This year’s Manchester Pride was a great success with thousands of people who marched through the streets of Manchester for the annual Pride parade. More than 100 floats made their way through the city centre, setting off from Deansgate at 13:00 BST. Crowds of people waved rainbow flags and Pride Angel flags. The floats travelled through the city and finished on Whitworth Street, just outside the gay village.
The parade was part of the Pride Big Weekend, the festival held each year to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) life. Events started on Friday and ran until Monday.
This year's parade theme was "Queer'd Science" in honour of computer pioneer Alan Turing. The gay codebreaker was convicted of gross indecency in 1952, when homosexual acts were illegal in the UK. He died from cyanide poisoning two years later and it was ruled at his inquest that he had committed suicide.
Manchester's Pride festival began in 1990 as a collection of bring-and-buy stalls outside a pub. As well as the parade, the festival now includes a weekend of live music, including this year from Steps, Amelia Lily and Alison Moyet, and a candlelit vigil to remember those who have died after contracting HIV, or are living with the condition.
Manchester Pride also included ‘The Lifestyle Expo’ which had another busy and successful year with 50 stalls, covering information on community groups, parenting, health and sports. Erika from Pride Angel said ‘ We were delighted to speak with so many people who came to chat with us over the weekend and it was so lovely to see 5 babies who had been created with the help of Pride Angel. It certainly makes all our hard work worthwhile’.
Read more about gay and lesbian parenting options at www.prideangel.com