The UK Government showcases and supports the LGBTQIA+ community through a series of activities as part of Sydney’s WorldPride event. The program includes significant participation in the Mardi Gras Parade, which will be led by the British High Commissioner and LGBTQIA+ envoy, with more than 50 members of the UKinAustralia team taking part. This will mark the global launch of the UK’s new GREAT Love campaign, which celebrates the diversity of LGBTQIA+ communities through sharing unique stories of individuals.
The campaign features LGBTQIA+ storytellers who will use an object symbolizing a pivotal moment in their lives when they realized being part of the LGBTQIA+ community was a good thing, a superpower that should be celebrated.
Some of the storytellers include two-time Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams OBE, world-leading human rights barrister Dr. S Chelvan, and Drag Queen royalty Vanity Milan and Elektra Fence. Broadcaster and DJ Adele Roberts and her partner Kate Holderness will also share their stories, as will the first gay owner of Attitude since the publication was founded almost 30 years ago, Darren Styles OBE.
The GREAT Love campaign aims to showcase the breadth of the LGBTQIA+ community, demonstrating its acceptance and inclusion across the UK. A British taxi, wrapped in a rainbow union flag, will feature a heart as a symbol of open-heartedness. The design will incorporate the vibrant UK community, and the participants’ costumes and placards will display the message “GREAT Love Is For Everyone.”
British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell, the UK’s LGBTQIA+ envoy Lord Herbert, and British Consul-General and Deputy Trade Commissioner Louise Cantillon will lead a 50+ strong group of participants from the UKinAustralia at the Mardi Gras Parade. Tredell added that “supporting WorldPride & the Mardi Gras parade allows us to use our platform to showcase the LGBT+ community and truly highlight. GREAT Love Is For Everyone”.
In addition to the Mardi Gras Parade, Lord Herbert of South Downs, the UK’s Special Envoy on LGBT Rights, is visiting Sydney for a week of activity linked to WorldPride. He is scheduled to address both the WorldPride Human Rights Conference and the Resourcing LGBTIQ Movements for Change in Asia and the Pacific Conference. Lord Herbert will also attend the launch of the HIV Prevention Handbook by the Global Equality Caucus and participate in a range of UK Government-hosted events for business, civil society, and stakeholders.
A Cunard-partnered event is being held to celebrate the progress businesses have made toward LGBTQIA+ inclusivity. Lord Herbert and British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell will be special guests at a British afternoon tea and networking event that members of the business community are gathering for on board Queen Victoria.
The Seymour Centre, in association with Sydney WorldPride, is presenting the Australian premiere of the acclaimed dance work The Dan Daw Show, supported by the British Council. In the weeks surrounding Sydney WorldPride, the British Council is also supporting four other live productions, workshops, and exhibits by LBQTQIA+ artists in Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The British Council and the BFI are additionally hosting 5 Films for Freedom, a global, short film festival in support of LGBTQIA+ rights.
VisitBritain, the UK’s national tourist agency, is set to launch a new destination campaign inspiring Australian LGBTQIA+ visitors to ‘Come to See Things Differently’ in 2023. The campaign will promote the warmth of the British spirit, highlighting Britain as a dynamic destination and compelling travelers to visit today, not one day, with the message that WorldPride this year is just the beginning of the party.
Source: Gov[Dot]UK
