UK Black Pride started in 2005 (Picture: UK Black Pride)

LGBTQI communities of colour face ‘widespread racism’ and need a safe space where they can challenge prejudice, say organisers and campaigners who took part in Black Pride today.

UK Black Pride is Europe’s largest party for LGBT+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent, and creates a safe space for people from these diverse backgrounds to celebrate their sexuality, culture and shared experiences.

It took place in Hackney’s Haggerston Park.

Saima Razzaq, an LGBTQI activist who campaigns for inclusive curriculums in school and who spoke at the event, says she has ‘seen racism within LGBTQI spaces all her life’ and took part in the event to help tackle the lack of representation for people of colour.




She told Metro.co.uk: ‘People of colour who identify as LGBTQI just don’t have that same opportunity or level of representation.

‘The reason why Black Pride was created, was because we didn’t feel the issues we cared about were being represented’.

Saima Razzaq says she has experienced racism ‘within LGBT spaces’ (Picture: UK Black Pride)

She added: ‘Those who question the need for a separate event, need to ask themselves why we felt it was needed in the first place.

‘No one else is going to do it.’

Saima said she was ‘buzzing’ from attending today’s event.

Moud Goba, who is one of the co-founders of the event, told Metro.co.uk, that the march was not designed to undermine the work of the Pride event yesterday, but rather to show solidarity with BAME LGBTQI individuals, who can talk frankly and openly about the issues that affect them as a community.

She said: ‘We get asked the question a lot, why do we need a separate march, when the London Pride event took place yesterday.

‘In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need a separate event, in an ideal world we wouldn’t need a Pride event.

The event is designed to be a ‘space space’ for LGBTQI communities of colour

The event is Europe’s largest party for LGBT+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent

‘But people of colour need a safe space where they are represented.’

Moud said the Black Pride event was inclusive and wouldn’t prohibit anyone from attending.

She added that there are ‘asylum seekers and refugees who still struggle to get recognised by the Home Office’, those kinds of issues need addressing through events like this.

Ms Goba added: ‘At these events, people get to meet people who are like themselves’.

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