Words by Smiley Team
The UK public is four times more likely to feel positively towards LGBT people than they are negatively, according to new research by Stonewall UK. "Homo/bi/transphobia is now restricted to a tiny, intolerant minority," they say.
Kicking off Pride Month, 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in the UK, when LGBTQ+ people and their allies arrived in London to protest a society where they didn't feel safe to be themselves.
Stonewall's latest report – Take Pride – gives a snapshot of the UK today: "A country that is proud to be inclusive, whose public embrace and support their LGBTQ+ neighbours, colleagues, friends and family," they say.
"Such a turnaround in public sentiment would have been unthinkable 50 years ago when a few hundred people arrived in London on 1 July 1972, to protest a society where LGBTQ+ people were not safe to be ourselves."
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This month, the charity – which stands for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people everywhere – is calling on the "silent majority" to #TakePride, and stand up for LGBTQ+ rights, sending a message to our leaders that the UK is a place of pride.
"We want to show [leaders] that we want to live in a world where no one is discriminated because of who they are or who they love," they say.
At the end of Pride Month 2022, Stonewall will be sending the list of pledge signatories to Boris Johnson, Nicola Sturgeon, and Mark Drakeford, asking them to show leadership to progress rights for LGBTQ+ people.
PLEDGE: Take the first step and add your name to the Stonwall #TakePride pledge.
SUPPORT: You can support the work of Stonewall by donating.
