Royal Mail unveils kaleidoscopic LGBTQ+ stamps to mark 50 years of Pride in the UK
Royal Mail has issued a set of stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of the first ever Pride march in the UK on 1 July 1972.
The set of eight stamps will celebrate the history-making Pride rally organised by the Gay Liberation Front, that took place from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park, inspired by the first Pride events in New York.
The stamps were illustrated by artist Sofie Birkin, while Royal Mail worked with journalist and author Amelia Abraham, and consulted with Royal Mail’s internal LGBT & Friends Network to create the project.
Royal Mail explained that the stamp sets tell a story of Pride over time, from the first slogans in 1972, “Gay is beautiful”, to the inclusive modern flag the LGBTQ+ community uses today.
David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail said: “The vibrant, colourful Pride events that take place in towns and cities across the UK today trace their origins to a small number of people who marched through central London half a century ago to raise awareness of discrimination and inequality.
“There have been huge changes in laws and social attitudes, but Pride events continue to play a key role in raising awareness of discrimination, as well as celebrating diversity and individualism.”
The first Pride march in the UK was inspired by parades in America, which had taken place to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York. The parade in London even involved a “kiss-in”, where LGBTQ+ attendees took part in mass PDA.
Royal Mail will not be the only ones celebrating the parade’s 50th anniversary. Veterans of the Gay Liberation Front are conducting a protest march for those “who can’t stand” the Tory government along the “exact route” of the 1972 march on 1 July.
A collective statement read that the parade, joined by UK Black Pride, will be taking place outside of the Pride in London event, and that individuals who were part of and who helped organised the “first Pride demonstration” will be joined by “many of our new friends and volunteers that we have made over the years”.
The statement reads: “Gay Liberation Front stands with all forcibly and systemically marginalised people.
“We’re Black, we’re trans, we’re people of colour, we’re white and we’re un-abled. We invite UK Black Pride and Trans Pride, and all who can’t stand what Cameron, May and Johnson have done to this country, to join us.”
