Date and theme of Pride in London 2014 announced
London LGBT+ Community Pride has confirmed that the Pride in London Parade 2014 will take place on Saturday 28 June and the theme will be “Freedom to …”
Chair of Pride in London, Michael Salter said: “Our theme for 2014 is ‘Freedom to…’. Freedom to… be ourselves, love who we want, change society, live without fear, be an Olympic medal winner… Whatever the Freedom is that you cherish, this is the chance to celebrate it.”
At an open meeting on the 10 December there will be a report back on the delivery and success of the 2013 festival. It was the first time London LGBT+ Community Pride had organised the event.
Mr Salter added: “The response to Pride in London 2013 was amazing! 150 groups made up the Parade that closed Europe’s busiest shopping street; 65,000 enjoyed the entertainment in Trafalgar Square and hundreds of thousands more took part across the West End as we celebrated Love (and Marriage).
“We want the 22-29 June 2014 to be an even bigger and more powerful expression of the vitality of the LGBT+ community in London. Pride is a platform for groups to continue the campaign for equality whilst also celebrating the strength of our community and the ties that bind us together.
“London is a global city so it is also a chance for the LGBT+ community here to send a message to the wider world. We are asking everyone to think about how they can contribute whether by volunteering, organising events or creating a parade group. It all starts now!”
Next year’s Pride will coincide with the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York.
The riots that occurred at the Stonewall bar in New York on 28 June 1969 are widely considered to be the single most important event that helped establish start of the modern LGBT rights movement.
Along with gay and bisexual men and women, trans men and women were part of the uprising, which started as a result of continuous police harassment and violent raids.
