LCR Pride Foundation has revealed its annual theme for 2022/23 after two years without in-person Pride celebrations being held in the city region.
The new theme, Come Together, celebrates the return of the charity’s flagship event Pride in Liverpool and the annual March with Pride, both which take place on Saturday, July 30. The charity explained that 'come together' speaks to the need for the LGBT+ community and its allies to unite, take action and be heard on issues such as hate crimes, the exclusion of trans and non-binary people from the proposed conversion therapy ban and continued discrimination.
As part of the campaign, the foundation will continue to provide a platform for LGBT+ news, interviews and events through its newsdesk and weekly newsletter. It will also continue to grow its 'You’re Safe Here' training programme, which has already seen more than 70 businesses and venues trained to know how respond to hate crimes and incidents, and deliver further community consultations, like those launched in Halton and Sefton, to ascertain the wants and needs of the community across the six boroughs.
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Andi Herring, CEO and Co-Founder of LCR Pride Foundation, said: “After more than two years of staying apart due to the pandemic is it time for us to come together once again in protest, in celebration and with the intention of working together to improve the lives of LGBT+ in the Liverpool city region and beyond. Our community has faced immense challenges over the past two years, from horrific hate crimes against LGBT+ people, to disproportionate mental health issues due to isolation. While LCR Pride Foundation’s physical events may have been on hold, our work has not.
“Over the past two years we have supported the re-establishment of the city’s pride quarter, the launch of new CMAGIC services improving trans, non-binary and intersex healthcare, artistic responses and intervention alongside Homotopia and Culture Liverpool to address hate crime targeting the LGBT+ community and we continue to see projects funded from our community fund deliver real, lasting change for the LGBT+ community in the city region.
"This year will allow us to ‘come together’ as a community, consolidate all of this work and forge a path forward that will allow LGBT+ people to live their authentic lives visibly, safely and happily in our region.”
In keeping with the theme’s ethos of togetherness and collaboration, the foundation is also supporting events in other parts of the region including St Helens and New Brighton, with details about the events to be announced. More information on the theme, events, initiatives and organisational activities can be found online.
