This year Art4Space proudly marched during the Pride in London parade which was held on Saturday 2nd July. It was a significant year for the Pride movement and the LGBTQ+ community as we commemorated 50 Years since the first Pride took place in the United Kingdom. We marched alongside one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies NBC Universal, and Art4Space were responsible for creating the banners which everyone held up proudly, as we walked through the streets of London on the route of the historic inaugural 1972 parade. 
The route began in Hyde Park, where the first post-march picnic took place. This year’s parade was extra-special as it marked 50 years since the very first Pride march in 1972. We set off from Hyde Park Corner, headed down to Piccadilly Circus, and then turned south onto Haymarket and Trafalgar Square, before ending in Whitehall Place. Participation in the parade gave us the opportunity for expression of celebration, joy, and triumph but also the voice to rightly express the continued fight for those injustices and inequalities that still exist amongst us.
The Art4Space team, participants of our Social Action Programme and OUT@NBC staff designed and created handmade banners in a visual riot of colour with slogans of protest such as UNITY – a five-part banner in the colours of the trans flag in support of and unity with the trans community. A huge black and white banner with ‘Respect’ written in large letters, another with ‘Equality’, to promote equal protection for LGBTQ+ communities against hate crime. There was also a banner with the human rights logo to encourage inalienable human rights, tackling violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people around the globe! Others banners had slogans such as ‘Better Together’, ‘Pride is Universal’ and ‘Visibility’. 
Art4Space has been working hard to create a strong inclusion policy and recognises that it’s not all about pride and parties. We have just successfully wrapped up our first ever LGBTQ+ focussed course as part of our Social Action Programme and are excited about the second LGBTQ+ focussed course beginning January 2023! We aim to create a safe space for all LGBTQ+ people and build a community and effective LGBTQ+ network. We recognise that identities are complex and intersectional and celebrate openness by making allyship visible, using inclusive terms and cultivating compassion.
Art4Space understand that it’s an ongoing, ever-evolving journey towards a more inclusive future. That there is no one template for a perfectly LGBTQ+ inclusive community space and inclusivity should be seen as both a process and a goal, rather than a quick fix. John McNair joined our team in October 2021 as LGBTQ+ lead. He facilitated our first LGBTQ+ focussed course and project managed the Art4Space/NBC Universal Pride Banner project 2022. In July 2022, he also became our green policy – sustainability officer, helping Art4Space to work towards a more sustainable future.
