This summer, for the first time, a team of LSTM staff and students attended LCR Pride Foundation’s Liverpool Pride march. The day began with a muster on St. George’s Plateau, where galvanising speeches were given by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and the LCR Pride organisers, about the significance of Pride in the city, with choir performances and aerobics routines to get the crowd warmed up for the march.
Despite the poor weather, around 30 members of LSTM staff across several departments attended the march. Armed with flags and face paint, they completed the hour-long route around the city, before arriving at the Pride in Liverpool festival site on Tithebarn Street.
LSTM’s lead organiser Giorgio Praulins said: “It was great to be able to get LSTM involved in Pride this year. I, and several others, have marched in previous years as members of LSTM, but under the banner of the University of Liverpool. The atmosphere this year was totally different, being surrounded by colleagues and marching together really helps to create a wider sense of community. I was even able to meet and speak to staff from other departments that I otherwise wouldn’t have met.
With this year being the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, Pride was a great opportunity for Liverpool to come together and stand against hatred. The feedback I have received from the staff who attended really highlight the importance of being involved in events like this, and I hope it is something LSTM will continue to engage with in the future.”