London Met staff and students, alongside LGBTQIA+ groups and allies, marched in solidarity with thousands of organisations and spectators celebrating Pride in London.
Date: 9 July 2025
London Met staff and students, including members of the LGBTQIA+ Staff Network, the LGBT+ Student Society, and their allies joined up to 30,000 marchers and an estimated 1 million spectators to celebrate Pride on Saturday 5 July.
Celebrations began under cool and cloudy conditions, but it wasn’t long until rainbows dominated the streets. Participants wore colourful t-shirts with ‘Reflecting the Real London’ on the front, which also adorned London Met’s open top rainbow-themed Routemaster bus.
Bigger and better than last year, the University’s float was extremely popular with spectators, staff and students, singing and dancing all the way from Hyde Park to Whitehall, thanks to entertainment and music provided by Drag Queens Envy and DJ Milk Shandy.
‘Reflecting the Real London’ was used as a symbol of the University’s ongoing commitment to visibility and inclusion. Professor Julie Hall, Vice-Chancellor for London Met, who joined staff and students in the procession, said: “Pride is the perfect opportunity to celebrate and accept every individual’s uniqueness and identity, and to celebrate our wonderful LGBTQIA+ community.
“We pride ourselves on building a community where everyone feels seen, heard and valued, and truly reflects the city it belongs to. Being Vice-Chancellor of London Met fills me with a huge source of pride, and it was a joy and honour to lead our university in the parade!”
As the float moved through the crowds, people caught their reflections and smiled, waved, hugged, and blew kisses, taking pictures of themselves, their friends, their loved ones and even a few dogs in rainbow jackets!
We asked spectators what the ‘Real London’ means to them. Tru, a member of the London Gay Men’s Chorus and originally from Vietnam, said: “Inclusivity, diversity and a place for everyone to be their true and authentic selves”. Molly said: “Anything goes, everything is OK and nothing is weird”. Court, an American living in London, said: “Doing whatever you want, being whoever you want, and finding your people. No matter what community you’re a part of, there’s a person and community for you here.” Other responses were: ‘Accepting everyone and everything’ and ‘Love, acceptance, community’.
More than a million people are said to have watched the parade, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is also a London Met alumni, walked at the front of the march. He said in a statement: “Hundreds of thousands of Londoners and visitors to our capital are uniting in a sea of colour and creativity — as we march in solidarity and celebration with our LGBTQI+ community.”
And the Mayor wasn’t the only person to talk about solidarity, Kelly Cooper, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professions, who joined the march, said: “Pride, to me, is about visibility, celebration, and solidarity — a time to honour the LGBTQIA+ community, while continuing to stand up for equality and inclusion.
“The best part of the Pride parade for me was the sense of unity and joy; seeing people from all walks of life come together with love and support was incredibly moving. It is a privilege to be part of a university that not only supports, but uplifts and champions LGBTQIA+ voices.”
Kelly also spoke about the atmosphere and London Met’s float: “It was vibrant, full of energy and a true reflection of our diverse community and the values we stand for.”
This year’s Pride theme was ‘The Power of Communities’, celebrating the diversity within LGBTQIA+ communities, highlighting how collective solidarity fosters positive change, resilience, and innovation, and the strength found in unity and supporting one another.
Yolieris Diaz Rivera, MA Marketing student and Student Representative who joined the float, said: “It felt really good to represent London Met and our inclusive, accepting community. I felt proud to promote higher education within LGBTQ+ spaces and showing that everyone has a place here.”
Community, collaboration and inclusivity is core to London Met’s values. Jhoan Davila Alvarez, BA Digital Media student and Student Ambassador said the best part of the parade was “the moment we passed Piccadilly Circus and seeing the huge, supportive crowd. Seeing that and sharing it with my London Met community made my heart full. A community that has been so lovely and welcoming. We are more than an educational institution – we’re a place where meaningful and lasting connections are built.”
