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Your support makes all the difference.Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes and singer Emeli Sandé are among those attending the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first Pride parade.
The athlete and songstress, both of whom recently came out publicly as gay, shared their excitement at being part of what the London Mayor’s office described as the biggest Pride in the capital ever.
Pride in London returned to the capital for the first time since 2019, celebrating 50 years since the very first march took place in 1972.
More than one million people attended the parade which began at 12pm today.
Those marching today will called on the UK government to ban conversion therapy for all LGBT+ people, reform the Gender Recognition Act, and provide equal protection for LGBT+ communities against hate crime.
They also campaigned for an end to “hostile environment towards minority migrants”, and for the establishment of a national Aids memorial to remember those who died during the HIV and Aids epidemic.
The Independent is the official publishing partner of Pride in London 2022.
Uniformed Met Police officers not at the march
Unifomed Met Police officers were not at the Pride march, a decision made after LGBTQ campaigners raised concerns over their confidence in policing.
In particular, they took issue with the quality of the police force’s investigation into murders carried out by serial killer Stephen Port. In 2016, Port was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of four young gay men whom he met online. Members of the police force were able to join Saturday’s march of their own accord. “I think the police have been sensitive to the issues raised by the community,” Mayor Sadiq Khan said. “And there will be uniformed officers in and around Pride to make sure we’re all safe, to make sure this parade is a success.”
What do all the letters in LGBTQIA+ stand for?
Every June, members of the LGBT+ community celebrate Pride month in honour of the 1969 Stonewall uprising.
Typically, the month-long celebration is marked with parades and other celebrations, which attract millions of people in support of the LGBT community annually.
As awareness around the LGBT community has grown, so have the words used to describe different sexualities - with the language surrounding the spectrum of sexuality constantly evolving.
In recent years, the queer community has most commonly been referred to as the LGBT or LGBTQ community.
The acronym is also seen with a + sign at the end, which has its own significance.
Read more from Chelsea Ritschel here:
Pride Month: What happened at the Stonewall riots and how did they inspire the LGBT+ rights movement?
Detective Charles Smythe, deputy inspector Seymour Pine and six fellow officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) entered the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in the early hours of Saturday 28 June 1969 little realising they were about to make history.
“Police! We’re taking the place!” they barked, barging their way through the double doors of 51 and 53 Christopher Street as the establishment’s patrons rolled their eyes in exasperation. Another shakedown.
The bar, a well-known hangout for the city’s fledgling gay community, was an easy mark for corrupt officers.
Read more by Joe Sommerlad here:
What happened at the Stonewall riots?
Botched police raid on New York gay club and subsequent fightback by its patrons struck crucial blow for community and ultimately paved the way for annual celebrations around the world
President of Dykes on Bikes London rides motorcyle at the front of parade
Padraigin Ni Raghillig, president of Dykes on Bikes London, a motorcycle club for gay women, rode her Harley Davidson at the front of the Pride parade.
She said it felt “fantastic” to be back after lockdown and that it was important the community came out together at least once a year.
She said: “I think there’s often a lot of debate about commercialism and it not being a protest any more, but I think there’s still an element of protest and, obviously, celebration, and as we move forward and become more visible and have more rights and equality, potentially it’s still important, I think, to at least once a year to be out and about, and to say ‘we’re here, we’re queer, and we’re not going shopping’.
“I think there’s still homophobia, I think it’s, as with lots of things when they become more prominent, the negative side of things are pushed more underground.
“I think homophobia used to be more overt and I think it’s probably quite subservience now, and so that is why it’s really important that we’re out here and that we’re saying ‘we’re here’, and we continue to thrive as a community.”
Dame Kelly Holmes says she will ‘never live behind that curtain again'
Dame Kelly Holmes told crowds at Pride in London she would “never live behind that curtain again” after coming out as a gay woman.
The Olympian gave a speech at the 50th anniversary event in Trafalgar Square on Saturday as she introduced Emily Sande.
She said: “For those that don’t know me, I am an honorary colonel with the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment, I am a Dame Commander of The British Empire, I am the first British woman in the history of the Olympic Games to win two gold medals at the same games, I am mixed race and I am also a gay woman.
“For 34 years I have never been able to say those words until two weeks ago due to the fear of judgment and retribution that was instilled in me since the age of 18 because the laws in the military and being in the public eye didn’t allow me to do it.”
She later added: “All I can definitely say now is I’m 52, I’m never going to live behind that curtain again.”
That’s a wrap on The Independent’s Pride coverage today! Thank you for tuning in.
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