Last Saturday, 2nd July 2022, was this year’s Pride in London. The first to go ahead since the emergence of covid. It also marked 50 years of Pride in the UK and the route for the parade was similar to the one they took in 1972 in the first ever UK Pride event. I was privileged to be there as part of the British Psychological Society (BPS) group in the parade. I always find Pride to be emotional because of how much it is still needed. But being in my first parade with other members of the BPS for the organisation’s first ever Pride attendance in the 50th year of UK Pride proved to really up the ante. 

My Saturday started early because the anticipation had been building for days. I hadn’t been to London for Pride before but I knew what kind of thing to expect and everything was prepped in advance. I knew what I was wearing, which badges/pins I was wearing, how to tie my rainbow rope gauntlets, where I needed to go to meet up with the rest of the group etc. The other BPS members who I was marching with included a mix of psychologists, psychology students and supportive partners. We were a happy mix of identities too. Some had been to many similar events before while some other LGBTQ members of our group were embarking on their first ever Pride. It was truly wonderful to be in an inclusive group of psychologists which was buzzing with excitement, passion and determination.

Our main message was about the opposition to any conversion therapy practices and our commitment to a ban against conversion therapy for all. It’s something that we still do not have and that we are still fighting for. The man who wrote the BPS report submitted to the government calling for a total ban and some very visible trans psychologists were in our group on the day. An important aspect of our presence in the parade on Saturday as well as at future Pride events is to communicate that psychologists can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, m-spec, trans and queer etc too. We are LGBTQ as well as supporting those who are LGBTQ. This is a crucial message to get out to the general population. This is one of the ways that we can help to make mental health spaces more inclusive - by acknowledging and celebrating the fact that LGBTQ people become psychologists and not just focusing on when LGBTQ people need to access mental health support. 

We were later on in the order of the parade so my partner and I managed to see the very beginning of it once it reached Haymarket. The Gay Liberation Front were at the front with some of the people who had been present in that very first parade in 1972. I hadn’t realised they were doing this and found it particularly moving. There was then the longest flag I have ever laid eyes on. I didn’t see much more of the parade because of the necessary prep for joining it but my partner and closest, most loved friend were able to get a good position. They told me where they were so I could find them on my way round the route with the rest of the BPS group. 

I was very pleased to find that the beginning of the route was quieter than the later stages because it allowed me time to settle into the parade and the atmosphere. I had been blowing bubbles which was proving fun for lots of people while also providing me with something to do. After a while though, I had obviously shaken it up too much and it stopped wanting to blow bubbles. So then I started interacting with people watching the parade more. Honestly, looking back, I wish I had just done this from the very beginning. There’s nothing quite like hindsight! It was wonderful to see so many different ages, gender identities & expressions, sexualities, races and ethnicities represented in the crowds. My heart soared when I saw people being genuinely happy and excited to be seen, accepted and celebrated. 

When we got round to just before Piccadilly Circus, the crowds got much bigger. My chest started feeling tighter, I was seeing a sea of people, my nose started to tingle and my eyes were welling up. It was like I was holding back a tidal wave of emotion. Whereas only a few minutes before I had been beaming at everyone, I was now struggling to make my face do what I wanted it to. I was hitting overwhelm. Knowing that even though it would be accepted and understood, I didn’t want to cry there in front of everyone. So I took my own advice and started focusing on just a portion of what was in front of me. No further ahead than a few paces and no further back than two people from the barrier. And it worked. With some effort, I was able to stay present in the way that I wanted to. My own supportive people were in this part of the route that had more people and I think having them there to get hugs from made it easier than if they had been on one of the quieter sections. 

Overwhelm is not unusual for me to experience during Pride. I have had my own personal experiences of stigma, prejudice, discrimination and internalised crap as well as feeling a lot of empathy for others who get shit just for being who they are. I am also passionate about people being treated right but there are always things happening that highlights where this isn’t happening. So deliberately coming together as a community for the purpose of being visible, standing up in solidarity, taps right into all of that. I normally do shed a few tears. This weekend, they were just delayed a bit. 

I was, still am and always will be incredibly grateful for the support I had throughout the day from the two closest people in my life. They never tire of encouraging and cheering me on or picking me up and dusting me off when I fall. They both also give me a kick when I need it. I am able to achieve what I achieve because of them. I am able to help, guide and support my clients in achieving fantastic things because they are there with unwavering love and support for me. To both of them, who are reading this, I want to say a massive heartfelt thank you for being awesome support on Saturday and every day! 

If you are thinking about going to your first Pride event this year, know that it’s OK to feel apprehensive, anxious, a bit scared, a bit out of place or whatever. The beauty of Pride is that all are welcome to wave their flag high and be visible.