"In a period when divisive transphobia is being artificially whipped up by political actors for their own gain, the decision by the head of the Civil Service to remove its workers from the Pride march is not only regressive - it is reckless.”
“Only recently, we have watched a small but belligerent band of political reactionaries work themselves into a frenzy over a so-called ‘woke’ Civil Service. Now, the very politicians who stoked that panic are taking a victory lap because LGBTQ+ workers have been told they can no longer march under their own employer's banner.”
“The excuse given that withdrawing from Pride is the 'impartial' option is an insult to people's intelligence. For years, the Civil Service stood by its LGBTQ+ staff without controversy, until now when senior management buckled under right-wing pressure.”
“While the ringleaders of reactionary unionism open up yet another front in the culture war, working class people across the North are crying out for homes they can afford, a fully functional health service and wages that keep up with the cost of living. These political representatives deliver nothing, while stoking division and manufactured outrage.”
"People Before Profit stands in full solidarity with LGBTQ+ civil servants and with everyone who will be marching at Pride this summer. We call on all civil service staff who wish to march at Pride to do so and can march with us if they wish. Rights are won through struggle on the streets, and they will be defended the same way.”