Tag Archives: Pride Month

A student’s guide to celebrating Pride in and around Birkbeck

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Sidhant Maharaj is an intersectional queer feminist activist from Fiji, currently pursuing their Masters in Gender and Sexuality Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. 

Greetings, I’m Sidhant! I thought Pride Month would be an opportune moment to explore the vibrant and inclusive community surrounding Birkbeck. London, known for its rich history and diversity, offers an array of activities and events that celebrate LGBTQ+ pride and promote intersectionality.

What is Pride and why is it important?

Pride is an annual celebration of LGBTQ+ identities, cultures, and communities. It originated as a commemoration of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Pride Month, celebrated every June, serves as a reminder of the struggles and triumphs of the LGBTQ+ community, advocating for equal rights, acceptance, and visibility.

Pride is important because it fosters a sense of belonging and community among LGBTQ+ individuals, promoting acceptance and love. It provides a platform to address ongoing issues of discrimination, inequality, and violence against LGBTQ+ people. Pride events and parades are not just festive occasions; they are acts of resistance and solidarity, reinforcing the message that everyone deserves to live authentically and without fear. Celebrating Pride means honouring the past, advocating for the present, and inspiring hope for a future where diversity is celebrated, and equality is a reality for all.

Here’s a guide to making the most of Pride Month in and around Birkbeck.

1. Participate in the London Pride Parade

A rainbow pride flag is being held parallel to the floor as marchers in a pride parade move through crowds.

The annual London Pride Parade is a must-attend event, drawing thousands from around the globe. The parade, known for its exuberant floats, music, and performances, highlights the strength and unity of the LGBTQ+ community. As a student, consider joining one of the university groups marching in the parade, which is a fantastic way to show solidarity and meet like-minded individuals.

As well the flagship pride parade, there are a number of other Pride events that happen annually in London worth looking out for. Check out the links below, to find out the dates and times of each of their main events.

2. Visit LQBTQ+ Cultural Institutions

London is home to several museums and galleries that celebrate LGBTQ+ history and culture:

    • Queer Britain: The UK’s first national LGBTQ+ museum, Queer Britain, located in King’s Cross, celebrates the stories, people, and places that have shaped the queer community.
  • Bishopsgate Institute: Home to the UK’s most comprehensive LGBTQ+ archives, this institute hosts regular exhibitions and talks on queer history.
  • The British Museum: Discover artifacts and stories that illuminate the lives of LGBTQ+ people throughout history. Join their LGBTQ+ tours for a unique perspective. The British museum has a number of Pride events this year, be sure to check them out.

3. Engage with Local LGBTQ+ Organisations

Connecting with local organizations can enrich your experience and provide support networks:

  • Stonewall: A prominent LGBTQ+ rights charity, Stonewall offers volunteer opportunities and campaigns that you can get involved in.

4. Attend Queer Performances and Events

Theatre, performance art and queer safe spaces play a crucial role in LGBTQ+ culture. London offers numerous queer-themed activities:

  • The Common Press: Located in Bethnal Green, The Common Press is a community-oriented space that hosts a variety of events including queer readings, performances, and workshops. It’s a fantastic venue for experiencing grassroots LGBTQ+ culture and arts.
  • The Royal Vauxhall Tavern: A historic venue for drag performances, comedy nights and cabaret shows fostering a lively and inclusive atmosphere.

5. Explore Queer Literature and Bookshops

Literature offers profound insights into the queer experience. Check out these local literary spots:

  • Gay’s the Word: The oldest LGBTQ+ bookstore in the UK, located in Bloomsbury, offers a wide range of queer literature, including fiction, non-fiction, and academic texts.
  • Foyles Bookshop: Located on Charing Cross Road, this iconic bookstore often hosts events featuring LGBTQ+ authors and poets.

6. Participate in Academic Discussions and Workshops

Birkbeck itself hosts various seminars, workshops, and discussions on gender and sexuality:

7. Enjoy Queer Social Spaces and Nightlife

London’s nightlife is diverse and welcoming:

  • Heaven: One of London’s most famous gay clubs, offering vibrant nightlife experiences with themed nights and renowned DJs.
  • Ku Bar: Also in Soho, Ku Bar is known for its friendly atmosphere and fantastic cocktails.

8. Explore Queer Friendly Cafes and Restaurants

Soho, in particular, is brimming with LGBTQ+ friendly eateries:

  • Circa Soho: A stylish gay bar offering great drinks and a lively dance floor.

9. Support Queer Businesses and Initiatives

Supporting local queer-owned businesses and initiatives helps strengthen the community:

  • Pride Pop-Ups: During Pride Month, various pop-up shops and markets feature queer entrepreneurs showcasing their products.

Final Thoughts

As a student at Birkbeck, University of London, you are part of a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive community. Engaging with the activities and events listed above will not only enhance your understanding of LGBTQ+ issues but also help you forge lasting connections. Embrace the spirit of Pride, celebrate diversity, and continue to advocate for equality and intersectionality in all aspects of life.

More information: 

Pride is a time for celebration, protest and solidarity

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As we mark Pride Month and extend our support for the rights and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people worldwide, Sarah Lamble, Reader in Criminology and Queer Theory, writes on the recent backlash against LGBTQ+ rights and the need for international solidarity.

photo of a Pride flag

June is a month of celebration and pride for LGBTQ+ communities, both in Britain and around the world. For many, Pride Month is an important time to reflect on the struggles and achievements of LGBTQ+ communities. Amidst the glittery street parties and marches, the community events and rainbow-emblazoned festivities, it is an opportunity to gather in both queer joy and protest.  As many will know, the origins of Pride Month can be traced back to historic events in June 1969—the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City by working class queers of colour, drag queens, sex workers, and street folk who resisted ongoing police violence and brutality.

While much has changed since then, many of the fundamental problems persist, particularly for those in the LGBTQ+ community facing intersecting forms of economic and social insecurity. Many of the same groups within our communities that were most targeted back then, remain acutely vulnerable to violence, harassment, and discrimination today. In Britain and around the world, LGBTQ+ people are still disproportionately targeted by policing and imprisonment; face high risk of homelessness; persistent discrimination in employment and health care; and are subject to heightened risks of violence, mental health distress and even death because of systemic inequalities.

We are currently seeing a growing backlash against LGBTQ+ rights at home and abroad. Many have raised alarms about the rise of far-right anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-migrant groups across Europe, the anti-homosexuality bill recently passed in Uganda, and the attacks against LGBTQ+ rights in the USA. In fact, so many anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed across US state legislators, that community organisers recently declared an LGBTQ+ state of emergency.

In Britain, LGBTQ+ communities are also facing increasing threat. In a recent country visit to the UK, the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, expressed deep concern about increasing hostilities against LGBTQ+ people. Highlighting rising incidents of harassment and threats of violence against LGBTQ+ people in the UK, Mr Madrigal-Borloz attributed this backlash, in part, to a relentlessly hostile media and the ‘the toxic nature of public debate surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity’. There is much work needed to address this, yet we are moving in the wrong direction. Most recently, British MPs formally considered proposals to amend the Equality Act 2010 that would seriously erode the hard-won rights and protections currently afforded to trans and gender diverse people.

Now, perhaps more than ever, it is necessary to remember that pride is political and the need for cross-movement and international solidarity is paramount. Although our struggles may differ across contexts, we have a shared interest in joining together to combat systemic discrimination and ensure equality and freedom for all LGBTQ+ people.

Further Information:

Rainbow washing: what should we think when every brand seems to support Pride Month?

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With Pride Month becoming increasingly commercialised, Dr Olivier Sibai, Lecturer in Marketing at Birkbeck, University of London, Dr Mimoun, Lecturer in Marketing at the Business School (formerly Cass), and Dr Achilleas Boukis, Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Sussex discuss how brands are engaging with the month of celebration.

A close-up of the rainbow pride-flag

It’s June again, the first heatwave has arrived, flowers are blooming, and more and more rainbow avatars appear on your social media feeds! Yes, it’s Pride Month again and brands won’t let you forget it! As everyone celebrates Pride, brands won’t stop showing their surface-level love and support to position themselves as socially progressive and increase their resonance with their younger audience.  From brands’ rainbow LinkedIn profile picture to Google Doodles, every brand and its neighbor are jumping on the occasion to demonstrate their virtue. Yet, people are not so easily fooled and criticism abounds! Between accusations of rainbow-washing, blog posts wondering whether we can escape the commercialisation of Pride, and lists of brand’s “Pride fails,” consumers show their disapproval vocally.

Our research recently published in Psychology and Marketing uncovers how consumers interpret brands’ LGBTQ+-related support and decide on whether to condemn or to approve them. We show that consumers are more likely to condemn brands as ‘woke-washers’ if they are unable to prove morally competent. Specifically, media and consumers make up their minds on the biggest corporates by assessing such performative acts of allyship through three moral criteria: sensitivity, vision, and integration.

Moral sensitivity — a brand must recognize the moral content of a situation as failure to do so is likely to damage customer satisfaction, customer-brand relations, and brand equity. For example, by posting straight characters walking over the rainbow flag, Disney has proved morally insensitive to the stigma and discrimination that LGBTQ+ individuals are still experiencing in many instances.

Moral vision — a brand must show a clear moral vision when outlining challenges to free speech that help solve problems for markets and society as failure to do so results in brands being dubbed as ‘conformists’ — those who reproduce the dominant moral judgments about what is acceptable to say publicly. While Mattel still shows a lack of moral vision by mostly reproducing mainstream discourses around gender and diversity, it at least shows some moral integration with the launch of gender-neutral Barbie dolls in 2019 followed by the launch of the UNO Play with Pride edition this year (alongside $50,000 donated to the It Gets Better Project).

Moral integration — a brand must have the ability to pursue their moral beliefs in all situations as failure to do so results in brands being dubbed as ‘opportunists’ and ‘fame-seekers’ — manipulating the boundaries of free speech to serve personal interest rather than reform morality. For example, despite sharing the positive experience of its LGBTQ+ staff members, Pfizer demonstrates a lack of moral integration by simultaneously funding anti-gay politicians.

But let’s not despair, some brands have understood the point of Pride Month and, in doing so, further the fight for LGBTQ equity and inclusivity. For example, over the last few year (moral integration), Skittles celebrates Pride Month with a limited-edition Skittles Pride Packs (gray packaging and all gray candies) to emphasize the rainbow visual as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community (moral sensitivity), alongside donation of $1 from each pack to GLAAD.

So has Pride Month just become another branded holiday? Well, it’s not for us to settle. But what we can tell you is how to judge the genuineness of branded communication: evaluate the brand’s moral sensitivity, vision, and integration. While we can condemn the over-commercialisation of Pride Month, the good news is that these branded discourses, whatever their values and intent, still raise awareness of the LGBTQ+ cause and normalize and legitimize its presence in public discourse.

Want to know more? ‘Authenticating Brand Activism: Negotiating the Boundaries of Free Speech to Make a Change’ by Dr Olivier Sibai, Lecturer in Marketing at Birkbeck, University of London, Dr Mimoun, Lecturer in Marketing at the Business School (formerly Cass), and Dr Achilleas Boukis, Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Sussex, is published in Psychology & Marketing.