Houses of Parliament will fly the rainbow flag for London Pride
The rainbow flag will be flown from the Houses of Parliament next month for the first time, PinkNews can reveal.
The Pride flag has been flown in the past from a number of government department, including the Cabinet Office and the Department for Education.
Today it was announced that the flag will be flown from Portcullis House in Westminster – with LGBT group ParliOUT gifting a 12 foot rainbow flag to the Speakers of the Commons and Lords for the occasion. The flag will be flown throughout Pride in London, from June 24-26.
A Parliamentary spokesperson confirmed: “The Houses of Parliament will join the Pride in London celebrations by flying the LGBT rainbow flag from the top of Portcullis House for the entire Pride weekend.
“This is the very first time the rainbow flag has been flown from Parliament and we are delighted to mark the occasion in this way.”
A statement said: “The Houses of Parliament are delighted to be taking part in the Pride in London Parade once again.
“The Pride in London Parade is an annual event for London’s LGBT+ people and a chance to be visible and speak loudly about what they have achieved and what is still needed.
“As well as promoting Parliament as an inclusive employer that is proud to support its LGBTIQ staff, London Pride is a great way to raise awareness of Parliament as a democratic institution that everyone can get involved with and make themselves heard.
“To mark ParliOUT’s fifth entry in the Pride in London parade, the ParliOUT membership raised the necessary money to purchase a rainbow flag to be gifted to Parliament so that this year, the flag could be flown above Portcullis House.”
Commons Speaker John Bercow is a passionate supporter of LGBT rights, and has spoken out for equality on a number of occasions.
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