The film Pride straddles two distinct settings which are the home of the two main groups. The locations are separated by a wide expanse of water, denoting the perceived chasm between them. The film shows a small bus crossing the bridge of the water on several occasions indicating the bridging of the communities. On one side lies the small mining community of Onllwyn, Wales, an austere community of simple and functional buildings, and on the other side of the bridge, the bustling, busy world of London.

Onllwyn, Wales, drew its life force from the Dulais Valley mines, which were established in the mid-1800s and served as a source of income and central focus for the community. As early as 1920, there were over 100 workers at the Onllwyn mine, which had been connected to the rail network some 50 years earlier, making it part of a network of essential mines producing coal that would supply Britain’s energy needs. Made up of the four hamlets of Pantyffordd, Onllwyn, Dyffryn Cellwen and Banwen, Onllwyn is the legendary birthplace of Saint Patrick. It has two Roman forts and the remains of a Roman Road. The DOVE Workshop, set up after the miner’s strike, caters to the educational development of the area with its large crèche, IT and lecture rooms.

Onllwyn is seen in the film as a tough town; the miners are traditional and possess little but their dignity. Threatened by the government’s announcement of pit closures, the town becomes even tougher during the strike. Often pictured covered in snow, the cold encroaches on the village as does poverty, shown when the local van for driving miners to the pit breaks down and is unable to be repaired. Characters hold pictures or talk about relatives lost in the mines, reminding the audience of the already difficult life faced by a mining town.

In London, a busy metropolis, the central focus is a small gay bookshop, Gay’s the Word. The shop was opened in 1979 as books with homosexual content or by homosexual authors were not readily available in mainstream bookshops. As such, it formed a hub for the gay and lesbian community in that area, and was emblematic of the struggles that the community would face. Accused of being pornographic, the store faced legal proceedings revealing the narrow-minded approach of a seemingly homophobic legal system. The store also faced constant attacks and vandalism. In 1984, it was home to several groups who used the premises for meetings. One of those was Lesbians and Gays supports the Miners (LGSM). LGSM was founded at the store and worked from those premises until it grew large enough to move to the Fallen Angel Hotel for its meetings. In 2017, a blue plaque was unveiled above the bookshop in honour of Mark Ashton, gay rights activist and co-founder of LGSM.

London is depicted in the film in its dichotomy, where leafy and affluent suburbs such as Bromley, giving rise to Joe’s nickname, contrasts with a labyrinth network of nightclubs filled with London’s gay and lesbian community. The suburbs are quiet and restrained; small gatherings of people, usually in semi-formal clothing, guard their reputation and traditions. The clubs are vibrant and loud; music and lights transport the patrons from the day to day to a new bohemian world. Like the bookshop, the clubs offer their patrons sanctuary to be their authentic selves, without the usual reprisals and condemnation they would otherwise encounter in the greater society.