London came out in force on Saturday to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride. As many as 1.5 million people hit the streets to watch a parade through the city centre commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Around 600 community groups, organisations and businesses took part in the parade itself. Ahead of Pride in London, the presence of huge corporate brands including Tesco and Barclays at an event rooted in protest and oppression led to accusations of "pink washing". The extent to which some brands are how "cashing in " on Pride celebrations was also called into question.
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However, for many of the 30,000 people marching, the parade remained an important blend of LGBTQ+ celebration, visibility and unity.
Little Mix stars Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall underlined their LGBTQ+ allyship by marching with Mermaids, a charity with supports trans and gender diverse young people and their families, and UK Black Pride, the annual event for LGBTQ+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern descent.
They also marched alongside Stonewall, the UK's leading LGBTQ rights charity. "If you're going to talk the ally walk, you better walk the ally walk," the duo wrote in an Instagram caption.
Little Mix have consistently "walked the ally walk" in the past. In 2017 Thirlwall held a drag-themed birthday party in which she donated to Stonewall and teamed up with the charity to create party bags with a pro-LGBTQ+ message.
Sharing photos of their marching group on Twitter, Mermaids wrote: "Despite the obstacles trans children and young people have to overcome, for those on the Pride in London parade today, this will be a day to remember."
This is what it’s all about:
— Mermaids ??♀️ (@Mermaids_Gender) July 6, 2019
Diversity
Celebration
Visibility#Pride
Despite the obstacles trans children and young people have to overcome, for those on the @PrideInLondon Parade today, this will be a day to remember!
Give them a big cheer! ???#PrideInLondon #TogetherInPride pic.twitter.com/Y0DDd8wmJX
Familiar faces including Sam Smith and Sir Ian McKellen also joined the march. "I have truly never felt this proud to be queer," Smith, who recently came out as non-binary, wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, London's Mayor Sadiq Khan marched alongside the city's Night Czar and LGBTQ+ activist Amy Lamé.
Many Londoners will celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride again on Sunday at UK Black Pride, a huge free celebration in Haggerston Park featuring a headline performance from singer-songwriter MNEK.