The Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, has raised the inclusive rainbow flag over the town hall to mark the start of Pride Week, which runs from 28 June to 5 June.
For the first time, the Council will be flying the inclusive rainbow flag – which includes extra colours to represent queer people of colour and trans people – in recognition of the diversity and intersectionality of the borough’s large lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, plus (LGBTQIA+) community.
With this year’s Hackney Pride 365 events programme put on hold due to coronavirus, the Council will instead support Pride Inside, a nationwide, online series of events organised by Amnesty International, UK Black Pride, Stonewall and ParaPride featuring gigs, comedy shows, panel discussions, and arts-based events. 
Highlights from Pride Inside, Hackney Pride 365 and the borough’s vital LGBTQIA+ venues and community groups will be posted across Council and Hackney Pride 365 social media channels throughout the week.
It will also be a time to reflect on the Hackney Pride 365 programme to date, which was developed in partnership with our LGBTQIA+ community, with groundbreaking results.
These include welcoming UK Black Pride – Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean heritage LGBTQIA+ people – to the borough in 2019. And Faggamuffin Bloc Party, the first-ever carnival sound system, run by and for queer people of colour. After a successful debut at Hackney Carnival in 2018, the collective has secured £35,000 grant from Arts Council England to develop an online platform for queer black DJs, performers, artists and creatives in 2020.
“Pride has its origins in the spirit of political protest so raising the inclusive rainbow flag for the first time adds vital visibility to our borough’s commitment to equality, especially when trans rights are under attack and we need to reiterate that all LGBTQIA+ Black Lives Matter.
With social gatherings on hold, this year’s Hackney Pride 365 will sadly not go ahead, but we’ll use this time to reflect on what progress we’ve made and what we can do to support our LGBTQIA+ community going forward as new challenges are met due to the coronavirus pandemic.
We know how important our cultural spaces and health resources are to our LGBTQIA+ residents and acknowledge the threat they now face. This is why we’ll use our online resources to support and signpost the important work they do, alongside the excellent program of events at Pride Inside. I look forward to raising the flag on Sunday and to working with our community to curate an exciting Hackney Pride 365 in 2021.”, Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville
