Elderly veterans of the first UK Pride march in 1972 lead two Pride parades. One on Friday, 1 July, which was the exact 50th anniversary of the first UK Pride. The other was the official Pride in London parade last Saturday, 2 July.
Both were led by Gay Liberation Front (GLF) veterans who organised and marched in the first Pride in 1972.
GLF veterans retraced the exact route of 50 years ago: Charing Cross Road and Oxford Street to Hyde Park.
Peter Tatchell told QX, “This 1972 veterans-led Pride march gets back to the roots of Pride, being both a celebration and a protest for LGBT+ rights, with demands for LGBT+ liberation in the UK and worldwide.”
He was one of about 30 GLF activists who organised the first UK Pride and he has marched in every Pride London parade since. This was be his 51st Pride march in London.
Before the march Peter said, “Pride in London has become depoliticised and commercialised. The veterans march has no corporate sponsors and no police, arms manufacturers or fossil fuel companies. The Home Office and airlines that facilitate the deportation of LGBT+ refugees are not welcome and will not participate. We will put LGBT+ human rights centre stage.
“Unlike the official 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 holding a commemorative Pride march for the LGBT+ community – totally open, egalitarian, grassroots and human rights-focussed. It mirrors the informality and spontaneity of the first Pride march in 1972.”
Thank you to The Peter Tatchell Foundation for use of the photographs.
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 veterans who organised and marched in the UK's first Pride in 1972. ){kind=link}