A Pride message from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
This year’s Pride in London is set to be the biggest and best yet.
London’s LGBTQ+ community plays such an important role in shaping the city’s vibrant and diverse culture.
This year marks 50 years since the Stonewall uprising, an event which so radically changed the course of modern LGBTQ+ history.
While Pride will be the usual annual celebration of colour, it remains an important political statement too.
When a million people line the streets of London it can be easy to forget that homophobia and transphobia still exist in this city or that 72 countries still criminalise same-sex relationships.
Many people in countries around the world look to London as a beacon of openness and acceptance, which is why it is so important we continue to defend hard-won rights.
Pride in London sends a powerful message of solidarity and hope to those living under oppressive regimes. We march on behalf of those unable to do so.
LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, yet in the US, Russia, Brunei and other nations around the world, we have seen the rights of LGBTQ+ people being rolled back.
As Mayor I am proud once again to be leading the Pride in London parade. Equality must never be taken for granted which is why I will always stand up for the rights of LGBTQ+ people and call on others to do the same.
So as we enjoy the fun and excitement of Pride, let us remember the hostility and prejudice which sparked the Stonewall uprising and the courage and determination of protestors whose conviction still inspires us today.
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London
@MayorofLondon
@LDN_gov
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