Rainbow Flag Flies at Houses of Parliament for First Time

On Tuesday, the rainbow flag flew high above the UK’s Houses of Parliament for the very first time in celebration for London’s upcoming Pride weekend.  Per Pink News David Geary, Head of Political Engagement for Pride in London, said:

“It was in the Houses of Parliament that homosexuality was decriminalised, equal consent laws were introduced, the bigoted Section 28 was repealed, where civil partnership and ultimately equal marriage were adopted. This powerful institution, right at the heart of British democracy has become a powerful tool for equality in recent times.The rainbow flag flying above serves as a testament to this legacy and a reflection of how far we have come as a community – with more LGBT+ politicians than any other country in the world.”

The flag was gifted to Parliament from LGBT group ParliOUT and will fly through June 26. ParliOut will also be marching in the Pride Parade this weekend. Some 75+ Parliamentary staff members have signed up to march in the parade. They will be wearing Houses of Parliament t-shirts along with white roses in memory Member of Parliament Jo Cox, who was killed earlier this month. Rob Truelove and Jenny Radcliffe, Co-Chairs of ParliOUT said: “On behalf of all ParliOUT members, we would like to thank Mr Speaker and the Lord Speaker for their full support, as well as all ParliOUT members who generously donated money to buy the LGBT+ rainbow flag as a gift to Parliament. While we recognise that there is still more to do, this is a very positive symbol of how far we have come in becoming a more inclusive workplace.”