West Ham United demonstrated their solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community as the Club and supporter group Pride of Irons came together to showcase a specially commissioned bus at the Pride in London Parade this weekend.
West Ham United supporters, staff and mascots Hammerhead and Bubbles joined Pride of Irons, the Club’s official LGBTQI+ Supporters Group, on the bus as it started its journey at Hyde Park Corner, making its way past many famous London landmarks including Trafalgar Square, before finishing at Whitehall Square.
In addition to West Ham United, the Pride Parade featured over 32,000 participants from all sections of the community and over 500 community groups, with over a million people in attendance for the annual parade designed to celebrate the LGBTQI+ community.
The Pride in London Parade came a week after the Hammers and Pride of Irons were at the centre of celebrations at Essex Pride on 22 June in Chelmsford, where the Club were one of the headline partners of the event.
At Essex Pride, the Hammers were part of the city centre Pride March, and had a prominent location during the festival at Central Park in Chelmsford.
🏳️🌈 Happy #PrideMonth from everyone at Pride Of Irons! 🏳️⚧️
Celebrate and keep up the good fight. There's no place for hate of any kind.#Pride #PrideMonth #NoRoomForHate #KickItOut pic.twitter.com/XpXtbb1EbK— Pride Of Irons (@PrideOfIrons) June 1, 2024
Pride of Irons Chair Jo Bailey said: “Pride in London and Essex Pride are hugely significant events that provide our members with the opportunity to celebrate our community while continuing to raise awareness and visibility alongside West Ham United.
“Our collaboration with other West Ham United supporter groups, has allowed us to continue building stronger relationships and enhance awareness among our allies.
“I extend my gratitude to West Ham United for their support throughout Pride Month 2024.
Pride Of Irons work continues throughout the year, constantly working with the Club for their commitment to LGBT+ equality at West Ham United & beyond.
“Together we can indeed continue to make meaningful and positive change.”
West Ham United Head of Supporter Services & Fan Engagement Catherine Smith said: “It has been a pleasure for the Club to work closely with Pride of Irons once again to celebrate Pride in London and Essex Pride this month.
“The Club has worked with Pride of Irons on this event since 2017, while this is the fourth time that we have had a specially commissioned West Ham United bus feature as part of the Parade.
“I would like to thank everyone at Pride of Irons for their support and collaboration because a key objective of our Club is to come together with our supporters to make a meaningful impact in all we do.”
West Ham United have supported a number of LGBTQI+ events across the season, most notably during the Premier League Rainbow Laces campaign where the Club launched ‘Hammers Pride Bar’ in east London. Created by the Club in close collaboration with supporter group Pride of Irons, it was a social space that encouraged people to hold positive conversations about what we can all do to support the LGBTQI+ community and help create environments where everyone feels welcome.
Earlier this year, former Hammer Thomas Hitzlsperger also spoke to Iron Cast about his career ups and downs, feeling at home with West Ham United and being the first player to come out as gay.
During the season, the Club also supported Hammers fan and broadcaster Rylan Clark when his documentary aired ‘Rylan: Homophobia, Football and Me’ in February 2024.
