Hackney Town Hall raises inclusive rainbow flag for the first time to mark Pride week
The Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, has raised the inclusive rainbow flag over the town hall to mark the start of Pride Week, which runs from 28 June to 5 July
For the first time, the Council will be flying the inclusive rainbow flag - which includes extra colours to represent queer people of colour and trans people - in recognition of the diversity and intersectionality of the borough’s large lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, plus (LGBTQIA+) community.
With this year’s Hackney Pride 365 events programme put on hold due to coronavirus, the Council will instead support Pride Inside, a nationwide, online series of events organised by Amnesty International, UK Black Pride, Stonewall and ParaPride featuring gigs, comedy shows, panel discussions, and arts-based events.
Highlights from Pride Inside, Hackney Pride 365 and the borough’s vital LGBTQIA+ venues and community groups will be posted across Council and Hackney Pride 365 social media channels throughout the week.
It will also be a time to reflect on the Hackney Pride 365 programme to date, which was developed in partnership with our LGBTQIA+ community, with groundbreaking results.
These include welcoming UK Black Pride - Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean heritage LGBTQIA+ people - to the borough in 2019. And Faggamuffin Bloc Party, the first-ever carnival sound system, run by and for queer people of colour. After a successful debut at Hackney Carnival in 2018, the collective has secured £35,000 grant from Arts Council England to develop an online platform for queer black DJs, performers, artists and creatives in 2020.
“Pride has its origins in the spirit of political protest so raising the inclusive rainbow flag for the first time adds vital visibility to our borough's commitment to equality, especially when trans rights are under attack and we need to reiterate that all LGBTQIA+ Black Lives Matter.
With social gatherings on hold, this year’s Hackney Pride 365 will sadly not go ahead, but we’ll use this time to reflect on what progress we’ve made and what we can do to support our LGBTQIA+ community going forward as new challenges are met due to the coronavirus pandemic.
We know how important our cultural spaces and health resources are to our LGBTQIA+ residents and acknowledge the threat they now face. This is why we’ll use our online resources to support and signpost the important work they do, alongside the excellent program of events at Pride Inside. I look forward to raising the flag on Sunday and to working with our community to curate an exciting Hackney Pride 365 in 2021.”
A full rundown of highlights from previous Hackney Pride 365 programmes can be found on a newly updated Council web page. Here you can see more information on Council initiatives to inspire inclusivity across the borough including gender-neutral toilets at London Fields Lido, rainbow crossings in prominent places, and partnering with leading LGBTQIA+ businesses and event organisers like Fringe! film festival, Too Black Too Queer, Queer Tours of London, The Glory, and vFd.
Hackney’s focus on our LGBTQIA+ community starts from the inside out. Taking this ‘downtime’ from event delivery during lockdown, the Council hopes to further develop its LGBTQIA+ staff forum to work with the community to develop the Hackney Pride 365 programme for 2021.
Notes for editors:
Pic: The Speaker of Hackney Cllr Kam Adams and Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills and Human Resources Cllr Carole Williams raise the inclusive rainbow flag over Hackney town hall. + Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville with UK Black Pride co-founder Lady Phyll at UK Black Pride 2019 in Hackney.
The Mayor will raise the inclusive Pride rainbow flag over the Hackney Town Hall on Sunday 28 June at 10.30am.
Keep up to date on everything that’s happening by following Hackney Pride 365 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Anyone with ideas for events or projects that could be part of Hackney Pride 365 in 2021, should email: jane.young@hackney.gov.uk