Pride in London town... the streets are bright, bold and beautifully inclusive

PR Simon Midgley tells us why Pride in London is so important to him
A rainbow flag is draped over scaffolding in London's Soho
Simon Midgely
Simon Midgley11 July 2017

It seems that this year, more so than any other, the great people of London and the amazing businesses across our vibrant city are standing together and giving their rainbow flags a wave in solidarity of equal rights for all.

Shop windows, bars and cafes, building sites and even the humus in one restaurant have all been given a colourful makeover for the celebration of London’s annual gay pride this weekend.

Before I came out as gay, the rainbow flag was always a symbol of happiness and positivity I would admire from afar. I couldn’t be seen with something so flamboyant, people might get the impression I like ‘gay’ things or worse, find out I’m actually a living, breathing homosexual.

Walking through Soho today, 15 years on and now in my 30s, I can truly appreciate what the flag represents. Some will roll their eyes and call it a ‘marketing ploy’ or ‘PR stunt’ but for me I see acceptance, celebration and a strong sense of pride that unfortunately didn’t necessarily exist until recently. I see appreciation and gratitude to those who marched and were beaten down at prides gone by, I see mothers and fathers accepting children for who they are inside and not the roles society expects, but best of all I see hope for others who are conflicted and torn inside about the feelings they have about who they are and what their sexual preferences might be.

Terrible, disgusting acts of homophobia and prejudice are still occurring to this day. In more than 70 countries it’s still illegal to be gay… illegal to be normal… unlawful to be who you are…

But the message throughout London and the colourful streets of Soho is loud and clear: #LoveHappensHere

Simon Midgely is a PR and freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter here @SimonMidgelyPR

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