ALT Statement graphic from Richard Parker, West Midlands Mayor. Text reads: “Pride is a community event. People go to celebrate who they are, to see their neighbours and feel part of something. I think that matters. The legal position is what it is and public bodies are right to take their legal obligations seriously - I respect and accept that. What I find harder to accept is the idea that showing up for your LGBTQ staff and patients is somehow a political act. These services exist for everyone. Pride is part of the community they serve. Treating inclusion as a ‘controversy’ is a choice and not a legal necessity. Those who want to make an issue of inclusion and diversity are seeking to divide us - and we can’t let them. We’ve spent decades building the understanding that equality isn’t partisan. It belongs to everyone. LGBTQ staff in our public services deserve to feel supported. Supporting our colleagues, friends and family is not political.”