The Pride In London(PIL) advisory board has made a recommendation that London’s pride should focus more on bisexual people, including making the next pride’s theme Bisexuality.
A report from the PIL’s Independent Community Advisory Board has suggested that future prides need to focus on the bisexual, BAME and other marginalised groups.
The report made several recommendations that PIL needed to ingrate BAME (Black Asian and minority ethnic) LGBT+ people in all areas of pride, not just at UK Black Pride – which is a separate event that takes place on the Sunday after the main event on the Saturday.
Their suggestion is:
“Full involvement and integration of BAME LGBT+ people into Pride in London is essential to achieve a cohesive and inclusive event, and recommends that the best way to achieve this is to support and resource UK Black Pride, and ensure that BAME LGBT+ people are represented not just at Pride in the Park, but on all stages and in all Pride events”.
The report also suggested that more marginalised groups, should be given “pride of place” at the parade. The report also suggested that PIL should follow the example of Tel Aviv Pride, where the theme for the year was bisexuality.
The report reads,
“Pride in London should follow the example of Tel Aviv Pride this year, by making bi people the central focus of the Pride Parade in 2018 or 2019, which would require full engagement of bi people and groups in both planning and execution. Going forward, it may be appropriate that each year, one of the more marginalised sections of London’s LGBT communities – for example, BAME, bi, trans, and intersex people – should, on rotation, be given pride of the place in the Parade”.
This year’s theme for Pride In London was Love Happens Here.
The board’s Chair, Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett said,
“After each Pride in London, the Independent Community Advisory Board sit down to discuss if this year’s event has achieved its objectives. When I took over as Chair in February 2016, I made diversity and intersectionality my priority.
“We have asked members of LGBT+ communities, both individuals and respected third party organisations, to give us their view in writing so we have evidence and documentation to back up our assertions.
“For every criticism in the report, and there are many, we have suggested a reasonable and practical solution, and where we think further transparency and openness is required, we have asked to see those conversations brought to the CAB well in advance of any decision.
“We also felt that there has been significant disquiet across the LGBT+ communities, around Pride’s corporate nature, lack of inclusion, bad handling of sensitive intersectionality issues and it felt that we needed to live up to the expectations of the role and that is providing a frank but honest report on the experiences not only from CAB members but also opinions across our communities.”
THEGAYUK reached out to Pride In London for comment.
