The athlete and singer, who both recently came out as gay in public, shared their excitement at being part of what the London mayor’s office described as the biggest Pride in the capital ever.
Crowds – which according to Sadiq Khan’s office consisted of more than one million celebrants – in rainbow colors and with face paint, glitter, jewelery and sequins gathered on Saturday for what is also the first Pride in London since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Floats lined Park Lane ahead of the capital’s main march, led by Gay Liberation Front (GLF) activists with placards saying “I was there in 1972” and that they are “still fighting” for global LGBT + freedom.
Uniforms of the Metropolitan Police do not take part in this year’s parade after the power acknowledged concerns of the LGBT community in the wake of judicial inquests that concluded that police failures “likely” contributed to the deaths of young men who was killed by serial killer Stephen Port.
As part of what the organizers call the “biggest and most inclusive event in history”, a series of artists perform across four stages around central London.
Sande, who is among those on the entertainment bill, posted a story on her Instagram showing her and her partner, classical pianist Yoana Karemova, on their way to sound test, and later in Trafalgar Square, where preparations for the day’s musical the corridor was. extravagance.
Sande has previously said that she is driven to come out in public by an urge to be “bold and honest” in everything she does, and that although she was “nervous” about the decision, she also wanted “from shouting off the roofs and celebrating “their relationship.
Lady Kelly posted a picture of herself online wearing a long multicolored outfit with a Pride flag with the hashtag “being me” – a nod to an ITV documentary in which she appeared to tell her story.
Lady Kelly addressed the crowd in Trafalgar Square before introducing Sande, promising that she would “never stay behind that curtain again” after coming out as a gay woman.
This morning presenter Phillip Schofield, who spoke in early 2020 about “processing the fact that I’m gay”, walked with Dame Kelly during the parade.
This year’s parade, from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall, paid tribute to the original 1972 march.
More than 600 LGBT + community groups joined the march, which saw the route pass through key areas of the UK’s first LGBT + movement.
Mohammed Nazir (24) from Bangladesh, of the campaign group Rainbows Across Borders, said he wanted to dedicate this year’s pride to those who are forced to still hide their sexuality.
He told the PA news agency: “Pride is about self-affirmation, dignity and equality. It’s a way to meet other LGBTQ people. Pride is a movement where we still fight for our rights. ”
Mr Khan said there was still a “danger” to the LGBT + community of “discrimination, prejudice and violence”, and warned of being “complacent”.
He said: “This year is the 50th anniversary of Pride, to celebrate this community, to celebrate the progress that has been made, but also to continue campaigning and never be complacent.”
The London Gay Men’s Chorus, which took part in the march, described an assault on one of its members and his partner in the early hours of Saturday morning as a “terrible attack”.
A man has been arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of having seriously injured in what the force said it considered a homophobic hate crime.
The choir said the attack “only serves to underline the importance of fighting homophobia and all forms of discrimination”.
Meanwhile, Pride participants told of their relief to march and celebrate again after the pandemic.
Stephen Sanders said he “has really missed Pride over the last two years, of course with Covid, so it’s good to be back and celebrate the 50th anniversary”, while Padraigin Ni Raghillig, who led her Harley-Davidson in the Pride -parade ridden as president of Dykes on Bikes London, said it feels “fantastic” to be back after lockout.
Pop star Ava Max will close the show on Trafalgar Square stage, while other artists will include Eurovision winner Netta, Samantha Mumba and Kat Graham.
All proceeds from commercial partnerships are reinvested in the LGBT + community, such as through the Unity Fund, which aims to build stronger communities by providing one-off grants to grassroots groups, organizers said.
Meanwhile, public health officials have urged people not to attend Pride events if they have monkey pox symptoms or feel unwell.