Pride At Portsmouth SU

Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall Riots which occurred at the end of June in 1969. The Stonewall Riots are particularly poignant at this time, as it aligns with the Black Lives Matter movement which is currently sweeping across the globe.

We at the Union are allies to all students and staff who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and we recognise the challenges that you face. We stand with you.

Over the years, the abbreviation LGBT has continued to evolve and grow to include all identities. Now, the full abbreviation, LGBTQQIAAP, stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Allies, Asexual and Pansexual, though is commonly shortened to LGBTQ+.

We want to share with you the ways that we support the LGBTQ+ community and celebrate Pride with you!

Gender Neutral Toilets

At the Union, we have Gender Neutral Toilets! These are available for anyone to use and they are all stocked with free sanitary products. 

Pride Night Feb 2020

February (Pride History Month) saw us hosting our first-ever Pride Night! The event was a huge success! We heard from the LGBTQ+ Society and their personal journeys, had a DJ and a spectacular show from local legend Cherry Liquor! We also had an amazing photo booth from Party Spirit Photo Booth who provided our students with complimentary instant printed photos! Attendees were able to use the funny and vibrant props to create memories that wil hopefully last a lifetime! Thank you Party Spirit Photo Booth! We hope Pride Night 2020 will be the start of a new annual tradition!

LGBTQ+ Society

We have a hugely active LGBTQ+ Society here at the Union and we are proud to support them.

Portsmouth Film Society - LGBTQ+ Films

During Pride History Month (February) the Portsmouth Film Society hosts a number of free film screenings of films that are closely aligned with the LGBTQ+ community. It is a huge success every year!

Free Lectures

The University holds lectures from guest speaker, and for Pride it is no different!

Rainbow Laces Campaign

Rainbow laces is an idea which was submitted through our Have Your Say platform with the goal to celebrate and support all students, regardless of their gender or sexual identity.

Encouraging more LGBTQ+ students to become involved in sport has been an ongoing campaign from the international charity Stonewall whose slogan ‘make sport everyone’s game’ has continued to encourage national teams to show their support. Portsmouth FC has recently backed the campaign for the last couple of years.

Rainbow Lanyards

For the last few years, we have sold the Rainbow Lanyard throughout February and June to show our support of Pride. They have been hugely popular and sell out at the Union shop in record time!

Portsmouth Pride Partners!

Alongside the University, the University of Portsmouth Students' Union is a proud official partner of Portsmouth Pride!

Although the Pride March has been cancelled this year, we are still very excited for Pride 2021 when we can support the LGBTQ+ community in Portsmouth, the UK and internationally!