Southwark flies new flag for Pride and inclusivity

4 July 2019

Southwark has proudly joined other national organisations and Pride events across the country in displaying the new community-wide Pride flag that includes additional colours to represent trans communities and LGBTQ+ people of colour.

Southwark is a welcoming and inclusive borough which celebrates its diverse community – that is why so many people from so many communities are proud to call Southwark home. This month, we are proud to celebrate London Pride. As home to one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations in the country, Southwark has proudly joined other national organisations and Pride events across the country in displaying the new community-wide Pride flag that includes additional colours to represent trans communities and LGBTQ+ people of colour.

The flags were commissioned and hoisted by Southwark Council following close work with its LGBTQ+ Staff Network, which will be hosting a Pride fayre at Southwark Council’s head office on 5 July.

As well as celebrating diversity, Pride plays a crucial role in highlighting the struggle many in marginalised communities still experience. Recent statistics from the Home Office indicate a sharp increase in hate crimes targeted towards LGBTQ+ people, and Pride is a key opportunity to draw attention to these realities and help empower everyone to live a life that is authentic and free from prejudice.

Many have questioned whether the original six-colour ‘rainbow’ flag we know so well, which has served the LGBTQ+ community over the past decades, still caters to the evolving needs of our community’s marginalised populations.

Designed in 2018 by Portland-based designer Daniel Quasar, the updated flag incorporates black and brown stripes and a motif inspired by Monica Helms’s iconic Transgender Pride Flag, and the new flag is being flown alongside the Union flag at our two largest offices. By broadening its range of symbolic colours, the flag aims to help promote representation and inclusivity.

Cllr Rebecca Lury, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Equalities and Communities, said: “Pride is a glorious celebration of diversity – but also a crucial time to consider the challenges marginalised communities still face, both in Southwark and across the globe.  We wholeheartedly support every effort to highlight this and help foster inclusivity and diversity, and we firmly believe in leading by example. We’re honoured to be able to host our LGBTQ+ Staff Network’s Pride fayre in our atrium this week, and that our staff feel empowered to stage such a celebration of Southwark’s diversity.” 

Page last updated: 04 July 2019