June 12, 2025

A Brief History of LGBTQ+ Pride and Fashion in the UK

June is pride month, a time of year dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, their achievements, remembering the past struggles and injustices that the community faced historically, and taking a moment to recognise the gaps in equality that still exist.

In this blog we are going to take a look at some of the ways in which the LGBTQ+ community and pride has influenced the fashion world, as well as the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement here in the UK.

The History of Pride in the UK

The UK’s first official pride march was held in London on the 1st of July 1972. The date was chosen as the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of the Stonewall riots that took place in 1969, where LGBTQ+ patrons of the Stonewall Inn were targeted by the New York Police Department. Since then, pride parades and marches have become a popular yearly event around the UK and the rest of the world. In and around the month of June, people come together and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, celebrate advances in equality, and to raise awareness for the struggles the community still face.

Since the first London Pride march in 1972, the UK has come a long way in terms of LGBTQ+ rights and equality. LGBTQ+ activism has a rich and interesting part to play in the history of the UK, but here is a brief timeline of some of the key moments-

  • In 1980 relationships between two men were decriminalized in Scotland, and the same in 1982 for Northern Ireland.
  • In 1984, Chris Smith, Labour MP for Islington and Finsbury became the first Openly gay MP, 10 years after Maureen Colquhoun came out as the first lesbian MP.
  • In 1991 then Prime Minister John Major met with Sir Ian McKellen, making him the first sitting UK Prime Minister to have met with LGBTQ+ activists.
  • In 1995, the charity Mermaids was founded. This organisation is still running today providing important support and resources to young people.
  • In 1997 the UK Government recognises same-sex partners for immigration purposes
  • In 2000 the UK Government lifts the ban on lesbians, gay men and bisexual people serving in the armed forces
  • In 2002 same sex couples receive equal rights when applying for adoptions.
  • The Equality act of 2010 officially added gender reassignment as a protected characteristic
  • In 2011 The Department of health lifted its lifetime ban on ay and bisexual men donating blood
  • Gay marriage was legalised in England and Wales in 2013, with the new laws coming into force and the first same-sex weddings happening in the country on the 29th of March 2014, Northern Ireland went on to legalise same-sex marriage in 2020

If you are interested in learning more on LGBTQ+ history in the UK, you can find a lot of useful resources on Stonewall’s website

How The LGBTQ+ Community Has Influenced Fashion

Now, let’s take a closer look at the LGBTQ+ communities’ impact on the fashion world-

Throughout history, fashion has played a huge role in the LGBTQ+ community, and pride marches and parades have always been a key moment in demonstrating fashion trends and styles throughout a wide range of expressions. And vice versa, the LGBTQ+ community have always played a major role in the fashion industry.

Many popular runway fashion trends have their roots in the LGBTQ+ community.  Gay couturiers like Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, and Cristóbal Balenciaga used their fashion outlets not just to express their closeted sexual orientation, but also to play around with some now iconic cross-boundary transgressive styles. The ground-breaking and extravagant looks invented by these fashion icons inspire a lot of the luxury and high-end fashion we know today.

One ingenious way that the LGBTQ+ community has historically used fashion as a form of self-expression was through “Signalling”. Dating back to when being openly gay was less accepted, members of the community used fashion as a subtle way to communicate to one another while still slipping under the radar for most people. One such signal was invented by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. In the 1880’s, Wilde famously wore a green carnation on his lapel. This trend was soon picked up on by his peers, and even today, the motif of a green carnation continues throughout gay fashion.

As for woman’s fashion, the ever-growing trends of baggy silhouettes, bow ties and suit jackets for ladies, and even to some extent, women’s trousers, all exist thanks to lesbian fashion movements. In the 1920’s gay women were at the forefront of women adapting masculine dress. And in the 1970’s, the feminist and lesbian ‘anti-fashion’ movement innovated more androgynous styles for women, prioritising comfort, practicality and self-expression over dressing for the male gaze.

Over the past few decades, subverting gender-rolls in fashion has become a lot more normalised, and we have seen many fashion trends that encourage individuals to express themselves through fashion, rather than fashion being something restricting that we must conform to.

Conclusion

Fashion is a space to find community and discover personal identity, that is why the fashion world, and the LGBTQ+ community have gone hand in hand for as far back as they have.

Overall, the goal Pride month, and of the LGBTQ+ rights movement overall, is that everyone deserves safety and the freedom to be themselves, and fashion is one of the best ways to express yourself, regardless of who you are.

We here at Peper Harow wish you all a happy pride, and encourage you to celebrate it by having some fun with fashion! 

If you or a loved one in the LGBTQ+ community need help or advice, visit stonewall.org.uk, or call 0800 050 2020.