and I'm so glad I got to join you all! @raiderfra.bsky.social your speech was incredible. Onwards!
28.06.2025 17:06 — 👍 9 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Collage of pics from today’s Mid & East Antrim Pride
Collage of pics from today’s Mid & East Antrim Pride
Collage of pics from today’s Mid & East Antrim Pride
Collage of pics from today’s Mid & East Antrim Pride
A wonderful afternoon in Ballymena with a great turnout. Well done @meapride.bsky.social 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
28.06.2025 17:42 — 👍 12 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Pride participants marching through the streets of Ballymena
Me in a silly pair of rainbow sunglasses
Fair play Ballymena. We all know there’s some folk who didn’t want to see it, but the majority of locals watching on from the sides were warm & welcoming. There was much genuine enthusiasm & joy on the streets today.
Well done @meapride.bsky.social! ✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
🫶🏻
26.06.2025 11:40 — 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 1
We need feet on the ground on Saturday like never before, certain groups and organisations registered for the parade have lost participants given recent events in the town.
It’s now or never, if you can please be there. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
@meapride.bsky.social
AFTERPARTY @ THE ADAIR.
Following our historic parade through Ballymena, join us in the Adair Arms Hotel as we continue the party until the wee small hours.
Acts announced so far include; Etta Stiletta (The Belfast Ma), Trudy Scrumptious, Auntie Marie & MORE!
Tickets; www.skiddle.com/e/40660202
If you're all about being a good ally & you were kinda half-thinking of going to Dublin Pride that day, maybe you could start thinking about going to Ballymena instead? First ever Pride parade in Mid & East Antrim. Same day as Dublin, 28th.
13.06.2025 21:08 — 👍 39 🔁 14 💬 0 📌 0#standupfightback
13.06.2025 12:32 — 👍 9 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Mid & East Antrim will hold their first ever Pride parade this year in Ballymena on 28 June.
M&EA are going to need a lot of us to show up for reasons that should be obvious given what's happening in the town atm.
Numerous counter-protests have already been registered.
This is what Pride is about
