Glasgow Pride gets the go-ahead for LGBTQ+ march this September

An in-person procession for Glasgow Pride has been given the go-ahead this year.

LGBT+ communities in the city will take part in one of only three such marches planned across the UK this year – the others will be taking place in Manchester (August 28) and London (September 11).

The Glasgow march will proceed on September 4, having been cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

Daniel Syme, chairman of the organising committee, said: “Covid-19 has been so tough for everyone, but particularly the LGBT+ communities as we have seen a large increase in hate crimes in Scotland and also the rise of brutality and removal of legal rights across eastern Europe.

“It is no surprise that LGBT communities have seen some of the sharpest rises in mental health decline and, tragically, suicides.

“It is therefore right that we hold a march to show people they are not alone and also give our allies the chance to march with us and show support for equality.”

Glasgow Pride march in 2019 picture: John Devlin

Last year, Glasgow’s Pride joined with other groups for a special online global event which had 57 million viewers worldwide.

Many other pride events have been forced online due the the pandemic, including celebrations organised for June this year – Pride month.

Figures from the Scottish Government show there were 1,580 hate crimes against people due to their sexuality last year.

It also reveals 46 such offences were carried out against people who are trans across Scotland.

Additional reporting by PA.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.