Pride in the City 2023

I had the privilege of hosting the reception at Guildhall following the Pride flag raising in June 2023. Here is the speech I gave welcoming the over 200 guests that evening.

The Oxford Union: The Commercialisation of Pride has Done More Harm Than Good

On 1 June 2023, I was invited to speak at The Oxford Union, supporting the motion “This House believes that commercialisation of Pride has done more harm than good”. It also gave me the opportunity to comment robustly on the Union’s decision to platform gender critical academic Kathleen Stock who espoused her transphobic views without… Continue reading The Oxford Union: The Commercialisation of Pride has Done More Harm Than Good

In defence of Pride in London organisers: hateful anti trans campaigners put them in an impossible position, and the Met police were powerless to help.

A lot has been said, including by many of my friends, about the incursion by a tiny group of anti- Trans campaigners at the start of Saturday’s Pride in London parade route, and about the apparent failure of the Pride organisers to remove them and to protect trans attendees from seeing their message of prejudice… Continue reading In defence of Pride in London organisers: hateful anti trans campaigners put them in an impossible position, and the Met police were powerless to help.

Pride in London and my Queer journey – a personal perspective and response to @LondonLGBTPride

Yesterday’s release of the Community Advisory Board’s annual report into this year’s Pride in London, and the social media storm that followed, was an interesting and painful experience for me. Whilst the wave of euphoria that I have felt supporting the CAB from bi and queer friends, and from those who feel that Pride has… Continue reading Pride in London and my Queer journey – a personal perspective and response to @LondonLGBTPride

Pride in London – Advisory Board report questions organisers approach on diversity

“the current Pride organisers have failed to grasp the importance of diversity, nor of the intersectionalities that many LGBT+ people experience around race, gender, age, disability, and even their sexual orientation and identity”

Why today’s LGBTQ+ Pride in London is a day of mixed emotions for me and for many

Today is Pride in London, the United Kingdom’s largest gathering of Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer people together with their allies and friends and others whose life, love, or identity is marked in some way by difference. For me and for many it is a day of great celebration for the achievements of equality… Continue reading Why today’s LGBTQ+ Pride in London is a day of mixed emotions for me and for many

My message at Pride in London: celebrating, loving, and fighting discrimination together

On Saturday 25 June, I had the privilege of speaking from the main stage of London’s LGBT+ Pride as Deputy Chair of Pride’s Community Advisory Board, representing bi people and communities. This is what I said: “It is twenty years since I first got involved in Pride in the Capital. And it was in that… Continue reading My message at Pride in London: celebrating, loving, and fighting discrimination together