London Pride festival returns for its 50th anniversary after a two-year hiatus and here’s all you need to know.
While we’re all a part of the queer community all year round, June is our dedicated month of Pride. Many countries across the world partake in this month of celebration, putting on marches, concerts and allowing space for people to raise awareness of the social and political inequalities still present.
This years Pride events will be the first for two years, as COVID put a stop to them and this return is pretty special as this Pride marks the 50 years since the first Pride rally occurred in the UK. This rally took place on July 1, 1972, in response to the 1969 Stonewall riots.
Of course, Pride is a time for celebration, but it is imperative that you know the history of the event and who came before us.
History of Pride
June stands as the month of Pride because that is when the Stonewall riots of 1969 occurred.
On June 28, in New York, eight police officers raided a gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. This was not particularly a shocking event, as officers during this time were allowed to arrest gay people by force due to ‘vice’ laws.
However, on this night, the people of the Stonewall Inn fought back. Hundreds of people resisted arrest and stood their ground.
Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman is credited with throwing ’the shot glass that was heard about the world’. She is one of the key figures of this riot and should be honoured as such.
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Obviously Stonewall did not create the whole LGBTQ+ movement. There were activists as early as the 1920s, but, after Stonewall, there was much more media coverage of the LGBTQ+ community which people took advantage of, keeping the ball rolling.
Events such as Stonewall have been the catalyst for true equality such as legalised gay marriage and AIDS awareness.
London Pride
This years London Pride will take place July 2, as it is the closest Saturday to the anniversary of Stonewall.
A spokesperson for the city told the Evening Standard: ‘As we celebrate and look forward to the next 50 years, we’ll recognise the challenges still faced by our community nationally and globally.’
In celebration of London’s 50th anniversary of Pride, The Royal Mint has released a 50p decorated with Pride colours.
Over the rainbow colours, the words, ‘protest’, ‘unity’, ‘visibility’ and ‘equality’ are engraved.
The commemorative coin also contains blue, pink, brown and black stripes to represent the trans, non-binary and people of colour within the community.
