Leeds Pride is an annual
LGBT Pride
In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility o ...
celebration held in the city of
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Leeds Pride is one of the biggest free pride events in the UK.
History
Leeds Pride first took place in August 2006 (then called Leeds Gay Pride) although there had been previous Pride events in Leeds, such as ''Hyde Out'' in 2000 and in the few years before the first Leeds Pride, an informal picnic on Woodhouse Moor. Leeds Pride was supported by the city council and local business with 6,500 attending.
In 2009 the numbers attending the event had almost doubled, to 12000, with over 1,000 participating in the parade.
In its tenth year (2016) the name had changed to Leeds Pride
and it had over 40,000 people in attendance, with the figure expected to grow in year on year.
The 2023 Leeds Pride took place on Sunday 6 August with 175 organisations taking part in the parade, and over 75,000 people in attendance, making it the biggest Leeds Pride ever.
A 2024 policy change caused controversy after the organisation changed their parade guidance to include comments about “specific individuals, beliefs, or political opinions are strictly forbidden". Breaking of this rule could lead to removal from the parade. The activist group Dirty Dykes made a public statement on their Instagram explaining that they wouldn't be attending the event in 2024 due to this policy change. The parade policy was subsequently changed, but Dirty Dykes pointed out this only occurred after parade applications had already closed.
Parade
The parade starts at
Millennium Square Millennium Square may refer to:
*Millennium Square, Bristol
*Millennium Square, Leeds
*Millennium Square, Sheffield
{{dab ...
at around 2.00 pm finishing on Lower
Briggate
Briggate is a pedestrianised principal shopping street in Leeds city centre, England. Historically it was the main street, leading north from Leeds Bridge, and housed markets, merchant's houses and other business premises. It contains many h ...
by
The Calls
The Calls is an area and street by the River Aire in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. This district falls within the City and Hunslet ward of the City of Leeds Council. Formerly an area of industry in Leeds, it has now been regener ...
with a huge party.
[ The economic impact to the city centre of Leeds is approximately £3.8 million.]Rainbow flag
A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum.
History
In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...
. In 2017, the railway viaduct over Lower Briggate was painted in these colours and named ' Freedom Bridge" by Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds has had a council since 1626, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 it has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the ...
and Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...
.
Rainbow plaques
In association with the 2018 event, Leeds Civic Trust
Leeds Civic Trust is a voluntary organisation and registered charity established in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in 1965. Affiliated to the national charity Civic Trust (England), Civic Voice, its stated purpose is "to stimulate public interes ...
announced that it would be expanding its blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
scheme to create a trail of Rainbow Plaques to commemorate those who have contributed to the LGBT+ story of Leeds.Briggate
Briggate is a pedestrianised principal shopping street in Leeds city centre, England. Historically it was the main street, leading north from Leeds Bridge, and housed markets, merchant's houses and other business premises. It contains many h ...
File:Mill Hill Chapel Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 4 on Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel
Mill Hill Chapel is a Unitarian church in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. The building, which stands in the centre ...
File:Cyril Livingstone Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 5 on Hotel Chocolat, Albion Place
File:DV8 Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 6 on the wall of Yorkshire Dance, St Peter's Square
File:Angela Morley Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 7 on the BBC building, St Peter's Square
File:Robert Hawthorn Kitson Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 9 in the entrance to Leeds City Art Gallery
Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a gallery, part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group, whose collection of 20th-century British Art was designated by the British government in 1997 as a collection "of national importance ...
File:Swarthmore Centre Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 10 on the Swarthmore Centre, Woodhouse Square
File:Soft Cell Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 11 on Leeds Beckett University
Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the Leeds city centre, city centre and Hea ...
Student Union building
File:Nicola Adams Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 12 on First Direct Arena
The Leeds Arena (currently known as the first direct bank arena for sponsorship reasons) is an entertainment-focused indoor arena located in the Arena Quarter of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the first in the United Kingdom to have a fa ...
File:Transvestism Conference Rainbow Plaque.jpg, alt=A circular commemorative plaque with a thick rainbow border. The logos of the Leeds Civic Trust and the Leeds LGBT+ Hub are visible near the top. "'Transvestism and Transsexualism in Modern Society'" is written below. Below that is the following text in smaller print: "The seminal conference 'Transvestism and Transsexualism in Modern Society' took place in Leeds University in 1974. Organized by The Beaumont Society, this was the first dedicated conference for trans people. Providing talks, screenings and discussions, it was attended by over 100 academics." The two lines below, in smaller print, read "#RainbowPlaques" and "Supported by @StudioTDH"., Plaque 13 on the Parkinson Building
The Parkinson Building is a grade II listed building in Greek Revival style by Thomas Lodge located at the University of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. The clock tower is the highest point of the building and stands at 57 metres (187 ft) ...
, University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...
File:Section 28 Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 14 on Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library is a public library in Leeds. Situated in the city centre, on Calverley Street, it houses the city library service's single largest general lending and reference collection and hosts the Leeds Art Gallery.
Services avai ...
File:Polari Rainbow Plaque.jpg, Plaque 15 on Leeds City Varieties theatre
See also
* LGBT culture in Leeds
* List of Leeds Civic Trust plaques
References
External links
*
{{Pride parades
2005 establishments in England
Annual events in England
Festivals in Leeds
Leeds City Region
LGBTQ culture in Leeds
Pride parades in England
Festivals established in 2005