The Independent announces today that it has entered into a year-long partnership with Pride in London, becoming its exclusive news partner. The relationship encompasses an array of commercial, editorial and marketing initiatives, during Pride Month (June) and the Pride in London parade (1 July) for the second year running, and also throughout the coming year, demonstrating The Independent’s commitment to supporting the LGBT+ community every day.
As part of its support for Pride, The Independent is relaunching The Rainbow List as The Pride List, recognising extraordinary changemakers. The list began spotlighting LGBT+ leaders as the Pink List in 2000, with artist Sir Elton John, Olympian boxer Nicola Adams, and transgender actor Riley Carter Millington among those honoured over the years. 2023’s edition will renew that commitment to making the community’s voices heard, and celebrating those driving change. The Pride List’s judging panel will be composed of team members from The Independent and Pride in London.
The Independent will showcase its coverage in a new Pride hub, making LGBT+ stories available to more than 70 million readers globally. Pride in London will work with The Independent’s editorial team on features and on-the-day coverage, while Pride’s Got Talent will feature a judge from The Independent, making the partnership truly collaborative.
Editorial coverage will be accompanied by Pride in London advertising across The Independent, and support on The Independent’s social media platforms. Meanwhile, The Independent will be featured across Pride activity throughout the year.
For the Pride in London parade on 1 July, The Independent’s branding will be visible along the entire route from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall Place, and the Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Soho and Golden Square stages. The Independent will again march for equality, with its team coming together with 500 charities, businesses and community groups in front of a crowd of up to 2 million people.
As well as giving a substantial amount of advertising inventory to Pride in London, The Independent will also donate to the Unity Fund, designed to strengthen LGBT+ communities by providing support to grassroots organisations in London that work to directly improve the lives of LGBT+ people.
Geordie Greig, Editor-in-Chief at The Independent, said: “The Independent has always been proud and unwavering in its championing of the LGBT+ community and it is a privilege to publish The Pride List, which will honour those who have done the most to make change happen in our society. Our Pride activity will run over the next year – and beyond – carrying on our steadfast commitment to support LGBT+ people every single day.”
Pride in London CEO Christopher Joell-Deshields said: “We are honoured to welcome back The Independent as our official news partner. Its commitment to amplifying the voices and stories of the LGBT+ community aligns perfectly with our mission to celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity. Together, through the Pride Hub, we will create a powerful platform to share the news and experiences that matter most to our community.”
