When you take something for granted you rarely consider the impact of doing the opposite. On Saturday,  I took part in my first ever march – of any kind. This was London Pride. Quite the baptism for someone new to taking action. I marched with FFLAG, a charity to support family and friends of the LGBTQ+ community. Aside from being with people in real life rather than in a box on a screen, the experience of collective human connection was extraordinary. 

 

Others in the charity told me about the reception that FFLAG get at the Pride marches but I had no idea how that would manifest itself. Waiting in the holding area for our slot, we initially felt like any other group of marchers. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed given that we were there for over 2 hours. The open, friendly and genuinely inquisitive exchange between participants was beautiful to witness. I started to notice the reaction of my fellow marchers as they read our large banner saying we were

 

 ‘FFLAG – Family and Friends of LGBT+. Supporting our LGBT+ loved ones.’

 

Supportive smiles and a warmth of expression greeted us. I struck up a conversation with a delightful young man who told me how he’d had a difficult coming out experience and how much it meant to him to see us all there. Parents supporting our kids and how they want to live their lives. As a tear rose to his eye, he joked that he couldn’t cry as it would spoil the rather glamorous blue and silver glitter adorning his eyes and upper cheek bones. We went on to discover that we had a whole variety of things and places in  common. As cliche as it is – it is a small world.

 

As the crowd burst into cheers with the announcement that we were ready to go, we all settled into our packs and began to move. With thoughts of this young man in my head we turned left at the end of ParK Lane and joined the throng of the main parade. Whistles, cheering and rounds of applause greeted us as we slowly made our way along Piccadilly. One of our group had a placard saying  ‘We love our 2 gay sons’ that generated a quite astounding response. Men of all ages shouted out to take a photo of, speak to and even hug and kiss the mum from FFLAG. With each occasion, the emotion rose as we all witnessed the impact of these words on the crowd. Our visible support for our kids. The realisation that many of these people had lived through a very different experience with their families on coming out, hit home with every selfie and thank you shouted from the sidelines. Another mum, with the banner ‘I love my trans child’ received a similar response from her side of the road. Walking alongside her later in the march as we made our way towards Trafalgar Square, I struggled to hold back my tears any longer. As the mum of a trans daughter I proudly wore the pink, blue and white of the transgender flag on my t-shirt, FFLAG sash and nails! Sensing a similar response in my fellow trans mum, I gently squeezed her arm and she looked at me beaming from ear to ear. ‘I’m feeling really quite emotional,” I shared with her. “I know,’’ she responded, “the love coming back is amazing.”

 

 

 

And it was. Yet tinged with the knowing that for many standing on the streets there was so much sadness and hurt behind this outpouring of goodwill towards us. Where people had had to hide their true nature for fear of rejection. Or stand up for who they are and leave their families behind. As difficult as it has been to navigate the path so far and the knowledge of the challenges yet to come, I could never choose to not support and love my child. It is not always so straightforward, but what is when you are a parent?  What other issues or obstacles would we be facing if not this? What have we already lived through as a family and stood to tell the tale? 

 

There are times when I know I need to do more. There is so much more to be done. I wonder if my small effects are making any impact on the bigger picture. After Saturday,  I see that simply supporting my child, other parents and showing up at Pride makes a difference. The ripple effect of being in connection with a community and working towards a greater understanding of each other. I have to believe that we can make this world a better place for everyone.