Pride: Why We Need It

Every year, millions of people around the world come together to celebrate Pride. For many, it is a colourful event filled with music, community and visibility. But behind the celebrations lies a much deeper purpose.

Pride exists because equality cannot be taken for granted. It is a reminder of the progress made by the LGBTQ+ community, while recognising that many people still face discrimination, prejudice and violence simply because of who they are or who they love. Pride is not about asking for special treatment. It is about ensuring that everyone has the same opportunity to live openly, safely and with dignity.

When Pride Became a Target

Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (CSD) is one of Europe’s largest Pride celebrations, attracting hundreds of thousands of people every year. It is an event built around visibility, inclusion and the simple belief that everyone deserves to live openly and safely.

This year’s celebrations ended in unimaginable tragedy. As crowds dispersed after the parade, a man drove a van into pedestrians near the event before launching a knife attack. One woman was killed, and many others were injured. What had been a day filled with colour, music and celebration quickly became one of fear, heartbreak and loss.

The attack prompted an immediate response from political leaders across Europe, who condemned the violence and expressed solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Many described it as more than an attack on individuals; it was an attack on the values of equality, freedom and acceptance. For many people, the images from Berlin were difficult to comprehend. A place where people had gathered simply to celebrate who they are became the scene of a devastating act of violence.

Hate Doesn’t Begin with Violence

Violence rarely appears without warning. It often starts much earlier, with stereotypes, harmful language, online abuse, misinformation and the gradual normalisation of prejudice. These behaviours may seem small in isolation, but over time they create an environment where discrimination becomes easier to justify and easier to ignore.

This is one of the reasons Pride continues to exist. It challenges ignorance with education, fear with understanding and division with community.

When Fiction Reflects Reality

These themes are explored powerfully in Channel 4’s new drama Tip Toe, written by Russell T Davies. Set in Manchester, the series centres on a disagreement between two neighbours that slowly spirals into something much darker. Rather than presenting hatred as something extreme or distant, it explores how everyday frustrations can be manipulated by toxic online narratives, misinformation and political rhetoric.

What makes the series particularly unsettling is how believable it feels. It reminds viewers that prejudice is rarely born overnight. It grows through repeated messages, unchecked assumptions and the gradual dehumanisation of others.

At the same time, Tip Toe celebrates something equally important: community, resilience and joy. It shows that choosing to live openly and authentically can be a powerful act of resistance against those who seek to spread fear.

Why This Matters to Us

As an apprenticeship and training provider, we work with people from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and identities.

Every learner who joins us deserves to feel safe, respected and valued.

Every apprentice deserves the opportunity to develop their career without worrying about discrimination or exclusion.

Every employer we work with benefits from creating workplaces where people are accepted for who they are.

Inclusion isn’t an initiative that runs for one month of the year; it should be reflected in our everyday actions, our language, our leadership and the culture we create. This means creating learning environments where discrimination is challenged, differences are valued, and everyone has equal access to opportunities, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion or belief, disability, age or background.

Progress is Never Guaranteed

The events in Berlin are heartbreaking. The conversations raised in Tip Toe are incredibly uncomfortable.

But both highlight the same truth: we cannot become complacent.

Progress is something that must be protected. Inclusion must be practised. Equality must continue to be championed.

That is why we need Pride. Not because equality has failed. But because equality is something worth defending, today, and for generations to come.

Emily Simpson

Emily is our Digital Marketing/Learner Engagement Apprentice and is involved with all things social media and content development. She is also responsible for attending career events and maintaining relationships with local schools and colleges.

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