Nicola MacdonaldMembers of the LGBT community and their allies marched from Soho to Whitehall on 25 June for the 43rd annual London Pride parade.
Trafalgar Square played host to a range of musical acts including Alesha Dixon, al of whom gave their time for free. The event at the square also featured speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and US ambassador to the UK Matthew Barzun.
Both speakers emphasised the need for unity, both within the UK and globally, with Khan stating: “Europeans in London, you are welcome here”. The mayor also quoted Martin Luther King Jr in reference to the recent mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, saying: “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Khan also highlighted the fact that in 2015 homophobic and transphobic violence in London rose, and promised that his administration would work to ‘stamp it out’.
Businesses along the parade route and further afield in London showed their support for the event, including military academy Sandhurst which was lit up with the rainbow Pride flag.
Brighton’s own Pride festival takes place on 5-7 August and expects to welcome more than 200,000 spectators to its ‘Carnival of Diversity’ parade.