Every year ITV now has its very own Pride Day and it’s a chance to celebrate and support LGBTQ+ people across the company and in the wider community. This year, ITV Pride Day was held at the start of Pride month in June and as part of the celebrations, a live ITV Pridecast was recorded with some of those from across the company to discuss why they’re proud to be who they are.

Joining Liam McConkey for this special edition of the podcast is Paul Brand, the UK Editor of ITV News and presenter of the Tonight programme. Jess Clayton, a Digital Trainee Journalist at ITV Cymru Wales. Harry Tan, the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Digital Products at ITV Studios. And Stephen Bailey, a stand-up comedian and regular contributor on the Laura Whitmore Breakfast Show.

During Pride month and all through the summer, Pride events will be taking place across the globe. They are a chance for members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to come together and celebrate but also to show solidarity and a reminder that rights cannot be taken for granted.

Discrimination and even hatred towards LGBTQ+ people still exists in many countries across the world and even in Britain, people’s rights are being tested. The Rainbow Map and Index ranks all 49 countries in Europe in order of their LGBTQ+ “legal and policy” rights and has done so since 2009. Up until 2015, the UK regularly found itself in top spot as the most LGBTQ+ friendly place in Europe. However, now in 2023 it has fallen to 17th position.

If anything, what this shows is the importance of Pride and the power it has in championing LGBTQ+ people. Pride first began as a protest and those roots are something that cannot be forgotten, especially when the community is facing such testing times today.