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Tag: Pride In London

Pride in London is London’s annual LGBT festival, the five largest in the world – but the biggest in terms of festivals and events. Over 1 million view the parade of around 50,000 people, which winds itself through the centre of London.

The centrepiece to Pride in London is its mainstage which attracts over 10,000 people in Trafalgar Square, which is its capacity for this type of event

  • Stonewall quits Pride in London to focus energies on UK Black Pride

    Britain’s largest LGBT charity will not take part in Pride In London and will instead devote resources to UK Black Pride.

    The UK’s largest LGBT+ Charity, Stonewall has decided it will not take part in Pride In London this year and will instead focus its energies on UK Black Pride instead, THEGAYUK.com has learned.

    The charity cited an issue with perceived failings with diversity, inclusion and representation of non-white communities, despite Pride In London not releasing any information on forthcoming events, 2018’s programme or activities that are planned surrounding this year’s event.

    Some of these concerns were highlighted by the Pride’s independent advisory board in 2017. In last year’s report, the CAB (community advisory board) suggested that future prides in the capital need to focus on the bisexual, BAME and other marginalised groups amongst other suggestions.

    The concerns were dismissed by Pride In London who issued a statement, at the time, to say, that the report was inaccurate, but that they would meet with the CAB to discuss their concerns.

    In a statement the Stonewall said,

    “We have also made the decision not to attend Pride in London this year.  We know this is an event that’s important to many in our communities and very much hope to attend in future years. However last year, Pride in London’s Community Advisory Board again raised concerns about the lack of diversity and inclusion at Pride in London – particularly of black and minority ethnic communities.  Pride in London rejected those concerns from the community in the strongest terms and, as yet, have failed to make any public acknowledgment [sic] that they may need to make significant changes if Pride in London is to be an event for everyone.

    “We continue to be very willing to support Pride in London on this journey and recognise that they are taking some steps to increase the diversity of Pride in London and the events around it. We’re looking to support Prides around Britain to create events that are as inclusive as possible of all LGBT people in their communities.  It is vital that organisations listen to those they represent and respond with an openness to improve and change.

    “We are excited to extend our support of UK Black Pride, have a strong presence at more community Pride events than ever, celebrate our diverse LGBT communities, and talk to thousands of LGBT people around Britain this summer.”

    “Stonewall always welcome”

    Today Pride In London, issued a statement to say,

    “We will always welcome Stonewall to march with pride in the Parade, and we
    hope to welcome their team at many community-driven events that will take
    place this year, during the Pride Festival.

    “Embracing diversity in all its forms, and supporting organisations like UK
    Black Pride, is absolutely at the heart of our mission as a team. Our
    volunteers work hard to put on an event that is for everyone. It brings our
    diverse community together and gives groups, individuals, and organisations
    the opportunity to show what pride means to them.

    “We are working closely with the Community Advisory Board and are dedicated
    to making Pride a success for all our communities – from those who have
    never been involved, to those who come back year-on-year, enabling them to
    celebrate, protest and march for equality.”

    UK Black Pride is an event which historically takes place in London over the same weekend as Pride In London.

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to Stonewall for comment.

  • Pride In London announces biggest organisational restructuring since 2012

    The organisers behind London’s historic Pride parade have today announced changes to their operation, as well as a new drive to bring new experience to the team. The enhanced structure places greater emphasis on community engagement across the board and will carry it forward for the next five years after it secured permission to continue running the event from the Greater London Authority.

    Pride In London announces biggest organisational restructuring since 2012

    As one of the longest running Pride events in the world, London plays host to one of the largest, most influential, most recognised and most impactful parades and events, but it can only do this thanks to the committed help of more than 100 year-round volunteers. In order to meet growing demand, and to help ensure Pride in London continues to grow and succeed for all LGBT+ people, organisers are appealing for people to apply for the many roles currently available – and to have a direct say in plans for next year.

    In 2017 the team launched a major advertising campaign to highlight hate crime, it broadcast TV adverts in an LGBT+ awareness campaign – the first to ever specifically highlight bisexual people, it launched a Facebook Live discussion programme, put on a parade with 28,000 participants and more than 1m spectators, and took its campaign internationally displaying messages of love from London in Times Square, New York and at World Pride in Madrid.

    On the back of Pride’s own surveys, consultations and feedback sessions throughout the summer, the re-structure will expand the board. Five positions on the Board of Directors are currently open. These are:

    Director of Volunteer Management
    Director of Community Engagement
    Director of Marketing
    Director of Events
    Director of Fundraising

    The recruitment process will be open, and the organisers are especially keen to hear from a diverse mix of applications.

    Applications will close on Friday, 6th October and Board members will be conducting interviews during w/c 9th and 16th October.

    Wider recruitment for core team roles will continue during October and there will be an ‘open day’ to enable those who are interested in volunteering to meet and find out more about Pride in London and the roles available.

    Recognition and thanks go to former board directors Patrick Lyster-Todd (one of the founders of Pride in London) and Mohsin Zaidi, both of whom worked tirelessly to help build the UK’s biggest and most diverse Pride Festival. Their camaraderie will be missed.

    The board restructure and recruitment drive is the first step in wider changes to Pride in London following feedback sessions and an evaluation of its mission for the coming years. Further announcements on this will be made in due course.

    Alison Camps, co-chair of Pride in London, said,

    “After five years, it has been important for us all at Pride in London to take stock and ensure we are in the best possible place to deliver the best event we can.

    “We can only do that if we adapt and grow and ensure the entire LGBTQ+ community is involved and is a part of the movement.

    “Volunteering with Pride in London has been one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had, and it is an incredible privilege to be part of it. I hope more people join us, and help create an event and movement that is as impactful and successful as ever.”

    Commenting, co-chair Michael Salter-Church, who helped set up Pride in London in 2012, said,

    “Five years ago, a small group of committed volunteers came together to rescue London’s Pride, after previous organisers fell into financial difficulty. That small team has now grown to more than 100 all-year-round volunteers.

    “2017 saw one of the largest parades the city has seen, and solidified the LGBTQ+ community at the heart of London and the UK. It also proved the strength of support towards Pride and how important the event is to LGBTQ+ people at home and abroad.

    “I am looking forward to welcoming many more people to the Pride family and gearing up to being better than ever in 2018.”

    Information about roles will be available at prideinlondon.org/volunteer

  • Pride in London slams accuracy of advisory board’s inclusion report

    Pride in London have hit back at the accuracy of the report by the group it created to advise on decisions of inclusion, governance and operational issues.

    A recent report by the Pride In London Community Advisory Board (CAB) has been slammed by officials at Pride In London for not being accurate and disrespectful to the many volunteers who help make the event happen.

    In the report, the CAB suggested that future prides in the capital need to focus on the bisexual, BAME and other marginalised groups amongst other suggestions.

    A spokesperson for PIL said,

    “We deliberately gather feedback from many sources, including our volunteers and the wider community through open meetings, surveys and online reporting.
    “We do not believe the CAB report reflects the majority view nor takes in to account these other sources of data, it is also inaccurate in many places which is disrespectful to the many volunteers that work hard to deliver the event. Their report was not shared with us in advance and therefore we were not able to correct these inaccuracies.
    “We will be looking at each of the points they raise and we have invited them to meet with us.
    “Unfortunately the CAB has suffered from some long standing vacancies (such as a women’s rep), which has adversely affected its ability to provide us with consistently strong and balanced guidance.

    Who are the CAB?

    The Community Advisory Board was established by Pride in London’s owners, London LGBT Community Pride CIC to give it advice on how to improve engagement and to act as a sounding board on difficult or contentious issues.
    The spokesperson for Pride continued,
    “Since the collapse of London’s Pride event in 2012; under community ownership, Pride in London has become one of the world’s largest and most successful Pride events.
    “It remains volunteer-led and free to attend and enjoys strong support from agencies, partners and sponsors. Diversity and inclusion is at the core of all we do, from deciding on acts to perform, to volunteer recruitment but we are not complacent and are always looking at ways to do more.
    “We believe we now have a strong foundation to continue to make progress in improving on diversity and inclusion amongst other issues.
    “Already this year, we were able to represent our community in new ways through our Pride in London Live series reaching millions through social platforms, our largest and most diverse Pride Festival and Parade, and our first ever national TV adverts reaching millions of UK homes.
    “We are also proud to have achieved Silver Accreditation from Attitude is Everything which recognises the standards of accessibility of the main event.
    “We’re looking forward to announcing our vision and plan for the next 5 years of Pride in London.  The LGBTQ+, community will remain at the heart of everything we do and we constantly strive to do better at representing and supporting it.”

     

     

  • Who are the Pride In London CAB?

    The Community Advisory Board (CAB) is an organisation established by Pride In London

    The Community Advisory Board was established by Pride in London’s owners, London LGBT Community Pride CIC to give it advice on how to improve engagement and to act as a sounding board on difficult or contentious issues.

    Who is in charge of the CAB?

    The CAB has 19 official positions – of which 12 are filled. There are seven vacant positions including a Women’s Rep and Straight Ally Rep which are new to the board.

    Chair: Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett
    Deputy Chair and Bisexual People’s Rep: Edward Lord OBE (BiUK)
    Secretariat: Mark Delacour (LGBT Consortium)
    Arts and Literature: Simon Tarrant (Winter Pride UK)
    Black and Minority Ethnic People’s Rep: Ozzy Amir (Queen Mary Students’ Union)
    Campaigning and Political Groups: Open for nominations
    Disabled People’s Rep: Open for nominations
    Faith and Belief Groups: Richard Unwin (Galha LGBT Humanists)
    Health Rep: Open for nominations
    Local Groups Rep: David Robson (Wandsworth LGBT Forum)
    Older People’s Rep: Peter Scott-Presland (Opening Doors London)
    Performers Rep: Dr J (The Queer Embassy)
    Professional Groups: Open for nominations
    Sports Rep: Fabian Valencia (Out for Sport)
    Straight Ally Rep: New position and open for nominations
    Trans* People’s Rep: Megan Faulkner (Trans Network London)
    Young People’s Rep: Lukasz Koniezcka (Mosaic LGBT Youth Centre)
    Women’s Rep: New position and open for nominations
    Open Place Rep: Open for nominations

    What does the CAB consult and advise on?

    Diversity and inclusion at Pride
    Engaging different groups (e.g. trans*, BME) as volunteers, participants and audiences
    Future themes and the purpose of Pride
    Event plans
    Parade design and management
    Festival events and acts
    Diversity and inclusion training
    Financial governance

  • Pride In London needs to be more bi-focused report finds

    The Pride In London(PIL) advisory board has made a recommendation that London’s pride should focus more on bisexual people, including making the next pride’s theme Bisexuality.

    A report from the PIL’s Independent Community Advisory Board has suggested that future prides need to focus on the bisexual, BAME and other marginalised groups.

    The report made several recommendations that PIL needed to ingrate BAME (Black Asian and minority ethnic) LGBT+ people in all areas of pride, not just at UK Black Pride – which is a separate event that takes place on the Sunday after the main event on the Saturday.

    Their suggestion is:

    “Full involvement and integration of BAME LGBT+ people into Pride in London is essential to achieve a cohesive and inclusive event, and recommends that the best way to achieve this is to support and resource UK Black Pride, and ensure that BAME LGBT+ people are represented not just at Pride in the Park, but on all stages and in all Pride events”.

    The report also suggested that more marginalised groups, should be given “pride of place” at the parade. The report also suggested that PIL should follow the example of Tel Aviv Pride, where the theme for the year was bisexuality.

    The report reads,

    “Pride in London should follow the example of Tel Aviv Pride this year, by making bi people the central focus of the Pride Parade in 2018 or 2019, which would require full engagement of bi people and groups in both planning and execution. Going forward, it may be appropriate that each year, one of the more marginalised sections of London’s LGBT communities – for example, BAME, bi, trans, and intersex people – should, on rotation, be given pride of the place in the Parade”.

    This year’s theme for Pride In London was Love Happens Here.

    The board’s Chair, Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett said,

    “After each Pride in London, the Independent Community Advisory Board sit down to discuss if this year’s event has achieved its objectives. When I took over as Chair in February 2016, I made diversity and intersectionality my priority.

    “We have asked members of LGBT+ communities, both individuals and respected third party organisations, to give us their view in writing so we have evidence and documentation to back up our assertions.

    “For every criticism in the report, and there are many, we have suggested a reasonable and practical  solution, and where we think further transparency and openness is required, we have asked to see those conversations brought to the CAB well in advance of any decision.

    “We also felt that there has been significant disquiet across the LGBT+ communities, around Pride’s corporate nature, lack of inclusion, bad handling of sensitive intersectionality issues and it felt that we needed to live up to the expectations of the role and that is providing a frank but honest report on the experiences not only from CAB members but also opinions across our communities.”

    THEGAYUK reached out to Pride In London for comment.

     

     

  • Peter Tatchell: There is nothing insulting about saying Allah, Jesus, Moses or Buddha is gay

    Human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell has hit out at those who suggest that the”Allah is gay” placards held up a Pride In London were insulting to some Muslims.

     

    Long-time human and gay rights advocate, Peter Tatchell has written an open letter to the organisers of Pride In London after a complaint was lodged by leaders at the East London Mosque.

    The leaders allege that some of the placards held up by the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) at the pride were “inciting hatred against Muslims”. On that basis, the leaders made a formal complaint to Pride In London. Organisers for the pride made an initial statement saying that they, “will not tolerate Islamophobia”.

    Mr Tatchell, who was one of the first organisers of the UK’s first pride in 1972, said,

    “The CEMB placards condemned “Homophobes, Islamists, racists.”

    “They supported LGBT Muslims and LGBT people fleeing persecution by Islamic states. One said: “End Islamic hatred and violence to gays.” Others highlighted UK mosques, such as East London and Green Lanes, that have hosted hate preachers who have endorsed or justified the killing of LGBT people.

    Nothing insulting about saying “Allah is gay”

    He continued, Some placards said

    “Some placards said “Allah is gay.” The factual basis of such a claim is questionable. However, since there is nothing wrong or shameful about being gay – and only gay sex acts (not gay people) are condemned in the Qur’an and Hadiths – there is nothing insulting about saying Allah, God, Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Shiva or any other religious figure is gay.

    A person would only say it was insulting if they were anti-LGBT.

    Tatchell went on to commend the actions of CEMB saying,

    “The CEMB’s placards against Islamic homophobia were entirely justified and commendable. We have to oppose Islamic homophobia in the same way that LGBT groups have long opposed Christian and Judaist homophobia.

    “None of the CEMB placards were against Muslim people. They did not incite hate against Muslims. They criticised homophobic religious ideas.”

     

    Calls to allow Ex Muslims to continue marching in future Pride In London events

    Peter also urged Pride In London to reject the complaints from the East London Mosque, saying,

    “I urge you to reject the complaints against the CEMB by the East London mosque and others. Instead, I urge you to ask them to explain why they refuse to have a dialogue with the LGBT community, refuse to publicly challenge homophobia within the Muslim community and why they refuse to publicly acknowledge and support LGBT Muslims”.

  • Pride In London: “We will not tolerate Islamophobia”

    A complaint has been lodged with the organisers of Pride In London over “Allah is gay” placards were allegedly displayed by members of a walking group in this year’s parade. Organisers of pride have issued a statement saying they will not tolerate Islamophobia.

    Muslim leaders in London have lodged a complaint with Pride In London after members of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain CEMB took part in this year’s parade. The group allegedly held up placards with slogans such as “F*** Islamic homophobia”, “East London Mosque incites murder of LGBTs”, and “Throw ISIS off the roof”.

    Speaking to the Evening Standard Salman Farsi from the East London Mosque said that a complaint had been made.

    “We’ve raised a complaint with the co-chairs of the event that the group was inciting hatred against Muslims, and in particular [in relation] to our good name, based on absolutely groundless reasons.

    “Our track record for challenging homophobia in East London is quite well known. For us to see such a mainstream event that is supposed to celebrate tolerance and love used as a hate platform was really quite shocking.

    “Our religion doesn’t promote hatred or homophobia. Yes, there might be theological topics dealing with homosexuality in Islam, but that’s clearly very separate from promoting hatred and homophobia.”

    A spokesperson for Pride In London said,

    “If anyone taking part in our parade makes someone feel ostracised, discriminated against or humiliated, then they are undermining and breaking the very principles on which we exist. Our code of conduct is very clear on this matter.

    “All volunteers, staff and parade groups agree that Pride celebrates diversity and will not tolerate any discrimination of any kind.

    “While our parade has always been a home to protest, which often means conflicting points of view, Pride must always be a movement of acceptance, diversity and unity. We will not tolerate Islamophobia.”

    CEMB Spokesperson, Maryam Namazie said in a blog post on the CEMB website,

    “…the very reason CEMB was at Pride was to combat hate and to highlight the 13 states under Islamic rule that kill gay men (14 if we include Daesh-held territories). We included placards on the East London mosque to bring attention to the fact that there are mosques here in Britain that promote the death penalty for homosexuality and apostasy.

    As ex-Muslims, we are at risk from hate preachers that speak at some mosques and universities; our  gay members are at an increased risk.

    The East London Mosque has a long history of hosting hate preachers who incite against blasphemers, apostates and homosexuals so we felt naming and shaming them was very apt.

     

     

  • 6 things we learned this week: Landlords, gender neutrality and Thomas Dekker coming out as gay

    From the cost of running a gay bar in London to gender neutral tube announcements, we’ve learned quite a lot this week.

    TV Star Thomas Dekker came out gay… Welcome to the family!

    Many of us were shocked to learn that Jeremy Joseph, owner of the G-A-Y venues is having his rent upped to nearly three-quarters of a million a year for G-A-Y Late. Could huge rent increases be the reason for London’s declining LGBT+ spaces?

    Peter Tatchell asked if homophobia was holding back Pride in London?

    A gay man who has been battling cancer got the shock of his life at pride when friends and family took over the video screens to send their love and support

    Adam Rickitt proved he still has the perkiest butt in the business.

    The news that Transport for London is going to get rid of “Ladies and Gentlemen” in its public announcements was met with mixed response and it has to be said, it was mainly negative.

     

  • WATCH | Gay man fighting cancer for a year, get surprise of his life at Pride In London

    This weekend, 21-year-old Dean Eastmond, got the surprise of his life when a video message was broadcast in front of thousands in Trafalgar Square.

    Who is Dean Eastmond, gay man fighting cancer,

     

    At this Saturday’s Pride in London (8th July 2017) Dean Eastmond, a 21-year-old LGBT advocate and journalist, living with cancer, was surprised with a special video from family and friends, which was beamed across Trafalgar Square to an audience of thousands.

    Dean, was diagnosed with cancer last year. 12 months on he’s still fighting the disease, as treatment so far has proved unsuccessful.

    To help raise awareness of Dean’s work in shifting stigma of LGBT people with cancer, social change company, Shape History, teamed up with Pride in London, to surprise Dean with the emotional video.

    Dean Eastmond, following his surprise, said:

    “I was so overwhelmed and shocked! When the drag queen on stage mentioned a 21 year old with cancer, my initial reaction was “oh wow, there’s someone here like me”. It took a while for it to click on that she was talking about me! The video has really shown me how important my friends are to me and (apparently) how important I am to them! I have no idea how they kept it as quiet as they did, but it was a beautiful last moment until I re-start chemotherapy.”

    Mike Buonaiuto, Executive Director of Shape History said:

    “When we first heard Dean’s story we were truly touched and inspired by what he has been working on in spite of going through treatment for cancer.”

    “He’s campaigned and stopped discrimination faced by LGBT people living with cancer wanting to freeze their sperm, he has launched a successful queer culture magazine across the UK for young people, and has written about his struggles going through cancer –  inspiring thousands online in the process.”

    “When his treatment was unsuccessful we decided as a team we had to do something – and spread Dean’s message to thousands more people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday – surprising Dean in the process. It’s our hope more people will find his work and be inspired.”

  • PETER TATCHELL | Is the LGBT community being screwed over by city council?

    Has LGBT Pride lost its way? This is a question more and more people were asking in the run up to Saturday’s Pride London parade.

    What began in 1972 as a protest for LGBT rights has now become an overly commercialised, bureaucratic and rule-bound event; which too often reflects the wishes of the city authorities, not the LGBT community.

    The admirable organisers, Pride in London, are being forced to operate with onerous controls and draconian costs. These have been imposed by the Mayor of London, Westminster Council and the Metropolitan Police, who have dictated conditions that mean a mere 26,500 people will be permitted to march on Saturday This is a fraction of the numbers who’d march if it was a free and open event.

    “LGBT organisations have to apply in three months advance,

    pay a fee and get wristbands for all their participants.

    The parade feels increasingly regimented, commodified and straight-jacketed”

    Nowadays, LGBT organisations have to apply in three months advance, pay a fee and get wristbands for all their participants. The parade feels increasingly regimented, commodified and straight-jacketed.

    The city authorities are also enforcing punitive costs for road closures, pavement barriers, policing and security. They cite safety concerns and the disruptive impact on West End businesses if the parade was allowed to be bigger. Commerce comes first, it seems. Pride must not interfere with making money.

    These excuses are nonsense. There are large political marches in central London, such as last Saturday’s anti-austerity demonstration. They are stung for none of the costs forced on Pride and have no safety problems. Equally, no similar restrictions are placed on the numbers at the Notting Hill Carnival, which is many times larger than Pride.

    The way Westminster Council treats LGBT Pride has a whiff of homophobia. It has a long history of perceived anti-gay bias. Some years ago it banned gay venues from flying the rainbow flag.

    Gay club owners have previously told me the council was unsupportive and seemed intent on degaying and sanitising Soho. Manbar felt victimised by Westminster and was forced out of business in 2015.

    Westminster is, of course, run by the Tories – a party that has done a ‘cash for power’ deal with the homophobic DUP in the north of Ireland. I don’t trust them.

    The dedicated, tireless Pride committee is held over a barrel. They might be permitted to increase the numbers on the parade but only if they stump up loads more cash to the council and police. Westminster council seems to think that the democratic right of the LGBT community to use its streets should come at a price. It even demands compensation for the suspension of parking bays!

    Royal Parks is no better. They won’t allow Pride to use Hyde Park. We are being screwed.

    Compared to 20 years ago, Pride has been dumbed down. For many people, it is now mostly a gigantic street party. Big corporations see it as a PR opportunity to fete LGBT consumers with their flashy floats. The ideals of LGBT equality are barely visible. Last year I counted only ten parade groups with a LGBT human rights message.

    It is sometimes claimed that Pride London is the biggest in the world. Not true. London is one of the smaller Prides in major European cities; being eclipsed in size by Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid. Sao Paulo attracts three million people!

    In contrast, Pride London has 26,500 marchers and 80,000 spectators on the parade route. Trafalgar Square, the location of the end-of-parade rally, holds 20,000 people and the Soho streets that host satellite events, around 90,000. Many of these numbers are the same people at different locations. This suggests about 200,000 people in total at Pride; certainly not the one million claimed by the Mayor of London.

    This is smaller than earlier Prides in London. In 1997, over 100,000 people marched in the parade. It took nearly five hours to pass through Parliament Square. Close to 300,000 people attended the post-march festival on Clapham Common.

    Pride is, of course, more than the parade. There are 100-plus events over the Pride fortnight, ranging from concerts to films, sports, exhibitions and talks.

    Pride is staged by an amazing unpaid, all-volunteer team. Some corporate sponsorship is necessary. The parade and festival has to be funded. But are the corporates now too dominant?

    If Pride has gone adrift, we are all partly to blame for not being more involved with the organising committee and not standing up to the city authorities. Perhaps it’s time to revert to the LGBT liberation ethos of the first UK Pride in 1972? I was one of the organisers back then. I’ve marched in every Pride London parade since. This will be my 46th.

    1972 was a carnival march for LGBT human rights. It was political and fun; without all the restrictions, costs and red tape that are strangling Pride today.

    Let’s put liberation back at the heart of Pride; reclaim it as a political march with a party atmosphere. No limits on numbers and no motorised floats. This would dramatically cut costs and bureaucracy, and return Pride to its roots. We can still have a fabulous carnival atmosphere. It worked in 1972. Why not now?

    This is an edited version of an article that was originally published in The Guardian: http://bit.ly/2sPIGjL

    For more information about the Peter Tatchell Foundation and to make a donation: www.PeterTatchellFoundation.org

     

  • Britain’s highest ranking LGBT+ politician sends a message before Pride In London

    Conservative politician, Justine Greening the UK’s highest ranking openly LGBT+ MP has reached out to the community before the UK’s biggest Pride tomorrow.

    Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening said:

    “I am delighted to support this year’s Pride celebrations, a key moment to show how far LGBT people have come in the fight for equality. It is also a chance to showcase our country’s values of tolerance, acceptance and openness to the rest of the world.

    “It is also a reminder of the work we still have to do to stamp out homophobic bullying and hate crime, which can have such a damaging impact on LGBT people’s lives. That is why we’re working with a range of partners such as Stonewall, Barnardo’s and LGBT Consortium to stamp out anti-LGBT bullying in our schools. We are educating young people about accepting and respecting each other’s individuality with a £3m anti-LGBT bullying programme and we are investing £300,000 as part of the cross-government Hate Crime Action Plan in programmes to tackle hate crime in communities.

    “I hope everyone across the country has a fantastic time celebrating Pride and the progress we’ve made in the fight for equality, as we build a fairer, more equal future for everyone.”