On the 4th August around 15,000 people came to Leeds to celebrate Pride and the advancements of LGBT rights, the latest being same sex marriage finally being legislated for in the UK. Campaigners and trade unionists were both highly visible on the parade, especially UNITE who had an impressive presence on the parade itself and whose main office is on the parade route.
Tanis Belsham-Wray, Leeds North Socialist Party
However, this is still not the end of the struggle. Many essential services face cuts from councils and government, including funding LGBT support groups and many other services such as counselling and the NHS (with Unite members petitioning against attacks on ambulance workers).
Along with our petitions opposing homophobia and transphobia and highlighting the effect that the cuts are having on the LGBT community, petitions against zero hour contracts also went down particularly well after Sports Direct and others had been in the news for employing large numbers of people on such contracts which give them few rights. Many people at pride took ‘Sick of Your Boss’ leaflets and explained to us how they were affected and the effect that under- and unemployment are having, particularly on youth.
Leeds Socialist Party 