Adamfoxie* Salutes London Gay Pride 2011

 History: 

Pride London was founded in March 2004, and was granted charitable status in July of that year. 

In its first year, Pride London attracted a little over 30,000 people to central London for a parade and campaign rally in Trafalgar Square. From this small beginning, Pride London has grown at a staggering rate into becoming one of the United Kingdom’s largest events, and the largest LGBT event that the United Kingdom has ever seen.

In 2005, Pride London expanded the event a cabaret stage in Leicester Square, and added more entertainment to the main stage on Trafalgar Square. The event increased in size, and attracted around 100,000 people.

In 2006, Pride London hosted EuroPride, and fundamentally altered its set up. The parade was rerouted from Piccadilly to Oxford and Regent Streets, and the event footprint was expanded to include Soho. Approximately 600,000 people attended that event, making it a huge success for Pride London, and firmly establishing London’s Pride event as a major event in the LGBT calendar. Pride London also held a two week arts festival, culminating in an all-star fund-raiser in the Royal Albert Hall. On its campaigns, Pride London hosted the successful Prides Against Prejudice conference, focussing on holding Pride events in hostile environments. 

2007 saw a host of external problems around the event. Pride London’s date was changed to a week earlier than usual in order to accommodate the Tour de France in London. On the Thursday before the event, a car-bomb was found located just off the parade route, and there were serious concerns that the parade would have to be stooped or rerouted. Thankfully, the bomb was cleared and the streets reopened on the Friday after intensive discussions with the Metropolitan Police and other statutory bodies. On the Saturday, driving rain started the day off, and the BBC incorrectly broadcast in the morning that Pride had been cancelled. This was only corrected after frantic telephone calls. Despite these tribulations, Pride London still attracted 200,000 people: significantly down on 2006, but still a big number for London. The following weekend saw glorious sunshine for the Tour de France. 

Pride London announced its twinning arrangement with the Latvian LGBT rights organization Mozaika this year as well, an arrangement that Pride London and Mozaika still maintain today.

2008 saw the return to normality. Pride London was restored to its normal date of the first Saturday in July, and the event expanded significantly. 820,000 people attended in what proved to be one of the biggest LGBT events recorded in the United Kingdom ever. Pride London was awarded a prestigious ‘Gold’ award by Visit London for its activities in 2008, marking Pride London as one of the top tourism ventures in London. 

In October 2008, Pride London applied to InterPride for WorldPride status. In a hotly contested competition with Stockholm Pride, Pride London won the bid process, and was awarded WorldPride status, with the WorldPride event scheduled for 2012. 

In 2009, Pride London grew once again, with over 1,000,000 people attending the event as participants or spectators. Pride London also re-launched its arts festival, and had over 80 events running in the two weeks prior to the main day. Highlights included a party-political debate with senior MPs from all parties attending, a twinning with the National Portrait Gallery for their Gay Icons exhibition, and a series of comedy events at the E4 Udderbelly on the South Bank.

While previous years saw a number of politicians join London’s Pride celebrations, far fewer were in attendance today.

pinkuk:

Deputy Mayor of London Richard Barnes and former mayor Ken Livingstone were the most high-profile political faces on the march.

Home Secretary Theresa May attended a reception at the Langham Hotel to meet members of the armed forces, but she did not speak or join the parade.

Peter Tatchell, who was at New York pride last weekend after gay marriage was legalised in the state, said ‘virtually every’ politician from the city was there.

He said: “The absence of politicians sends a very negative signal. It suggests they don’t take LGBT rights seriously.

“Every member of the London assembly should be here.”

When asked whether the political side of Pride may no longer be relevant to many people, he said: “That’s a mistaken view. We still have a ban on same sex civil marriage, the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood, and our equality laws have religious exemptions. LGBT asylum seekers are still being sent back to countries from which they have fled.”

Ken Livingstone, who joined the front of the parade, said: “It’s not a political event. We’ve got a way to catch up with New York.

“We’ve had a very good turnout [of politicians] in the past but it’s not a political event in that sense.

“The key thing now is for the government to go after the issue of marriage.”

On LGBTory’s call for him to be banned from Pride, he said: “They should save their party politics for the election. I was fighting for gay rights when they were voting for section 28.”