It’s a peculiar sensation to walk down the Headrow in Leeds City Centre and have thousands of people cheering, smiling, and celebrating your presence. And before you ask, no, this wasn’t a fever dream about winning the Oscar for Best Actor. Instead, it was a very real and much more wholesome experience.
Generation in Leeds were thrilled to be joined by our friends at Leeds Digital as we marched in the Leeds Pride parade for 2023. In what was a first-time for both organisations, we spent an afternoon being thoroughly uplifted (overwhelmingly so, at times) as we toured this beautiful city and felt its embrace.
Over the last few months, Generation have been working to ensure our practices are as inclusive as possible for folks in the LGBTQ+ community. Firstly, through staff training geared toward supporting trans and non-binary applicants and ensuring they receive the right support and communication throughout their journey with Generation. We’ve also hosted ‘Lunch and Learns’ – short lunchtime online sessions focused on exploring topics outside your usual area – with a session dedicated to the complex and vibrant history of trans and gender-fluid identities across the globe. And so, marching in the Pride parade felt like a positive next step in demonstrating our solidarity as an organisation dedicated to increasing opportunities for underrepresented communities.
But it quickly became something much bigger than that. To understand why, you first need to recognize how hostile the current landscape is for many people who are LGBTQ+, and specifically for our trans and non-binary friends/family/colleagues. The last 10 years has seen a marked shift toward widespread acceptance and celebration of trans identities across society, but mainstream media would have you thinking otherwise. On average, national newspapers such as the Daily Mail, The Times etc., have been publishing approximately 1000 articles about trans people (online and print) per month. The majority of these are negative, steeped in misinformation and moral outrage, and not a single one written by a trans person. There are reasons behind this craven push for such divisive content, but the sad reality is that many of us in the community (and the allies paying attention) have seen it all before. The societal ‘panic’ about trans lives is the same manufactured ‘concern’ that was circulated about gay men and lesbians in the 80’s and 90’s. Only this time, it’s our trans friends/family/colleagues being targeted by newly formed trans-exclusionary radical groups. And the hatred runs deep.
The time for paying lip-service to the push for equality has long since passed. We’re seeing a real-time increase in hate crimes committed toward trans and gender-fluid people. From research conducted by Stonewall, we know 1 in 8 trans employees have been physically attacked by a colleague or customer in their workplace, and 51% of those polled had hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination. The sad realization here is that for some people, simply being trans presents a barrier for their career development. So once again, massive areas of talent are being overlooked.
Thankfully, other organisations and employers in the region are beginning to recognize the importance of showing up for LGBTQ+ communities. We saw so many allies and friends from the tech and digital scene cheering us on as we walked along the city-wide route, which served as a pleasant reminder of that ‘Yorkshire welcome’ on offer in the region.
Our friends at Jet2 and Leeds Digital also took the plunge and joined the Leeds Pride parade for the first time this year.
“Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are proud to be a sponsor of Leeds Pride 2023. This wonderful event celebrates the diversity in our great city, and as a major employer, as well as a company that takes so many local people on their holidays, we want to show our continued support for the LGBTQ+ community. It will be fantastic to celebrate together, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the parade.
On Sunday 6th August we sponsored and took part in our very first Leeds Pride Event! The day was a wonderful celebration of all things Pride, standing shoulder to shoulder with our fantastic colleagues. The atmosphere during the day was electric and our incredible branded Jet2holidays float was a huge crowd pleaser. We also had a stall on Lower Briggate where our fabulously friendly Recruitment team were chatting to those interested in joining our inclusive, supportive company.”
Jet2 official statement
“The whole Leeds Digital team was thrilled to be invited to join Generation in the Leeds Pride parade this year. Recent global events have made it more important than ever for us to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community – in Leeds and beyond – and it was incredible to celebrate LGBTQ+ rights with our friends and neighbours across the city.”
Alex Cole – Marketing and Events Manager, Leeds Digital
As I mentioned, it’s a peculiar sensation to walk down the Headrow to cheering crowds. It’s especially humbling to juxtapose this memory with others from my youth. Memories of shopping on Briggate as a young teen and facing weekly examples of homophobic abuse just for existing. Despite recognition of the privilege I experienced as a cis white male (then and now), those memories remain etched in my brain. But the memories of cheering crowds and the overall atmosphere of love and inclusivity during Leeds Pride will likely stick with many of us who marched for some time to come.