Pride in London took place at the end of June this year, with more than 30000+ participants in the parade and thousands more lining the streets along the route to spectate and cheer on. There were activities for the public and people partied on the streets in the bars and eateries all over the West End.

With Diversity and Inclusion being a key part of corporate social responsibility and ESG strategies, many companies backed their employees to take part in the parade. Participating companies include Playstation, Bloomberg, Expedia, Deutsche Bank and more, with many parade participants donning company clothing, or riding on floats and buses that displayed the organisation they belong to. To join the parade, companies must join the Pride in the City initiative (PiTC) where they pledge to foster an inclusive workplace and access training on LGBTQIA+ community issues. In this day and age, making employees feel comfortable at work could make the difference in retaining and attracting talent, after all, nobody wants to work where they are not welcomed!

In recent years there has been increasing scrutiny on companies engaging in Pinkwashing, and the PiTC initiative ensures that all participating organisations are dedicated to tackling issues that impact the LGBTQIA+ communities. Despite this, several organisations have decided to withdraw from the event as they believe that the PiTC scheme allows corporations to learn how to leverage engagement with the queer community to generate profit and promote their business rather than building safe spaces within companies and creating an accepting culture. Some even suggested that corporations entries are merely commercial and performative with the aim of pinkwashing their brand and increasing appeal to the queer community.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan at the front of the parade

Pinkwashing aside, the participants did an amazing job of showcasing what being LGBTQIA+ means with their glamorous outfits and well-decorated floats. It is great to see that people are embraced as who they are and I hope the event continues to grow and inspire others in the future.

Author: Mr. Arthur Ip, ICSD UK Chapter , Youth Ambassador