Tag Archives: London Pride

The Most Fantastically Fabulous Photos From This Weekend Pride Celebrations

Millions of people draped in the rainbow hues of LGBT pride turned out for parades across the United States and United Kingdom this weekend.

For many, this year’s parades took on an extra resonance in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting, in which 49 people were killed. In all events, a minute’s silence was held.

New York Pride

The march in New York, held every year since 1970, began at noon near the Empire State Building and ended at Greenwich Village’s Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the gay rights movement and the newest national monument.

Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, joined the march for a few blocks in an unannounced appearance. She waved while walking alongside New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
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London Pride

Pride London is now one of the biggest one-day event held in the UK, and is one of the largest LGBT celebrations in the world, often attracting over a million visitors.

More than 300 groups took part in this years parade, including London Gay Symphonic Winds, Marie Curie and #PrideinFootball.

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San Francisco Pride

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Majority Of LGBT+ People Still Feel The Need To ‘Hide Sexuality’

According to a new poll, the majority LGBT community feel the need to lie about their gender or sexual identity.

The poll – commissioned by Pride in London – asked more than 1,000 members of the LGBT community how they felt about discussing their private lives in public.

A massive 74% said they still felt the need to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity.

A further 59% of respondents said they felt threatened by other people’s attitudes and behaviours towards them.

Other findings showed that 41% of gay men also said they would think twice about holding a partner’s hand in public.

The charity – which organises London’s annual gay pride event – commissioned a second survey among the general population, which showed a “huge difference” compared with LGBT+ people.

In particular, a larger proportion of the LGBT+ community had “felt threatened by other people’s attitudes and behaviours towards them”, and were more likely to experience workplace bullying as a result of their gender.

It found 77% of LGBT+ respondents had revealed their sexuality to friends, while 50% had come out to all their colleagues.
Chair of Pride in London, Michael Salter-Church, said:

Great progress has been made in the name of LGBT+ equality in recent years, but these figures show the striking reason why Pride is still as important as ever”.

The latest figures show that homophobic attacks all also saw a rise between 2014 and 2015.

The results also showed that the number of homophobic incidents recorded was nearly double those of Islamophobic crimes, and three times the number of anti-Semitic crimes.

The Met data showed that 1,667 homophobic offences took place in the 12 months to July 2015 – up from 1,289 in the 12 months to July 2014.

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The UK’s Capital Gets Ready for London Pride 2015

Thousands of people are expected to turn out in the UK’s capital today, for one of the world’s largest LGBT festivals.

This year the London Pride march has taken on the theme of ‘heroes’ and will celebrate those who have made the biggest difference to the LGBT community.

The parade begins at Baker Street at 1pm and moves through Oxford Street, which is closed for the event, before finishing at Whitehall at 4.30pm.

More than 250 group will be taking part in the parade with prizes for the best costumes and best campaign group.

As well as the parade there is also three musical venues taking place from 1pm.

Entertainers include Blue, Britain’s Got Talent winners Collabro and Rebecca Ferguson, who will appear on the main stage in Trafalgar Square from 1pm – 8pm.

There will also be a Women’s Stage in Dean Street and a Cabaret Stage in Wardour Street.

The annual parade marks the end of a week of Pride events and celebrations.

The route:

  • The Parade assembles on Baker Street at 1pm
  • It turns left into Oxford Street, past Selfridges, Bond Street Underground Station
  • At Oxford Circus it turns right into Regent Street and continues down to Piccadilly Circus
  • Then down Lower Regent Street and into Waterloo Place, then left into Pall Mall, heading right into Cockspur Street and across the south-western end of Trafalgar Square
  • It turns into Whitehall, before ending at Whitehall Place at about 4.30pm

The parade starts at 1pm and ends at 4.30pm

The Parade:

  • More than 15,000 spectators are expected to join the party
  • The theme of this year’s parade is Pride Heroes
  • It features more than 250 community groups, dancers and performers
  • Individuals cannot join the Parade unless they are in a registered group
  • There is a suggested donation of £3 for Trafalgar Square participants

One Million People Expected to Attend London’s Pride Parade

Last year organisers of London Pride estimated around 700,000 people witnessed the parade, with around 30,000 people participating, this Saturday’s celebrations could be seen by nearly a million.

That number is likely to include tourists and shoppers in the West End, who see the parade, pass by but were not actively participating in the event.

Wembley Arch and the London Eye will be lit up in rainbow colours, to celebrate the parade.

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Michael Salter, Chairman of Pride in London said:

It’s incredible to see how Pride in London has grown over the last three years to quickly become the biggest Pride event in the country.

The annual Pride Parade now includes over 250 groups representing the incredible diversity of London’s LGBT+ community. And this year’s Parade theme Pride Heroes will ensure this is the most colourful and exhilarating Parade the city has ever seen.”

 

#FreedomTo – Pride In London’s Theme for 2014 Gaining Momentum

Pride In London’s theme for  2014 is #FreedomTo, which is about celebrating the new-found rights and protections given to the UK’s LGBT Community. The campaign has been a massive success with stars like Tom Daley, Stephen Fry, Ian McKellen and Graham Norton supporting the initiative, and campaigners like Ruth Hunt of Stonewall joining in. Pride in London takes place this Saturday (June 28) with Eurovision champion Conchita Wurst headlining on the main stage in Trafalgar Square, alongwith  Sinitta who will debut her new single. The annual Pride parade will depart from Baker Street at 1pm on June 28 – the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

Stonewall Sponsorship Helps with the Delivery of Free UK Black Pride

UK Black Pride, Europe’s biggest community-led, not-for-profit support group for African, Asian and Caribbean lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people – announced yesterday that its official sponsors who have helped to make the ninth annual event a free festival for all.

Leading the way, for the fourth year running, is Stonewall, which has spent 25 years fighting for the rights of all lesbian, gay and bisexual people. From helping to win equalisation of the age of consent to repealing Section 28, from securing equal access to fertility treatment and guiding marriage equality legislation through Parliament to supporting LGB people internationally, Stonewall has a proud record of engaging and winning for full equality.

“Stonewall is immensely proud to continue to support UK Black Pride as main sponsor for the fourth year running. We know how important it is for people to be able to come together as a community and celebrate who they are. While we’ve achieved so much together over the last decades there is still so much to do. That is why events like UK Black Pride are vital to show that we are a visible and vibrant community who will continue to fight for true equality here, at home, and around the world.”

Ruth Hunt, Acting Chief Executive of Stonewall

Other sponsors include TUC said

“The TUC and its unions have long championed equality for LGBT people and played a big part in all the reforms won over recent decades. We’ve supported UK Black Pride from the beginning because we understand how crucial it is that the voices of all sections of a very diverse community are heard. The struggle for full LGBT equality is a long way from over, even in Britain, while it has hardly begun in many parts of the world. Together, we will continue to work to achieve it.”

Frances O’Grady

UK Black Pride’s Executive Director Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah, said:

“We’re thrilled that so many of our community organisations have rallied behind UK Black Pride. Stonewall, the trade unions, our legal sponsors and the Black / LGBT advocacy and support groups all provide vital support and service to our community. Their gift will ensure that we can put on a sequence of events in London and Manchester over the summer. Our focus remains on the needs of Black LGBT people, as well as celebrating our communities’ many achievements. UK Black Pride is an inclusive event for all; we invite everyone to love without borders!”

To attend the ninth annual UK Black Pride carnival stage festival, which will be an integral part of the Big Pride Picnic in the Park celebrations on Sunday 29 June in London Vauxhall’s Pleasure Gardens, you should just turn up on the day from 12 noon until 9pm.

 

Summer of Love: 7 Pride Parties You Cannot Miss

London (June 28th – 29th): People from all over Britain and the world will be descending on Old London Town this year for what promises to be the biggest LGBT blow-out in the capital’s history. Given the UK’s recent legalisation of gay marriage and civil partnerships, the theme is “Love and Marriage” and the spectacle promises to be astonishing.

Boston (June 6th – 15th): Always a top date on the queer calendar, Boston promises to be even bigger and better this year given that the celebrity marshal is no other than Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Denise Crosby.

Shanghai (June 13th – 22nd): Asia’s number one LGBT celebration doesn’t feature a parade but that is more than made up for by the enthusiasm of the crowd. Shanghai Pride has been going from strength to strength since 2009.

Berlin (June 14th – 22nd): Indisputably Europe’s leading Pride celebration, Berlin will be welcoming around half a million party animals in late June.

Los Angeles (June 6th – 8th): More flamboyance on the West Coast this year, except LA LGBTs are taking things a step further by inviting all attendees to wear colour-coded apparel. The overall effect? A giant rainbow. It’ll be one for the scrapbook, and make no mistake.

Toronto (June 29th): This beautiful and multicultural Canadian city gets even more beautiful and multicultural next month when it hosts the prestigious WorldPride event.

San Francisco (June 28th – 29th): No run-down of Pride gigs around the world could not possibly be complete without mentioning SFPride, now in its 44th year. Make sure you follow the parade all the way from Market Street to City Hall, where America’s first gay mayor and San Fran icon Harvey Milk addressed Pridesters three decades ago.

Planet London Celebrate Women as Media Partner for Pride in London

We’re happy to share that Planet London has recently been announced as a media partner for Pride in London. With a dedication to building women’s involvement and interest in Pride, they will be promoting a vibrant schedule of women’s events between now and Pride festival week, including the parade on Saturday 28 June and the picnic on Sunday 29 June. Their efforts support a larger movement for women’s representation at Pride in London 2014, making this summer a truly exciting one for the LBQ community.

Naomi, Co-Founder of Planet London explains,

“We’re encouraging the many LBQ women in London to come out of the shadows. Women have to be involved to improve the visibility and representation of women at Pride – if we don’t participate…how we can expect there to be anything on that suits our interests?”

With women’s interests truly at heart, Planet London has already begun arranging fundraising events. confirmed already are She’s Quizzical in Soho; Bridge Girls Late in Clapham; Down Girls in Camden; and an event by Elaine from The Glass Bar. Another event from L Wired is to be announced very soon. At each fundraising event, there will be an ongoing raffle with various prizes including VIP entry to LBQ events and other goodies. For those who want to support these events but can’t attend, raffle tickets are also available to buy online, with 100% of the money collected going to efforts for Pride in London. For information about all of these events check out the Proud Planet page.

In addition, Planet London is currently working with various organisers and venues within the London LBQ community to plan further fundraising activities throughout May and June, and encourage the inclusion of more women’s events during the Pride festival. If you want to be kept up to date with the schedule, Planet London will be listing all of their LBQ events on their app, My Pocket Planet.

Planning your own Pride Event? Planet London has pledged to help promote and support any cultural events that women would like to arrange during the festival week from 23 to 27 June. Anyone running or hoping to run an event aimed at women is urged to get in touch with Planet London via their website to find out what support is available and to ensure that they get the promotion they need to make their event a success.

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For those who are keen to support this campaign in other ways, Planet London is inviting women to march with them in the Pride parade. This is an open invitation to all women, whether they are LBQT or allies. Marching in Pride is a fun and humbling experience, and a wonderful way to participate in the biggest LGBT event of the year. You can join the marching group by filling out the marching registration form.

We hope you’ll consider getting involved in at least one of these fantastic events, and help to boost women’s representation at Pride in London 2014.

New Boost for Women at Pride

On the 15th April the ProudWomen initiative was launched at a classy reception in Soho. A collaboration between Pride in London and Elysion Events, ProudWomen’s aim is to boost the visibility and involvement of women at Pride events in the capital. Historically, men have tended to be overrepresented at Pride.

The lesbian Directors of Elysion Events, Lauren Pett and Robin Kendall, have organised a sequence of fundraising events starting on April 30th with an exhilarating quiz hosted by the highly-regarded lesbian comics Jen Brister, Zoe Lyons and Rosie Wilby. That’s followed by a “Roaring Twenties”-themed charity party on June 20th and the much-anticipated first ever Official Pride Women’s After Party (June 28th).

“ProudWomen is a really exciting new development [that will] create new ways for women to get involved in Pride, to raise our visibility and voice across the campaigning and celebrations of the Pride Festival. It’s an important part of our commitment to being truly a community Pride with a global reach.”

Alison Hand, Director of Pride

Now something of an institution, Pride in London has been taking place since 1972. Research commissioned by the Mayor of London’s Office concluded that recent attendees to Pride rated their experience as highly as those people who came from all over the world to enjoy the 2012 Olympic Games.

In 2013 the Mayor of London appointed the London LGBT + Community Pride company to oversee Pride’s proceedings until 2017. Pride is mostly staffed by volunteers and any profits that are made are either ploughed back into the festival or given to various LGBT+ community ventures.

Pride London’s current patrons are Martina Navratilova, Sir Elton John, David Furnish and Sir Ian McKellen.

To find out more visit – twitter @ProudWomenUK or www.facebook.com/pages/PROUDWOMEN

Image source – Laura Dixon Photography