Penguin Random House shows Pride in LGBTQ authors

Penguin Random House this weekend took to the streets of central London to march in support of Pride, an annual event which this year marked 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England.

More than 50 members of staff turned out from across Penguin Random House UK, waving rainbow flags and wearing special Penguin Pride t-shirts bearing the words "You're as much a part of what people call nature as anyone else". They also handed out Pride-themed bookmarks to the crowds.

The march followed PRH's Penguin Pride event at Proud in Camden last week (5th July) in partnership with LGBT charity Stonewall to celebrate the importance of literature in the progression of LGBT equality. For every ticket sold, £1 was donated to Stonewall to support their work with the LGBTQ community.

The event line-up featured a mix of live music, including from Kele Okereke, the lead singer of Bloc Party, and author readings from Good as You author Paul Flynn and Straight Jacket author Matthew Todd. The evening also incorporated spoken word poetry and a range of additional activities with an interactive video booth, photographic exhibition and pop-up bookshop. 

Straight Jacket author Matthew Todd, Gay Times' Josh Rivers and Bex Stinson of Stonewall speak on stage at the Penguin Pride event (photo credit: Dan Waine)

PRH last year launched Penguin Pride, its campaign to celebrate the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) author community.

This year as part of the campaign PRH is running a Pride Book Club on Penguin’s teen community, Penguin Platform. It features content by LGBTQ YouTubers showcasing six titles selected especially for 16-19 year olds, across classic fiction, graphic novels, history and memoir.

PRH has also compiled an "essential" LGBTQ library which can be found here.