Gay Pride 2010 - ‘Paint the gown ruby red’ is the theme as a million people take to streets

Published: 09 July 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM

PINK stetsons, rainbow flags and an unmistakable aroma of baby oil: it could only be Gay Pride. 

About a million people took to the streets on Saturday on what has become known as “gay Christmas”, the annual celebration of the capital’s gay communities.

The theme of this year’s event was “paint the gown ruby red”, aimed at commemorating the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Gay Liberation Front in the UK, veterans of which led the parade of 130 floats from Baker Street to Trafalgar Square.

Speakers included a delegation from the Home Office, openly-gay minister for police Nick Herbert and the minister for equality, Lynne Featherstone, but Home Secretary Theresa May was not in attendance.

It was a needed warm-up ahead of London’s role as host of World Pride in July 2012.