As queers, the coronavirus pandemic has starved us of too much attention, and in 2021 that needed to change. Thankfully, Boris’ optimistic (though slightly hokey) roadmap out of lockdown has promised palpable change by the time summer comes around. How have the LGBTQs of London reacted? Well, it’s Pride time! And to ensure that the annual protest-slash-celebration of queer existence actually has a slight chance of going ahead without it being a superspreader-fest, Pride in London have pushed things back from their usual slot in early July to 11 September.
The co-chairs of Pride in London have announced a statement alongside it. “Now we have the roadmap from the Government, we’re working closely with the Mayor’s office, Westminster City Council and other key bodies in London to finalise what our plans will look like,” it reads. “We’ll be announcing further details of the event, including what format it will take and how to participate or volunteer, in due course. We will continue to monitor and adhere to the necessary health guidance. Naturally we can’t wait to bring all of our wonderful communities together again and stand with them to champion LGBT+ rights across the capital and beyond.”
And while the pushed back event will hopefully see us celebrating with a bang come September, there are also plans for a slightly more low-key affair over the original Pride weekend in early July. There was a palpable sadness when Pride around the world was cancelled last year, forcing queer artists who earned a living from work surrounding the event to move online, diversifying in order to survive. Hopefully, those who managed to weather the storm will be back in front of IRL crowds later this year.
If you’d like to have your say on what Pride in London post-COVID looks like (no cops, we say), you can fill out their survey here. You only have until midnight tonight, but there’s some Deliveroo vouchers up for grabs, so that’s nice.