pride 2011: letter
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
what is pride?
Pride London is a charity run entirely by volunteers, and funded through sponsorship, grants, and public donations. The event is free for everyone to attend.
donate!
Last year, Pride London collected £682.68 from the general public during the parade part of the London Pride Events on 3 July 2010. Many thanks to all contributors, this year the charity aims to rais more to keep London Pride free, so dig deep. Pride London is a Registered Charity (No: 1104774).
PeoPle sometimes ask me whether we still need Pride london. they tell me that following the new equality laws, and since lesbian and gay PeoPle can enter into civil PartnershiPs, we have achieved everything we set out to achieve 39 years ago, when the first gay Pride march took Place in london.
we have undoubtedly made huge progress over the past four decades and lgbt people are now much freer to be who they want to be with many of us in loving civil partnerships. however, three things have proved to me why Pride london is still important, still relevant and still fighting. recently, we saw the tragic murder of ian
baynham in a homophobic attack which took place in trafalgar square: the very heart of london – a city many people say is a place where it is completely safe to be gay or transgendered. the attack was a shocking reminder that this is not the case. there are still pockets of hateful individuals who are unwilling to accept that being lgbt is normal and that lgbt people are equal, proud and making a huge contribution to societies here and around the globe. more recently, Pride london has been campaigning to get the unfair and unjust ban on gay men giving blood overturned. the ban stems from the 1980’s and, whilst it may have been right back then, thirty years later it is no longer based on the latest science, is not fit for purpose and needs to be removed. as part of our campaigning, we carried out
GUide 5 Pride
london 0 • 2011
a study among gay men which found that 95% would give blood if it were permitted. this equates to around two million extra donors at a time when nhs blood and transplant is spending taxpayers’ cash on advertising to attract new donors. we will continue to fight against the ban.
finally, this year we have once again witnessed the brutal oppression of lgbt people trying to organise and take part in Pride Parades in capitals around the world. in moscow, we saw police break up the parade, beating and arresting those taking part and sending out a clear message that it is not ok to be gay in russia. we should also not forget that being gay in 76
countries around the world is still illegal and in 7 even punishable by death. the idea of organising a Pride Parade in these countries must feel like a distant dream. these are just three examples of why hundreds
of volunteers give up their time to help make Pride london happen and it is the reason why i believe Pride london continues to be so important. throughout this guide you will find out
everything you need to know about this year’s event. we have a fantastic series of events and i am delighted that you will be joining us to play your part in our fight for equality, freedom and respect for lgbt people here in london, across the uk and around the world.
have a great time, and thank you for joining the carnival of love! paul Birrell chair, pride london
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