Rainbow flag flies from Houses of Parliament for the first time in history

The rainbow flag has been raised from the top of Parliament’s Portcullis House for the first time in history.The flag will fly until the end of the Pride in London Festival on the 26 June, while the British Parliament will also take part in Saturday’s Pride in London parade, marching alongside a red double decker bus.David Geary, Head of Political Engagement for Pride in London said: “It was in the Houses of Parliament that homosexuality was decriminalised, equal consent laws were introduced, the bigoted Section 28 was repealed, where civil partnership and ultimately equal marriage were adopted. This powerful institution, right at the heart of British democracy has become a powerful tool for equality in recent times. “The rainbow flag flying above serves as a testament to this legacy and a reflection of how far we have come as a community – with more LGBT+ politicians than any other country in the world.“ UK Parliament_Jessica Taylor

This year’s theme for London Pride is #NotFilter. In keeping with the theme, Parliament representatives on the march will be asking crowds to take selfies with a ‘Get on board! #DoDemocracy’ placard in front of the bus, which will be at Portland Place from 11am on Saturday.

In tribute to last week’s tragic shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida, ‘Remembering Orlando’ will be displayed where the stop names unusually appear, while ‘Love Wins’ will replace the destination sign at the front of the bus.

More than 75 Parliamentary members of staff have signed up to march in the parade, which begins at 1pm in central London. They will be wearing Parliament branded t-shirts and have white roses in memory of Jo Cox MP.

Words: Darren Mew

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