June is Pride month and celebrations are in full swing across London.
This year is extra special as it’s 50 years since the first Pride in the UK and after two years of Covid-induced cancellations the LGBTQ community are ready to party!
The first Pride held in London took place in 1972 and was attended by around 2,000 people. The event, then called UK Gay Pride Rally, was a success with numbers increasing every year as people joined to march together for their rights and in celebration of their culture.
The last in-person Pride in London took place in 2019 and was attended by over 1.5 million people. Pride continues to be both a celebration and also a key way to raise awareness of the ongoing issues the LGBTQ community is facing.
In the past 50 years there have been so many milestones and major moments of progress but challenges remain and the importance of Pride celebrations and festivals has not diminished.
The official Pride in London Parade Day will take place on Saturday, July 2.
It’s wonderful that our 20th birthday coincides with the 50th anniversary of Pride in London and we’re so excited to be hosting a stall where we’ll celebrate with the community and share information about our social groups and services.
forum+ has lots of exciting Pride activities and events taking place across the local area. All of our Pride festivities are free to join and all the community are welcome to join with us at Incite In-Person Pride Month Special, LGBTQ Guided Tour at The British Museum, Visit to Queer Britain, Cooking With Pride, forum+ Book Club and more.
Our commitment throughout Pride Month, and always, is to celebrate the achievements, lived experiences and culture of local LGBT people, to collate and share evidence to ensure that LGBT people and our needs are highlighted, and to support victims of homophobic, biphobic or transphobic harassment or hate crime.
For updated information on the forum+ Pride Month celebrations and all our upcoming events please follow forum+ social media and website: twitter.com/forumplus, facebook.com/forumplus, instagram.com/forumplus and forumplus.org.uk
Happy Pride from forum+!
Tessa Havers-Strong is director at forum+
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