“We are authentic and real. We are many and we will no longer be attacked. Fight back!”
We Will Not Live In Fear, a music promo style video of the powerful London demo against homophobic violence on 26 August, is relevant to us all, everywhere, and anywhere in the world.
Holly Johnson, Jimmy Somerville, Royal Vauxhall Tavern, LGBT+ History Month, Naz And Matt Foundation, QX Magazine, DIVA Magazine, Two Brewers London, Arch among a growing number of organisations, London LGBT+ venues and celebrities who have put their public support behind it and are now sharing it forward on their social channels.
World-famous recording artist and music icon Holly Johnson gave it his support. “I wish there was no need for this demonstration. Shocking hate crimes recently South of the Thames. It can happen anywhere. Speak out!”
Singer Jimmy Somerville shares it saying, “Never live in fear!”
Following a growing wave of homophobic violence in London and in particular response to four brutal London assaults within the space of just six days, London’s LGBTQIA community put their faces and voices out there in full visibility, right in the neighbourhood where two gay men had recently been knifed outside longstanding and much-loved LGBTQIA venue The Two Brewers. At the time of writing, the assailants are still at large.
A wholly collective action organised by groups like Queer Night Pride and ActUP, the powerful and visibly defiant march went through those same streets where that violence had taken place in response to the attacks and to a rise in hate crimes. Among marchers and speakers were legendary LGBTQIA and human rights activist Peter Tatchell, politician Zach Polanski and UK Pride pioneers Julian Hows and Peter Scott-Presland.
Julian Hows, just 16 on his first march in 1972 said, “They say we have freedoms. We don’t have freedoms. We have to ****ing take them!”
Founder of the Muslim LGBT network Ejel Khan, himself a survivor of vicious homophobic violence on several occasions spoke with a fierce passion, offering to show his scars, “I tell you, I’ve been attacked, I live to tell the tale!”
A Queer Night Pride spokesperson said, “NIGHT PRIDE is a protest, not a demand for equality. Not a demand for better policing. Not a demand for mere tolerance and acceptance. We are revolting, and we will have true liberation! We will hold hands, share affection, kiss our friends and lovers wherever we want. We won’t be confined to the safety of our homes, clubs and community spaces. We will express our gender identity in any way we damn please. We will not hide the many ways in which we express our sexuality/ies. We are unapologetic and unashamed. We are authentic and real. We are many and we will no longer be attacked. Fight back!”
Watch We Will Not Live In Fear, it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, and share it forward! Homophobic violence ends now. It affects every one of us, everywhere.
DIVA magazine celebrates 29 years in print in 2023. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
2 thoughts on “We Will Not Live In Fear: Queer Night Pride responds to London knife attacks”