Fifty years on from the UK’s first Pride March in London and most Brits still don’t know the origins of the annual Pride celebrations, according to new national research.
Despite this, most of the public (69%) do consider themselves an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and acknowledge the importance of celebrating inclusion.
A study conducted by leading and pub company and brewer Greene King to celebrate 50-years of progress, explored the UK’s attitudes and understanding towards the LGBTQ+ community during Pride month (June 2022). The study also reviewed people’s opinions regarding the role pubs continue to play in supporting the community.
While support for the Pride movement was strong and 91% agreed that significant progress has been made over the last 50 years for LGBTQ+ rights, the data highlighted that more needed to be done to help educate the public.
Common misconceptions about why Pride is held were evident, with 41% of people incorrectly believing that Pride month is held to mark the end of the criminalisation of homosexuality in the UK, while 32% admitted not knowing what the origins are. Only 17% of Brits however were aware that Pride month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots.
“Bona to vada your dolly old eek” (Good to see your nice face). Interestingly, despite it’s now outdated use, 41% of respondents had heard of ‘Polari’ a form of slang used originally as a kind of secret language by gay and bisexual men, often in pubs and licensed premises in the 20th century.
The study found that while we’ve come a long way from the need for ‘secret languages’ in pubs, with 77% agreeing that pubs openly aligned to the LGBTQ+ community and their allies are generally seen as a safe space, there is still a significant way to go.
Greene King, which proudly operates one of the oldest LGBTQ+ pub in the UK, The City of Quebec in London’s Marylebone, discovered that Brits feel pubs continue to play a vital role in supporting the LGBTQ+ community, with 89% recognising they provide an important platform to showcase support.
Celebrating 50 years of Progress, Greene King is donating 20p for every pint and 10p for every bottle sold of its limited-run ‘Progress Pale Ale’ to the Switchboard LGBT+ charity. So far, over £4,000 has been raised from the sale of draught pints with more on the way from bottle sales. Progress Pale Ale was named after the Progress Pride flag and has been brewed to make it as appealing to as many pale ale-lovers as possible.
The development and launch of Progress Pale Ale was driven by The Village Greene – Greene King’s LGBTQ+ employee-led inclusion group. The Village Greene demonstrates Greene King’s commitment to championing lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality in the workplace.
In turn, this helps to ensure that it’s a place that’s fully inclusive for all team members so that they can all achieve their full potential, while at the same time raise essential funds for charities like Switchboard.
Karen Bosher, managing director of Premium, Urban and Venture brands at Greene King said: “Although it’s clear there are gaps in people’s knowledge of LGBTQ+ history, it’s great to see that the majority of Brits consider themselves to be an LGBTQ+ ally.
“For many of our sites, having pub teams and regulars that are strong LGBTQ+ allies is the first step in helping to educate local communities in areas where LGBTQ+ representation is currently lower.
“We’re mindful and welcoming of the progress that is being made across our business, but acknowledge that inclusiveness and tolerance isn’t just for Pride month which is why we’re proud to support Switchboard, who provide support for the LGBTQ+ community 365 days a year.
“At Greene King, we strive to make our venues safe spaces for all. We’re on a journey to become a more inclusive company – The Village Greene employee-led inclusion group will continue to pave the way ensuring inclusivity is at the heart of all we do, to help both our team members and our guests feel welcome and a sense of belonging.”
The new findings further reveal that nearly a third of people (30%) do not know what the LGBTQ+ acronym stands for and many people still do not fully understand the meaning of key gender and sexual identity terms, with just over half of people (55%) fully understanding what it means to be a lesbian, and a similar number (54%) fully understanding what it means to be gay.
Elsewhere, fewer than one in five people understand what it means to be nonbinary (19%), genderfluid (15%), or intersex (11%).
Steph Fuller, General Manager at Switchboard LGBT_ said: “The £10,000 donation from Greene King in 2021 meant that we were able to respond to 625 conversations, (which includes full wrap around coverage of our service) or train 22 Listening Volunteers.
“These are truly significant numbers that Greene King’s donation has provided, and we are delighted that they are continuing to support us and raise awareness of the service we provide”
Progress Pale Ale is available in bottles until the end of September in participating Greene King pubs.
