This year almost 600 groups joined to march in the Pride in London parade, from small LGBTQ+ community groups, to charities, to large corporations. One of the groups marching was our neighbour and partner - Charlton Invicta, the first LGBT+ football team to be formally affiliated with a professional club in the UK. We have a history of celebrating Pride in London together with Charlton Invicta, with students and staff marching with Charlton in previous years. The two marching groups met in the morning at Grosvenor Square to kickstart the day before joining the parade.
The parade started at Hyde Park Corner, marching down Piccadilly and finally heading towards Trafalgar Square. With an expected 1.5 million attendees throughout the day, the parade route was surrounded by supporters, including a number of students, staff and alumni who shouted with excitement to see the University of Greenwich marching.
The day was filled with joy and celebration, whilst also serving as a reminder of the work that needs to be done to support LGBTQ+ people in the UK, and throughout the world. This year’s theme for Pride in London was ‘Never March Alone’ to “highlight the power, beauty and celebration of standing together with our trans siblings and to champion trans and non-binary allyship”.
Ciprian and Jenny who attended as part of the university march said:
Pride in London is my local Pride. Marching for the first time, it gave me a chance to protest and celebrate with over a million people in the city I call my home. Together, I hope Pride gave hope to those not able to be openly LGBTQ+, let alone celebrate their rights in their own countries or communities. There's a lot of work left to do!
Being able to represent the University of Greenwich at Pride in London was an amazing experience. It was lovely to see and feel such an inclusive, supportive and welcoming environment from the community and I cannot wait for future Pride events with my fellow colleagues.
