Every June, as the rainbow tide begins, it’s important to remember that despite all the parties, parades and fabulous festivals, Pride began as a protest over five decades ago.

Since the New York City Stonewall uprising that started the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement, there has been significant progress and causes for celebration, including the legalisation of gay marriage. Unfortunately, there have also been many recent setbacks. Transgender men and women in the USA, in particular, are under continued assault through legislation banning participation in sports and prohibiting transgender men and women from using the correct restroom for their gender identity, while in the UK, transgender women have been dealt a swift blow.

When the pink wave and flags come down, the truth remains: Pride is about survival, resilience, and the right to live and love without fear.

At Innisfree, we know that healing begins with being seen. And that for many LGBTQIA+ people, being seen has often meant being judged, marginalised, or denied safety. That’s why Pride matters—because the journey to acceptance isn’t over.

How a Dive Bar Uprising Became a Global Movement

On 28 June 1969, a rather routine police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, triggered six days of a rebellious uprising. It was the latest in a long line of targeted attacks on LGBTQIA+ spaces, but something shifted that night. People pushed back. They refused to go quietly. It wasn’t strategic or neatly organised—it was raw and real.

The uprising sparked a new wave of LGBTQIA+ activism that spread across borders. One year later, the first Pride marches took place in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London. By the mid-70s, the global movement had taken root.

The message was clear: we exist, we matter, and we’re not going away.

The UK’s Fight for Visibility

While NYC’s National Historic Landmark, the Stonewall Inn, was the birthplace of the Gay Rights Movement, the UK has its own LGBTQIA+ history of protest and resistance. The first London Pride march took place on 1 July 1972—the closest Saturday to the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots—with around 2,000 brave participants who showed up to march for equal rights. The march, organised by the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and other groups, aimed to celebrate the gay community and the recent decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland would have to wait until the 1980s for this freedom).

Even with legal progress, the struggle continued. In 1988, Section 28 made it illegal for schools to “promote homosexuality.” Queer students and teachers were silenced. Entire generations grew up with no representation, no language for their identity, and no protection.

It wasn’t until 2003 that the law was fully repealed across the UK.

Today, same-sex marriage is legal and trans rights are recognised—at least on paper. The Equality Act 2010 aimed to protect transgender people from discrimination based on the characteristic of “gender reassignment”, which applies to anyone proposing to undergo, undergoing, or having undergone a process to reassign their sex.

However, recent developments have made that progress feel fragile.

Recent Backlash: The Work Isn’t Done

Unfortunately, the public attitude towards the trans and non-binary population is becoming increasingly hostile, with the media and conservative political parties adding fuel to the fire.

In 2024, a UK tribunal ruled that an individual’s belief about ‘what constitutes a real woman’ was protected under the Equality Act.

Then, in April 2025, the UK Supreme Court determined that for specific single-sex spaces—such as hospital wards, bathrooms, and sports teams—the term ‘woman’ may be interpreted as referring to biological sex rather than gender identity. While the Equality Act still protects trans people from discrimination, this ruling represents a significant narrowing of how that protection applies in specific contexts and raises serious concerns about what the ruling means for schools, office buildings, women’s charities, policing and prisons.

Jane Fae, one of the directors of the advocacy group TransActual UK, says the trans community is “absolutely devastated. We have been basically stripped of the right to exist within UK society.”

Following the 2025 ruling, author JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame posted on social media: “I love it when a plan comes together.” The women’s rights campaigner who financially backed the case has been previously criticised for anti-trans comments.

While Rowling and other supporters publicly celebrated the ruling, Stonewall, an LGBTQIA+ rights charity, expressed deep concern about the widespread implications of the court ruling. “It will be incredibly worrying for the trans community and all of us who support them.”

Without complete legal recognition, safety and inclusion for trans women remain a worrisome issue.

Mental Health and the Cost of Being “Othered”

The mental health challenges faced by the LGBTQIA+ community aren’t rooted in who they are, but in how the world responds to who they are. This feeling of being “othered” shows up in the rates of substance abuse, anxiety, depression, trauma, and self-harm, which are significantly higher among the LGBTQIA+ population.

The most recent statistics highlighting the acute differences between the LGBTQIA+ population compared to the non‑LGBTQIA+ population are startling.

LGBTQIA+ youth in particular experience significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, trauma, self-harm, and substance use compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. In addition, according to The Trevor Project, 16% of LGBTQIA+ youth reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy. These youth also experienced higher rates of mental health concerns. Trans and non-binary individuals face even more acute disparities, especially in accessing appropriate care.

Affirming Care Is Essential

At Innisfree Therapy, we understand how shame, rejection, and chronic hypervigilance can break down your identity and self-worth. Many of our clients arrive carrying layers of trauma, from family estrangement, bullying, spiritual abuse, or even past therapeutic harm.

We understand that healing can’t happen if identity is questioned. That’s why we provide LGBTQIA+-affirming, trauma-informed care for individuals and families navigating complex issues—from addiction and relational wounds to identity and grief.

Our therapists are committed to ongoing training and reflection, with therapeutic practice rooted in our values of dignity, safety, and trust.

We meet you with compassion, not correction.

We listen, not diagnose.

We affirm, not pathologise.

At Innisfree, we stand with the LGBTQIA+ community—not just during Pride, but always.Whether you’re just beginning to explore your identity or you’ve been out for years but never truly felt seen, you are welcome here.

Contact us today for a confidential, no-obligation conversation with one of our professionals.