UCL Events Blog: UCL at Pride in London 2017

It was a fine sunny afternoon for a parade.

As I got nearer to Regents Park tube station, I could spot other marchers, identifiable by their colourful drag outfits or matching T-shirts printed for the occasion.

Our group gathered in Regents Park and the excitement was palpable with introductions between out@ucl members who hadn't met, people's partners and family members, friends and allies of the network. We were an incessantly jolly and diverse bunch, representing different UCL faculties, staff groups, cultural backgrounds and genders and looked rather excellent in our matching and stylish out@UCL t-shirts.

We headed towards the start of the parade and it was fun to see the various parade groups around us. It seems there is a group for everyone! Each group had their own identifying lollipop and we could see the Pagan Federation, the Unitarian Church, Tideway (a construction company with a powerful sound system), Ebay, Itsu, UCLH a few rows in front, London International Lesbians (LIL), London Otters Rowing Club, Rethink Mental Illness and Puppy Pride (look it up!) to name just a few.

We were waiting in the sunshine for over 2 hours, which was a little frustrating when you're psyched up to get going, but it was also an opportunity to get to know other members and admire the many costumes and decorated buses. There was even a 'Punk Pride' bus keeping us entertained for a while.

UCL representation

Throughout the afternoon lots of LGBTQ+ UCL students came up to us to say how delighted they were to see UCL represented and to have their photo taken next our banner and see if we had any more UCL t-shirts. I think it really meant a lot to them to know their university cares about LGBTQ+ equality and wants the world to know about it.

We were one of several others universities marching as well as Imperial College, Kings College, South Bank University, Middlesex University, the University of the Arts and the Francis Crick Institute.

There has been a fair bit of criticism this year that London Pride has become too corporate. This may well be the case but it didn't stop it from being a genuinely touching and celebratory occasion.

What I found most moving were the religious groups who were carrying banners with warm, and often funny, messages of love and inclusion, so that LGBTQ+ people of faith don't feel they have to choose between their religious identity and their sexuality or gender identity. There were even Christian parents of LGBTQ+ people towards the end, and it's fantastic they chose to have a public presence too. There's a story behind every banner.

Walking down Regents Street was exhilarating as the crowd were full of energy and giving us high fives and shouting 'U.C.L.'. It was noticeable that people from all different backgrounds were there and I found it pleasantly stereotype-busting to see who was cheering us on, from people in religious dress to older people who would have remembered when gay sex was legalised, 50 years ago.

At the end we had a well-deserved sit down and a drink in a quiet pub and a toast for everyone's participation and energy. Here's to Pride 2018! Join us!

• Image courtesy of Shaun Waldie

Sarah Guise, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion