50 years of Pride

We’re seeing history being made – but how much have things really changed?

- By Shona Sibary, Mishaal Khan

It was just eight years ago that gay marriage was made legal in the UK, 18 years since sex between two men was decriminalised – 55 years ago, it was completely illegal. Love was illegal. The UK is seen as a champion of equality but it has taken decades to get to where we are today and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

At the very heart of the gay rights movement is Pride, a celebration of LGBT+ communities across the UK and the world. June is Pride Month and this year will be an extra special one, as we mark 50 years since the first-ever parade in London.

In the last half-century, so much has changed for the better. But in the next 50 years, what can be done to strive towards inclusivity? Woman delves deeper into the subject…

‘MY SON HAS SHOWN INCREDIBLE COURAGE’

Writer Shona Sibary, 51, is married to Keith, 54, and lives in West Sussex. They have four children, Flo, 23, Annie, 21, Monty, 19, and Dolly, 12. The only official ‘coming out’ that Monty has ever done was from my womb on 16 October 2002. His body temperature was a bit low and so the midwife wheeled a lamp over to his cot and produced a tiny pink hat which she placed gently on his head. ‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘it’s all I could find.’

When people ask me if we have always known Monty is gay, I think back to this moment because, yes, the writing was pretty much on the wall from day one.