‘An act of protest’: Pride in London 2023 marchers on why event is needed more than ever

Following on from last year’s 50th anniversary of Pride and its celebrations , 2023 feels like it’s been a big step backwards for the rights of the LGBT+ community. Emma Henderson speaks to some those marching to find out why this year’s event is more important than ever

One group marching again this year is Quailors, a group of tailors and crafts people (Luke Alland )

"Pride is not just a day or a moment in time," says Tim Noblett, Pride’s director of marketing, which it can often be mistaken for. Of course Pride’s big annual celebration and march is just a tiny snapshot of what the Pride movement actually is, as well as the multiple Prides marches across the UK. The movement isn’t solely just about this one event. Instead, it’s about the achievements and continual work the team of volunteers at Pride do throughout the year, from supporting people to raising awareness.

This year’s London Pride event, taking place on Saturday, is more important than ever. Pride’s 2023 campaign is "Never March Alone", which is tackling head on the biggest challenge the LGBT+ community faces right now, that trans people are being "vilified and legislated against purely as a political ploy," says Noblett.  Already in the past 12 months, we’ve had the men’s football World Cup Final held in Qatar, known for its anti-LGBT+ rights, the UK government delaying banning conversion therapy, Uganda recently passing thorugh terrifying and barbaric laws against the LGBT+ community.

Will De’Athe-Morris, Pride’s director of communications says Uganda is even "using LGBT+ language", against the community, banning anyone identifying as LGBT+, and "there is now a death sentence for anyone committing the so-called crime of aggravated homosexuality", he says.

It’s also a case of history repeating itself, as some of the rhetoric, hatred, insults and assaults that are been levelled against trans people “feels very similar to what – only around 25 years ago – was aimed at anyone who was gay, lesiban or bisexual," De’Athe-Morris says.

So this years’ campaign is very trans focused "but also shows the importance of unity as a community," says Noblett. Together with De’Athe-Morris, who both describe themselves as cisgendered gay men, they say this whole campaign was very much co-created with the trans community, not for trans people.

As well as the increase in anti-LGBT+ rhetoric around the world, it was also Pride’s 50th anniversary celebration last year that became the catalyst for this years’ theme, along with Pride’s return to its activist roots. The anniversary was certainly something to celebrate and to look ahead to next 50 years, as De’Athe-Morris says "it really felt like a watershed moment for us, to look back at the amazing progress our community has made”.

Although there’s been much to celebrate, "it’s a shame that even in the first year of the next 50 years, the first thing we’re having to contend with is this narrative," he says, adding: “We have to remember why we’re doing this." And that’s because people of the LGBT+ community are four times more likely to be victims of violent crime, according to UCLA’s Williams Institute, while the Linda Carroll for Reuters Health found people in the community are three times more likely to complete suicide, and the Human Dignity Trust found there are 14 countries which criminalise the gender expression of trans people.

They’re staggering figures that undoubtedly show there’s a need for change and the Pride team realise their position as a platform and the need for it to be used as one. It’s easy to define Pride events as a concert or celebration, "rather than what they really are, and that’s as a protest, so we are returning to our activism roots,” says Noblett.

But that’s not to say activism has to be hard to get involved with. It’s important to understand that activism and protest have many nuances as well. "Just showing up and flying a flag in some places is already an act of protest," says De’Athe-Morris.

The march and activism is calling for the visibility, unity and equality of its members – Pride’s three core pillars. It’s also calling on the community’s allies to not just be fair weather supporters, and instead offer year-round support. For De’Athe-Morris and Noblett, the best way someone can support the movement is to volunteer at Pride, while if you’re an employer, you could implement giving people time off to volunteer, or also make a financial donation to LGBT+ charities , if you have the means to do so. Pride supports the Unity Fund, which "heroes LGBT+ small businesses, community groups and charities which are seeking to make a difference for our community," De’Athe-Morris explains.

The Pride 2023 campaign also movingly highlights allyship with portraits of a handful of LGBT+ people and their allies who have helped them get to where they are. It explains the allies those feautured are marching with, who range from a family member, a friend, or a colleague or their partner. "When we talk about allyship, it’s about supporting people to be the person they were born to be," Noblett says.

It’s an important theme, as right now "trans people feel very alone", says Noblett. According to new research from StoryTerrace, the nation’s leading biographer, a third of LGBT+ Britons feel isolated due to not hearing stories about anyone like them. But "there’s no LGBT without the T", De’Athe-Morris rightly says.

Petra (middle) pictured with her allies, Adrienne and Julie at the WI (Bex Wade)

One person featured is Petra who has found allies within the Women’s Institute (WI) and will be marching with the organisation. She found that other members have been keen to understand her experience, and believes sharing her story will help educate others and help spread the acceptance of trans people even further. The WI also says it’s unofficially accepted trans women for years, but officially for 10 years.

Another is Izémrasen, who says attending Pride as a teenager gave him a sense of belonging. So this year he’s marching at Pride with his own sense of strength and with his mum by his side. He describes his mum as his biggest ally, someone who’s always been supportive and open to listen. Ever since he was little, the pair have shared his two passions – basketball and activism.

Izémrasen and his ally, Alex, playing basketball (Florence Law)

When it comes to some of the reasons Noblett and De’Athe-Morris got involved with the movement and march, Noblett, who joined about 2.5 years ago, says he’s marched with other organisations or friends for a number of years. He marches "because I have a level of privilege within the community, being a white cis man. I think it is important that the voice I have and that opportunity is put to good use.

"I got to march at the front of the parade last year with members of the gay liberation front and just seeing how people responded to them was a really beautiful moment. Just being in that space with people from really different backgrounds, it’s something I would recommend it to everyone.”

De’Athe-Morris joined Pride in his current role in 2021, when Pride In London’s march was postponed. He says he marches as a born and bred Londoner and feels "really passionate that my hometown represents not only who I am but what I see it as," which he likens it to the feeling of collective togetherness he also felt during the 2012 London Olympics.

Quailors was set up in 2020 and helps bring people together and support with work opportunities (Luke Alland )

Another group who will be marching at Pride again this year is Quailors – a group of tailors and those in the crafts industry, from fashion designers to theatre and film costumes designers. It was created in 2020 by James MacAuslan and Andrew Johnson – who have both been in the industry since 2011 – as a way of bringing people together to march at Pride In London. Their first actual Pride march in the capital was last year due to the pandemic, and the group made history by taking an official group from the tailoring industry there.

For them, it was about representing their industry in a diverse way at the event. Historically, the tailoring industry is a very hetrosexual and white male led, explains MacAuslan. Although tailor’s workrooms have always been far more diverse than the front of house.

Their vision was to help attract more diverse and younger people into the trade, who might only think a career in the more diverse area of fashion is the only route for them.

Johnson says they’re marching to "show the tailoring and craft industry in a positive light" and that it’s an industry you shouldn’t "have any fears" about going into if you’re part of the LGBT+ community.

But it’s not just about the march for Quailors, in the same way Pride itself is not only about the one day. The founders also say Quailors is first and foremost about having fun and its socials, which are currently about every three months. There’s also a Whatsapp group which acts as a forum for work opportunities, helping younger people get a foot in the door with a placement, which the duo describe as a "support network" that they’re "really proud of".

Usually the industry is hard to infiltrate, especially if you were "gay or otherwise, it didn’t seem like a very easy trade to get into," explains Johnson. So one of the big incentives for him setting up Quailors was to "try and help give people the help that I didn’t necessarily get". Although nothing like it’s happened since, during an internship in 2008, Johnson said he experienced homophobia on his very first day, after being introduced to the person he’d be working with who said “are you poofy? As we don’t teach that here.” This led him to feeling he had to “play the game a little bit,” and ultimately, “forcing” himself to "avoid going to the pub… or any of the socials’” and not getting to know the work friends he’d made as well, in a bid to not reveal his sexuality.

More positively, the majority of the Whatsapp group are in their 20s too, which MacAuslan says is great within an industry where many are in their 60s, and has long struggled to attract younger people.

Quailors is first and foremostabout having fun at socials, while there’s also a Whatsapp group which acts as a forum (Luke Alland )

Although, as Johnson adds, "to its credit Savile Row itself has changed a lot, probably in the past 20 years. There’s now lots of female tailors where they just weren’t a long time ago."

The Quailors team have gone one step further with their plans this year too, and are creating a Pride event on Saville Row itself on 30 June, ahead of the main march, which includes all of the houses on the famous road. The group continues to grow so successfully, along with a call for more socials, that the duo are now asking for help within the community and want to create a committee to help run the group.

As the interest for groups like Quailors grows within industries, and the LGBT+ community becomes more visible, it’s still important to have the Pride In London march every year. “It’s mad enough that we even have to say that trans people have always been here. As much as, we shouldn’t have to [have Pride], we do. And that’s why pride will continue to exist,”MacAuslan says.

While De’Athe-Morris’ final sentiment is a powerful one. He urges everyone, including allies, to "push for more inclusion, more equity, and ultimately, just a bit more human kindness and compassion. These are people in our communities. These are your neighbours. These are the people you might see in the supermarket. Why on earth are you going to get involved in their private lives unless to say something nice. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all."

Pride In London takes place on 1 July. Keep up to date on social media. Buy tickets for the official Pride post-parade party at Neon, Piccadilly, from £25 for early bird tickets, here. Quailors have space for 80 people at Pride In London, so get in touch if you’d like to join them – it’s open to everyone. The Quailors party is on 30 June. Pride’s Got Talent final takes place on 27 June, buy tickets from £15 here.