To mark 50th anniversary of first event in UK, Guardian readers say what Pride has meant to them
When Richard French-Lowe first went to Pride in London in 1989, he was too afraid to join the march. As a civil servant and serving territorial army soldier, he kept his sexuality hidden because both organisations regarded gay men as a security risk.
But joining the party in Kennington Park, south London, after the march proved to be a transformative experience for French-Lowe, one of about 30 LGBTQ+ people and allies to respond to a Guardian callout about their memories of UK Pride events, 50 years on from the country’s first march.
