The digiio team was out on the streets of London this Saturday filming the float of one of our corporate clients at London’s Pride parade. We always have a lot of fun when we’re out filming but Saturday was one of the most celebratory events we’ve attended in a while.
Celebrating London Pride
The day started with a pre-parade breakfast where the digiio team were filming short interviews with some of the corporate team. The building sense of excitement was tangible. Our filming then continued through the day as the team marched with the float along the parade route.
The Pride route ran from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus, down Haymarket and along Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square, culminating at Whitehall Place. We had loads of fun accompanying the team on the float who were handing out flowers to the enthusiastic crowds who had gathered in the designated public spaces along the route.
Never March Alone
This year, Pride in London launched a new campaign #NeverMarchAlone. It was created by an entirely LGBTQIA+ team to highlight the power, beauty and celebration of standing together with our trans siblings and to champion trans and non-binary allyship.
The campaign comes at a time when trans and non-binary people face increasing amounts of hatred and negative portrayals from politicians to the media. It offers unwavering solidarity and focuses on trans allyship, both within and from outside the wider LGBTQIA+ community. It seeks to support those in our community who need it most right now and amplify the voices of our trans family.
Our founder, Sarah Allen, joined the digiio team on the parade, lending her skills as photographer to capture some of the enthusiasm for the event. Sarah commented, “Pride Parade London is a phenomenal event which the whole digiio team was proud to be a part of. There was an amazing atmosphere on the day. We brought back with us that sense of what can be achieved when we stand together and it was truly inspirational.”
Does tech have a diversity problem?
Although the mood on the day was primarily one of celebration, there was also recognition that work still needs to be done and, unfortunately, that is especially true in our sector.
The tech sector still has a problem with diversity. In 2018, a survey by the Institution of Engineering and Technology found that a third (30%) of LGBTQ+ young people in the UK would not consider a career in science or technology sector because of fear of discrimination.
Their fears are shared by LGBTQ+ people already working in the sector. A 2023 Proud Ventures report found that three quarters (75%) of LGBTQ+ founders in the UK tech industry do not feel safe sharing their sexual identity with their peers. Over a quarter (27%) said their identity gave them a disadvantage and 18 percent said it would damage their fundraising attempts.
Promoting diversity and inclusion in tech
It’s the acknowledgement of the work that needs to be done that makes being involved with the London Pride event especially heartening. It’s so great to see a big tech company investing in its people, especially with employee resource groups designed to build inclusion and allyship.
We believe this kind of positive action is so important in our sector – both for the people working in tech now and for attracting the next generation of new talent – and it was a privilege to be a part of it, however small.
Interested in working with us?
If you’d like to talk with the digiio team about how we can work with you to film or photograph your corporate events, please give us a call.
You can reach us on: 020 7902 1190