Why does Pride still need to be a protest? - The worrying landscape for the LGBTQIA+ community

In recent years the call to remember Pride is a protest has gotten stronger and stronger. At a recent network, someone described the 2020s as the 1980s in reverse for LGBTQIA+ rights and liberation. This year, remembering Pride’s roots feels more important than ever with proposed changes to the Equality Act following the Supreme Court Ruling in April 2025 and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetorics and violence growing both in the UK and across the world.  

A note that this blog references discrimination and violence against LGBTQIA+ communities. 

Is LGBTQIA+ discrimination a thing of the past in the UK? 

Unfortunately, no. As recorded by the Home Office, 2021/22 saw a spike in hate crimes committed against transgender people and people based on the ‘sexual orientation’ characteristic. Whilst recorded incidents have slowly declined since, they remain much higher than the 2020/21 figures. 

Notably, recorded hate crimes against transgender people increased by over 30% between 2020/21 and 2021/22 and they increased again in 2022/23.  

How big is the LGBTQIA+ community in the UK? 

0.5% of the UK population identified under the trans umbrella in the latest census. Additionally, 3.9% of the UK population reported being gay, lesbian, bisexual or ‘other’ in the same census. 

So, what does this mean? 

Of all recorded hate crimes in 2023/24, 3.2% were motivated by hate towards the transgender community and 15.4% were motivated by hate based on sexual orientation. 

Simply put, LGBTQIA+ individuals in the UK experience hate crime at a disproportionate rate with it being eight times and almost five times more than the UK population for transgender people and lesbian, gay and bisexual people respectively. 

There is no way to avoid how bleak the landscape is for LGBTQIA+ communities and all marginalised groups in the UK. However, this is exactly why your allyship and meaningful action is needed more than ever. 

What can I do to make change? 

There are lots of ways to challenge this trend and push for positive change: 

1. Make your voice heard: Following the April 2025 ruling, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have opened up a consultation on the proposed changes. Mermaids, TransActual and The Equality Network have created guidance on how to respond, 

   
   

2. Upskill your team: Whilst Pride month is a great time to take meaningful action, it shouldn’t be the only time you support marginalised communities. Our LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Training can equip you and your organisation with the knowledge, skills and processes to reduce discrimination in your workplace, 

   
   

3. Support LGBTQIA+ charities and activist groups: Donating and supporting LGBTQIA+ charities in your local area or across the UK means that members of these communities have access to safer spaces, opportunities to connect and ways to get support, 

   
   

4. Call it out: When you see discrimination of any kind, being able to safely challenge it is vital and helps create a culture of respect and compassion – the foundations needed to reduce, and eventually eliminate, discrimination. Our March 2025 blog on Active Bystanding explains this in more detail, 

   
   

5. Ongoing allyship: If you’re outside of the LGBTQIA+ community, your allyship and action is more important than ever. We encourage you to commit to a change you can make today, within 3 months, 6 months and by next Pride month to ensure your allyship is tangible and ongoing, 

   
   

6. Support within the community: If you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community, acknowledging that some members experience discrimination in multiple ways or at a higher rate than others is important. Committing to what we can do to support people outside of our lived experience and the most marginalised groups in our community means we don’t leave anyone behind. 

Final thoughts 

A young person on our EDI Champions programme this year shared something that has stayed with me. We were chatting about how gay men and boys often find the idea of joining sports teams intimidating because of increased prejudice and bias against them. One of our Champions said ‘if someone was being homophobic, I wouldn’t want them on my team’. 

It felt small but that open commitment really brought the group together. We all agreed that when we say no to discrimination and follow it up with action we’re already setting ourselves up for a more compassionate future.