Its officially Pride month! And in the run up to Liverpool's Pride Parade on the 27th-28th July, we're going to be doing a few pride-inspired blog posts.
To begin the celebrations, here's a few interesting facts and figures all about Liverpool LGBTQ+ History and Pride; Enjoy!
- Liverpool born April Ashley was the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery in the UK! She received the surgery in 1960 and is now 84 (!!) and living in London.
- The GYRO (Gay Youth R Out) group was founded in Liverpool in 1976 and is the oldest running gay youth club in the UK.
- Liverpool pop band Frankie Goes To Hollywood had two openly gay band members Holly Johnson and Paul Rutherford. The bands song Two Tribes had the longest running number one single in the UK in the 1980's, spending 9 whole weeks at number 1.
- Brookside, the Liverpool based soap was the first TV show in the UK to feature an openly gay character AND broadcast the UK's first pre-watershed lesbian kiss. (1985 and 1994 respectively)
- The UK's first televised gay wedding took place on Liverpools Albert Dock in 2001 and was aired on ITV's This Morning
- Liverpool born Aton Hysen came out as Swedens first openly gay footballer and the second openly gay high-level football player, ever in 2011
- Also in 2011 Liverpool became the first UK city to officially recognise a Gay Quarter with rainbow flags on the street signs.
- Liverpool Football Club was the first Premier League club to be represented at a UK Pride parade in 2012, and in 2017 also became the very first premier league team to become a Stonewall Diversity Champion.
- In 2013 Liverpool hosted the first ever National Gay Wedding Show
- Everton Football Club, in May 2013 where the first to have players wearing rainbow coloured laces in support of an anti-homophobia campaign.
- In 2015 Hollyoaks, produced and filmed in Liverpool was the first to introduce a transgender character played by a trans person. Annie Wallace played Sally St. Claire, and became the first trans person to be nominated for a BAFTA.
- For the first time in a major British theatre, Romeo and Juliet was made into a story about two gay lovers and took place in The Everyman Theatre on Hope Street.
- And most recently in November of 2018, the Gay Times held their annual awards ceremony which is the UK's largest LGBTQ+ award ceremony in Liverpool. Previously the ceremony had only ever taken place in London. The Gay Times owner James Frost decided upon Liverpool as it is a "wonderfully vibrant, thriving and culturally diverse city"
Here at Scandals, we are entirely inclusive of ALL genders, sexualities, labels, shapes, colours, sizes and ethnicities. All are welcome and #ComeAsYouAre.
We are also donating £1 from every purchase to the Terrance Higgins Trust!
