Last Saturday over 50 Salford University students and staff marched in the Manchester Pride Parade, celebrating the successes the LGBTQ+ community have made but also making a statement about how far we still have to come to deliver true equality for all.

The hard work of staff and students truly paid off in making such a great entry and I know everyone involved loved it! I know I am not alone in hoping that in the following year, we will be able to put on another display of solidarity in the parade in 2018.

The LGBTQ+ community have fought for equal rights for so long, still fighting this day and for many centuries have stood alone in that fight. But it was truly inspiring to see so many students and staff who do not belong to the LGBTQ+ community stand in solidarity with those that do. Thousands lined the streets to cheer the loud and proud entries and that support goes a long way in being able to go back to our communities and demand the change we need, because we know we are not alone in wanting that change. 

But then we do go back to our communities, our places of work, our homes, our towns, Universities and so on, we need to rely on that support again. It is not enough to show your passion and unity with the LGBTQ+ community once a year, that unity and solidarity needs to be displayed across the year. We need to have our allies at our side in every fight, because when we do, we are stronger than ever and we win. Homophobic language and attitudes need to be called out, prejudice and stereotypes need to be challenged, fighting for equal rights, whether in our communities or thousands of miles across the world, we need that display of togetherness at the protests and rallies. 

Being an ally cannot be a one weekend occurrence, it can be difficult, it can demand tough conversations that you might not want to have with family and friends. But when standing up and speaking out you are being the best ally, the best friend, the best brother, that anyone could ever ask for. There is no shame in admitting that you can do better as an ally, we are all allies to an oppressed group, we can all do better and understand that we need to stand by the side of those who face prejudice and demand equal rights. For when one person has limited rights, we all have limited rights, we have a shared responsibility to ensure we are standing up for everyone. 

So after marching in the parade and cheering from the streets, go back to your communities and speak out, get involved in the campaigns and go to the protests, be the best ally you can be and I can guarantee you that you will be a better person for it.