Pride in London 2022: Parade to retrace route of original march for 50th anniversary
Pride in London will commemorate its 50th anniversary by retracing the route of the historic 1972 march during this year’s celebrations.
It will commence at Hyde Park and end at Whitehall Place, it was confirmed in an announcement on 6 April. The route will see those participating pass historic LGBTQ+ sites in the capital, including Trafalgar Square which was the terminus for the 1972 march. “For fifty years, Pride has been a visible cultural protest that brings the LGBT+ community and its allies together in solidarity,” said Christopher Joell-Deshields, Executive Director of Pride in London. “It is important to recognise the activists who were brave enough to come out in 1972 to march for our liberation and pave the way for the rights we enjoy today.
Early organisers took inspiration from the US civil rights group, the Black Panthers, a reminder that despite their differences there was a collective fight for the oppressed.” Pride in London has already received 40,000 applications for the event, which marks its first since 2019 due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrew Lumsden, one of the original members of the Gay Liberation Front, added: “Taking the same route that we marched along in 1972 is a historic statement of how far we have come. “Pride began all those years ago as a way for us to come out to society and ourselves, and be loud and proud about our LGBT+ identity.” As well as celebrating the community, Pride in London is also calling on the government to implement an array of measures to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the UK.
