National Student Pride is returning to London for its 10th Anniversary event

The evening entertainment will be hosted by the infamous G-A-Y nightclubs. Notorious for setting entertainment headlines nationwide including recent scandalous performances by Tulisa, Lady Gaga, Nicole Scherzinger and Foxes who played for Student Pride 2014.

The 2014 event was a huge success with over 120 Universities and colleges attending. Pulling in celebrities, activists and comedians including the likes of Zoe Lyons, John Waite (Great British Bake Off), John Amaechi OBE (former NBA basketball player) and Lisa Power (Stonewall Founder). The popular Warwick Naked Rowers chose the event to launch their charity ‘Sport Allies’.

This year will see a welcome return to a focus on Trans* issues. Evan Davis who hosted the ‘Time for T’ session said its been a very important couple of years for the T in LGBT. The session heard from second on the independent’s rainbow list Paris Lees who said society does not accommodate trans people.

48% of trans people in the UK under 26 have attempted suicide because of discrimination they suffer, sometimes even from within the LGBT community. Paris Lees told the student Pride audience  “when you give trans people the help and support they need they can go on to flourish and prosper as everyone should be given the chance to do.”

Therefore, Student Pride have announced a special focus on the ‘T’ by securing the screening rights of highly acclaimed Boy Meets Girl which won Iris Prize’s Best Feature Film. The film is a tender romantic comedy that explores what it means to be a real man or woman.

At the 2014 event the Mayor of London Boris Johnson congratulated the event for sending a message to the world that London is a safe place and welcoming place to be a student.

The event began at Oxford Brookes University in 2005 as a response to the Christian Union’s ‘Homosexuality and the Bible’ talk. Student Pride continues this mantra in its 10th year. Student pride has chosen to hold its 2015 event at the University of Westminster which last year allowed notoriously homophobic Sheikh Haitham al Haddad to speak at a charity dinner.

Bridget Nkomo, the Diversity Representative for Student Pride and former president of Westminster LGBTI society said coming to Westminster opened doors so the society could highlight the importance of making the University a constant safe space for LGBTI people.

As well as the careers fair being an integral part of the daytime event corporate sponsorship is essential to keep the daytime event free.  National Student Pride is being platinum-sponsored in 2015 by EY for the fifth consecutive year. Liz Bingham (Managing Partner for People, UK & Ireland at EY and Student Pride ambassador) said: ‘We are very proud to support National Student Pride for another year. At EY we are passionate about enabling people to come together in an environment where they feel included and respected. National Student Pride enables LGBT students to do just that’. Law firm Clifford Chance are gold sponsors, with IBM and BP. The Co-operative, Asda and Enterprise Rent-a-car are silver sponsors.

Tickets for the event are on sale now: Currently at presale price of £5 for weekend wristband www.studentpride.co.uk/tickets

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