The first UK Pride March was held in London on 1st July 1972. It was inspired by the marches that had taken place in the US over the two years beforehand, to mark the Stonewall Riots.
The Stonewall Riots occurred in response to the New York Police Department (NYPD) violently raiding the Stonewall Inn on 28th June 1969 - there were six days of protests by patrons, staff and citizens of the area around the LGBTQ+ venue. By the time the protests ended, gay rights were no longer a sidelined political issue; they were front page news
Pride marches began to take place across the world, often marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
This was not the first gay rights movement, but it is notable for being so widespread, outside of individual regions or countries.
The UK’s Pride marches throughout this period took place in a landscape of crises, from the AIDS Crisis in the 1980s, to the criminalisation of the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in 1988, when the Local Government Act was passed.
Pride became a space for self-expression that was increasingly censored by the government, and to protest this censorship and lack of care for queer issues
Section 28 wasn’t repealed until 2003!
During this time, queer groups continued to organise to fight for their rights, and Pride marches remain central to this organising tradition.
Since 2010, most major UK cities have held Pride marches, but there has been concern amongst queer communities that these have become increasingly commercialised, and complaints that they don’t always reflect the true diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
So, it’s important that we remember the radical origins of the events that we look forward to this Pride month! To never take our rights for granted, and to remember the places across the world where LGBTQ+ groups are still persecuted.