As London slowly reopens, queer lockdown stories to be told on one of the UK’s biggest screens in Piccadilly Circus
Stonewall will display videos of the LGBT+ community in lockdown on the UK’s biggest screen in Piccadilly Circus. (Barry Lewis/InPictures via Getty)
Stonewall will be broadcasting real-life lockdown stories from the LGBT+ community on the giant Piccadilly Circus screen on Wednesday, June 24.
Across the world, LGBT+ people are stuck at home, and many are struggling. Queer youth are locked down with non-affirming families, LGBT+ elders are isolated and lonely, and some of the community are stuck at home with their abusers.
The LGBT+ rights charity has been collecting videos from the community, including from queer celebrities like Sandi Toksvig, Gok Wan and Juno Dawson, to support isolated LGBT+ people and prove that you can still #ComeOutForLGBT while staying home.
So while the LGBT+ community is not able to gather for Pride in London this June, messages of solidarity will be broadcast on the UK’s biggest screen at 2pm on Wednesday, as well as being livestreamed across Stonewall’s social media.
Lucy Devine, director of communications at Stonewall, said: “Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve heard some truly harrowing stories from LGBT+ people about the difficulties they’ve faced while in lockdown.
“Whether that’s spending lockdown in unsupportive or abusive environments, losing work or not being able to access healthcare services, LGBT+ people have been hit hard by the pandemic.”
Devine said the charity worked with independent creative agency Mr President to produce the video “to show LGBT+ people who are feeling isolated that they aren’t alone, and there are so many people out there who support them”.
She continued: “Even though many of the Pride events we all love have been postponed or cancelled that doesn’t make Pride season any less important.
“Pride is about coming together in celebration, unity and solidarity, and that spirit is still very much needed.
“The Black Lives Matter movement in the US and around the globe is a powerful reminder that Pride was and continues to be a protest for equality and liberation for all of us who are oppressed. True equality is a collective struggle.
“So Pride will continue to be an act of defiance where we fight for the equality of every LGBT+ person – from all backgrounds – be that race, gender, class or disability. So please join us and #ComeOutForLGBT today and every day.”
Watch an exclusive preview of the video below.
