"Matagal na rin ang Pride sa London. The Gay Liberation Front staged Britain's first public gay rights demonstration at North London's Highbury Fields in November 1970. And then two years later, in July 1972, the first official Pride march took place. Similar to many Pride events, the UK version has also evolved. Initially, it was very politikal. I think we need to address trans issues to be able to access basic rights. Eventually, however, Pride became a spectacle. You see all of these different places, whether it was the railroads in the UK, whether it was the museums in the UK, companies, organizations. Inside of those organizations, a group of people get to celebrate themselves one day a year. It is estimated that around £1.3 million is being spent to stage the annual event. Pride also generates an estimated £25.5 million for the local economy, and so pera-pera lang. But gathering over 1 million people every year with, for this year alone, over 30,000 participants, this remains a major event to showcase the LGBTQIA plus presence. No, I think Pride is like the starting point. Of course, it's not enough, but it's good that you can see so many people that even though there's a lot of groups inside the collectivity, there's still a collectivity. And so there is this acknowledgement that Pride isn't what it used to be anymore. And yet it remains a tool for exposure, for marketing ng langang peg. Yes, perhaps even of LGBTQIA plus people selling out, but also, thankfully, of LGBTQIA plus issues that would otherwise be muted if there is no showing of our numbers. This is Michael David Tan for Outrage Magazine."