Tell PM Boris Johnson: Stop stalling on LGBT+ human rights
London, UK – 15 July 2021
You are invited to join the fabulous historic first-ever Reclaim Pride march – a people’s Pride march for LGBTI+ liberation.
Reclaim Pride London march Saturday 24 July 2021.
Tell Boris to stop stalling on LGBTI+ rights!
Assemble 1pm Great George Street (next to Parliament Square) SW1.
March to Hyde Park for a Queer Picnic. Bring your own food, drink & music.
Reclaim Pride is being sponsored by UK Black Pride, Diva magazine, Lesbian Visibility Week, London Trans Pride, the Peter Tatchell Foundation and Stand Up To LGBTQ+ Hate Crime, with many more LGBTI+ organisations expected to sign up and participate.
Full details
The Reclaim Pride march on Saturday 24 July will leave from Great George Street SW1, on the north side of Parliament Square, soon after 1pm and proceed up Whitehall via Downing Street and the Uganda High Commission in Trafalgar Square. We will pause at these two landmarks to respectively protest against the government’s stalling on LGBTI+ rights and Uganda’s persecution of LGBTI+ people.
This community-led march gets back to the roots of Pride, being both a celebration and a protest for LGBT+ rights, with five key LGBTI+ liberation demands:
Ban LGBTI+ conversion therapy
Reform the Gender Recognition Act
Safe haven for LGBTI+ refugees
Decriminalisation of LGBTI+ people worldwide
Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
Everyone is being asked to wear a face mask and keep socially distanced on the march. The Delta variant is highly contagious.
What to bring: face mask, placard, water, sunscreen, umbrella, picnic blanket, food, drink, sweets and music – and lots of your friends.
The march coordinator, Peter Tatchell said:
“Pride in London has become depoliticised and over commercialised. Reclaim Pride puts LGBT+ human rights back into Pride. Every marcher is urged to bring a placard highlighting a LGBTI+ issue that concerns them. We want to make Pride once again an event where our on-going demands for LGBTI+ liberation can be seen and heard. All LGBTI+ organisations, individuals and allies are invited to participate.
“The Reclaim Pride march replaces the traditional Pride in London parade, which is postponed until 11 September.
“Unlike Pride in London, there is no limit on the number of people allowed to march. No one has to register, pay a fee or get a wristband. Just turn up. We are reclaiming Pride for the community – totally open, egalitarian and grassroots. It will mirror the informality and spontaneity of the first Pride march in 1972, which I and 40 others helped organise.
Linda Riley of DIVA and Lesbian Visibility Week said:
“When Peter Tatchell asked if DIVA would support the Reclaim Pride March and explained the concept, there was no hesitation. The idea of taking Pride back to its roots is one that we’re absolutely behind.
“DIVA has long been a supporter of Pride events, large and small, including Pride In London, who we’ve worked with for many years. This partnership came to an end in 2021, amid claims of institutional racism and allegations that the organisation has lost its way, putting corporates before community.
“We believe that Pride should be for everyone, and accessible to everyone. That’s why we’re supporting the mission to Reclaim Pride. You don’t need corporate sponsors to put on a brilliant Pride event. You can go back to basics. You can do things differently. That’s what Reclaim Pride does.”
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah of UK Black Pride said:
“UK Black Pride is proud to take part in the Reclaim Pride March, which is taking place at an important and critical juncture in all our lives. Perhaps more than ever, racism within and outside of the LGBTQ community is being discussed seriously, and we are here to remind one and all that until racism, transphobia and homophobia are eradicated, there will be no liberation for any of us.”
March route:
After leaving from Great George Street (next to Parliament Square) the Reclaim Pride march will go up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. It will then take a similar route to the UK’s first ‘Gay Pride’ march in 1972: Cockspur Street, Lower Regent Street, Regent Street and Oxford Street, entering Hyde Park at Speaker’s Corner. There it will culminate with a mass “queer picnic” in Hyde Park, just like in 1972, with marchers bringing their own food, drink and music for a post-march DIY party.
NOTE: This is a peaceful lawful protest. We expect no trouble. If any incident arises, please do not be provoked. Ignore trouble-makers. They may want to distract us from our cause and grab attention. Do not give them a victory. Do not respond to their provocations. Carry on marching. Keep the focus on our cause. By attending this march you agree that the organisers will not be responsible for any loss or injury incurred. Because the Covid delta variant is highly contagious, we ask everyone to wear a mask and to main social distancing. Thank you for joining us to protest with passion and peace.