TfL celebrates Pride

Among its activities to promote London’s Pride week, TfL has put into service a specially wrapped bus. Customers using the route 63 bus between Honor Oak and King’s Cross can already see the Pride design which has been on display since mid-June.

LGBTQ+ personalities including Drag Race’s Bimini, stylist Gok Wan, DJ and writer Nick Grimshaw and dancer Queen MoJo are joining with TfL to celebrate Pride across the capital’s transport network.

The stars will be telling their stories as part of a poster campaign, alongside further LGBTQ+ community stories ahead of London’s Pride celebrations on Saturday 1 July.

The posters have been created to amplify voices within the community to inspire passengers to share their own stories under TfL’s #EveryStoryMatters theme. Featured on TfL’s posters this year are drag superstar, Bimini; stylist, Gok Wan MBE; dancer and fashionista, Queen MoJo; comedian, Dee Allum and drag queen, Asifa Lahore as well as staff members. As well as showcasing TfL’s diverse workforce, staff members have expressed their Pride creativity through designs, poems and craftwork. In addition, TfL’s whiteboard posters in various stations are being adorned with quotes from LGBTQ+ books.

“This year’s Pride campaign on our network seeks to amplify the important voices and rich stories within the diverse LGBTQ+ community” – Patricia Obinna, TfL’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion

Patricia Obinna, TfL’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion, said: “This year’s Pride campaign on our network seeks to amplify the important voices and rich stories within the diverse LGBTQ+ community. Services across TfL are displaying a vibrant design in support of the LGBTQ+ community and this year’s corporate message of ‘Every Story Matters’ has also been brought to life through our partnership with well-known LGBTQ+ personalities and with the unwavering support of our Colleague Network Group, OUTbound, who helped to shape this campaign.

“We are proud to continue to support Pride by sharing Pride messages across our network, and we hope people connect with the different stories as they travel on our network.”

“It’s incredible and amazing to highlight people’s experiences of being part of the LGBTQ+ community cause it’s not always easy for everyone” – Bimini

Bimini, a drag artist who is part of the campaign, said: “It’s incredible and amazing to highlight people’s experiences of being part of the LGBTQ+ community cause it’s not always easy for everyone. If you’re younger and you see people speaking about what they’ve been through, it makes you feel seen and heard.”

“At Abellio we value our people and support them to have the freedom to be themselves” – Jon Eardley, Managing Director, Abellio London

Jon Eardley, Managing Director, Abellio London, the operator of the bus, said: “At Abellio we value our people and support them to have the freedom to be themselves, we are deeply honoured to be part of London’s Pride and to celebrate London’s diverse LGBTQ+ community.”

Building on TfL’s strong legacy in supporting Pride and the LGBTQ+ community since its formation, TfL has been part of the parade in London since 2006. The London bus with the Pride design will also accompany people representing TfL in the Pride in London parade on 1 July.