Ambulance participating in the Pride Parade (Stock Image, Getty Images)
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) has informed its members that it will not be taking part in this year’s Birmingham Pride.
in letter The message, sent on behalf of the trust’s executive committee, was seen by PinkNews and said the decision was not taken “in light” and followed “legal advice” which said participation “could violate political impartiality, create a reasonable perception that WMAS actively supports certain views, and is contrary to the protected beliefs of some people”.
It does not elaborate on what is meant by “particular views” or “protected beliefs.”
The letter continued: “Birmingham Pride describes itself as ‘a movement of protest until injustice ends and true equality is achieved for LGBTQIA+ people everywhere.’ As a public sector organization, we need to ensure that we fulfill our public sector equality obligations and abide by the principles of public law.”
The letter also included a message on behalf of the PROUD@WMAS network, saying it was “disappointed” by the decision but “understands the reasons behind it.”
The message further shares that the committee is planning another Pride celebration in June.
The letter includes a “sincere apology” from the board “for the delay in notifying us of this decision.”
birmingham pride It will be held this weekend on May 23rd and 24th. Cast includes Katie B, Sigala, Nadine Coyle, Danny Beard, Amell and more.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service told PinkNews: “Following legal advice, we can confirm that the Trust, along with police and fire services, have withdrawn from the Birmingham Pride parade.
“We are very fortunate to have staff from a variety of backgrounds working for us, including those from the LGBTQ+ community, and we continue to fully support them and the Proud Network we operate within the service.
“We have informed the organizers of the reasons why we are unable to attend and will continue to review this decision into next year and beyond. We will also continue to support our staff taking part in other events that fulfill our public sector equality obligations.”
pride police
In 2025, Northumbria Police’s participation in Newcastle Pride in 2024 was found to be illegal in court.
Lindsay Smith, a gender-critical lesbian, has taken legal action against the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, claiming that her participation breached the force’s duty of impartiality.
Mr Smith believed discussions of “gender ideology” were “wrong and dangerous” and claimed the officers involved were not acting in an impartial manner.
She said officers were holding signs such as Progress Pride flags that featured colors representing the transgender community and could therefore be interpreted as being pro-trans. This, she argued, would make it difficult to deal fairly with people with different views.
The High Court upheld Smith’s appeal, ruling that Northumbria Police breached its duty of impartiality by actively participating in Newcastle Pride 2024.
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Source: PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news – www.thepinknews.com
