Leeds comes together for Pride this weekend

At the beginning of the week, Leeds City Council's leader, Councillor James Lewis, deputy leader, Councillor Jonathan Pryor, and LGBT+ advocate, Councillor Hannah Bithell, gathered with members of the council's LGBT+ staff group outside the Civic Hall to demonstrate their backing for Leeds Pride happening this weekend.

The downtown area will undergo a magical makeover this weekend as Leeds Pride gets ready to kick off on Sunday, July 21. This event is the biggest free Pride celebration in the UK, drawing in more than 50,000 attendees annually.

The Pride Parade starts at noon on Sunday across from Leeds Town Hall and then moves down to Lower Briggate.

As usual, Leeds City Council has provided two special buses to make sure everyone can attend the event. One bus will join the parade, with reserved spaces for passengers. The other bus will shuttle people from Millennium Square to Lower Briggate, ahead of the parade, so that disabled individuals can have a great view of the festivities.

Saturday will be a day filled with festivities throughout the city.

This Saturday, the parkrun at Woodhouse Moor will have a Pride theme. Runners are encouraged to wear bright, rainbow-colored outfits. The event begins at 9am.

Visit the LGBT+ Market at Brodrick Hall in Leeds City Museum from 11am to 3pm to explore resources, connections, and community organizations supporting the LGBT+ community in Leeds.

Leeds Minster will be holding a Pride event at 4pm on Saturday 20 July. The event will be a time for reflection, prayer, and poetry, according to the organizers.

The Leeds City Council is supporting a new initiative this Pride season that emphasizes the importance of maintaining good mental health and wellbeing. It recognizes that for LGBTQ+ individuals, this journey can be particularly difficult.

The program 'Check In With Pride' was created by West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership to promote inclusivity and empathy. It encourages people to have open conversations about mental health with their LGBTQ+ loved ones, colleagues, and community members. To learn more and access support services in Leeds, visit www.checkinwithpride.co.uk.

Fiona Venner, a member of Leeds City Council in charge of promoting equality, health and wellbeing, expressed her excitement about hosting Leeds Pride annually. She views it as a fantastic event that brings together people not only from Leeds but from all over the UK and even from other countries. She is eager to celebrate the diverse LGBT+ community while also addressing the challenges and discrimination they continue to encounter.

There will be a special platform elevated at Millennium Square, specifically for people with disabilities and their caregivers. This area is called the Accessible Viewing Area (AVA). Close to the AVA, there is a changing places restroom and other bathrooms for people with disabilities. Additionally, there are accessible restrooms available below Millennium Square. Lower Briggate also has its own AVA with a dedicated accessible restroom.

Learn more about how the event is accommodating for all visitors at https://leedspride.com/accessibility/.

To learn more about Leeds Pride, check out the website at https://leedspride.com/.