Whoever You May Be – Chelsea celebrates Pride in London
From the official Chelsea FC website:
For the second year running there was a Chelsea Pride float on the streets of the capital this weekend as colleagues and collaborators, Chelsea Pride members, as well as our mascots Stamford and Bridget, represented the club at Pride in London.
The float began its journey at Hyde Park Corner, making its way past many famous London landmarks before culminating at Whitehall Square. Over a million people attended the annual parade which celebrates the LGBTQI+ community.
On the float we were joined by DJ Jhumka and our drag queen host, Brandy X, to entertain the crowd, many of whom were handed Chelsea flags, t-shirts and more, proudly bearing our message of ‘The Pride of London – Whoever You May Be’.
Lauren du Plooy Flowers, Chelsea’s equality, diversity and inclusion manager, said: ‘It’s inspiring to see all the different generations come together, particularly all the children, embracing what Pride is about.
‘It was incredible: Chelsea staff and Chelsea Pride working together to reinforce the message of who we are as a club – the pride of London – and who we want to be in the future, being welcoming and inclusive for all, which is what we’re working constantly towards as a club.’
Tracy Brown, chair of Chelsea Pride, added: ‘Chelsea Pride joining forces with our amazing club can only lead to one thing: the ultimate celebration for our LGBTQ+ true blue community, our family, friends, and allies.
‘Like we have for many years and will continue to do, we proudly work together, sharing the message that this club is the ‘Pride of London’ and we truly are one that embraces being inclusive for all. We celebrate being our authentic selves in the best way possible at the same time as saying No To Hate.
‘So, whoever you may be – we are the famous and inclusive CFC.’
‘Our Pride campaign this year reworked an iconic Chelsea lyric – ‘Whoever You May Be’ – as a commitment to representation and inclusion, which was on full display on our float and in the crowds,’ explained Billie Paul of the Chelsea Foundation.
‘It was truly a privilege to be in a space full of so much love, joy and acceptance, as we continue to celebrate all of the wonderful and diverse identities that make up Chelsea, Pride, London and beyond.’
Sirayah-Shiraz Koraltan, from our BCOMS journalism programme, was also in attendance on Saturday to cover the event on our Instagram stories.
‘We’ve seen how football can bring together society; it’s so important that Chelsea gives all groups a platform to be authentic and true to themselves. London really showed out – it was great to see so many people from different communities, different ages and even different football clubs, come out and connect through supporting equality and having fun.’
‘Chelsea Supporters Group’ can also be found on Twitter and Facebook