Cordelia Ditton had been involved in the campaign against Section 28 and recognised that important local organisations such as the Glasgow branch of Switchboard already existed. However, it was her idea that a lesbian and gay arts festival, would make the lesbian and gay communities of Glasgow more visible. In 1991 she joined forces with Glasgow-based freelance arts administrator Dominic D’Angelo. Both were determined to produce an arts festival that would show gay lifestyles and performers and work in a very, very positive light. The mission was to change public opinion about lesbian and gay people and to show the wealth of amazing work that was out there. The 1993 Festival opened to huge acclaim garnering audiences of just over 26,000 attenders. However, there were hateful campaigns in the press, from Tory Councillors and members of the public de-crying the use of public money on such gay art. Despite this backlash the festival was initially established as a biennial event. After the 1995 edition Cordelia Ditton stepped down and a new board of directors, led by Dominic D'Angelo and others was convened and the charity Gala Scotland Ltd established. This company then carried forward the legacy and produced the festival from 1996 to 2014.