On Saturday, more than a million people attended what is believed to be London's biggest ever Pride parade. This year's event was extra special because it marked the 50th anniversary of the inaugural 1972 Pride march.
Organised by the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), the 1972 march was attended by around 700 people, paving the way for Pride to become an annual celebration of progress, protest and solidarity for the UK's LGBTQ+ community. Poignantly, a number of GLF stalwarts took part in yesterday's parade, too, holding placards that read: "I was there in 1972."
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50 years ago they marched. Today they march again. #AllOurPride #GLF pic.twitter.com/jvY6Qz1LDA
— Pride in London (@PrideInLondon) July 2, 2022
Still, Saturday's parade was a truly multi-generational affair which welcomed LGBTQ+ folks and allies of all ages. Among the marchers were the cast of Heartstopper, the hit Netflix series that has been widely praised for its sweet and sensitive depiction of young queer lives.
In a clip that has gone viral on social media, Heartstopper cast members Joe Locke, Jenny Walser, Kit Connor, Sebastian Croft, Tobie Donovan, Corinna Brown and Kizzy Edgell are seen coming into contact with anti-LGBTQ+ protesters on the parade route.
They dealt with their presence in an entirely appropriate way: by dancing joyously to Whitney Houston's LGBTQ+ anthem "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" while giving the homophobes the middle finger.
Sharing the clip on Twitter, Sky News journalist Scott Beasley wrote: "The stars of Heartstopper absolutely loving it as anti-LGBT protesters are challenged by a young Pride supporter."
The stars of Heartstopper absolutely loving it as anti-LGBT protesters are challenged by a young Pride supporter #Pride pic.twitter.com/7uUwaG9MXW
— Scott Beasley (@SkyScottBeasley) July 2, 2022
In a subsequent tweet, cast member Kit Connor declined to take credit for drowning out the anti-LGBTQ protestors, pointing out that his cast mates Joe Locke and Sebastian Croft were "front and centre" when it happened.
uhhh I was videoing and screaming at them but please don’t be mistaken, it wasn’t ’Kit Connor and the rest of the cast’, it was @joelocke03 and @SebastianCroft front and centre. Please give them the credit for doing something so powerful. https://t.co/SjvJFCHwKD
— Kit Connor (@kit_connor) July 2, 2022
The UK's LGBTQ+ community will gather again next Saturday, 9th July, for London Trans+ Pride, an event designed as a "response to the injustices that trans+ people face daily, all over the world".