Mayor enters Pride debate after ambulance service withdraws from event

The mayor of the West Midlands has said he is having difficulty accepting that attending Birmingham Pride is a "political act" following a decision by the regional ambulance service to not be represented at the event.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) confirmed on Tuesday it would not be participating in the gatherings on Saturday and Sunday, and said it made the decision following legal advice that taking part as a public body could breach the "political impartiality" required of it.

Mayor Richard Parker has since said he is struggling to understand where politics comes into WMAS having a Pride presence, describing attendance as "showing up" for "LGBTQ+ staff and patients". Treating "inclusion as a 'controversy' is a choice and not a legal necessity", he stated.

Last year, Birmingham Pride organisers banned some representatives of political parties from attending the event following a Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex - law which some political parties had accepted.

WMAS said this week that taking part in the event could create a "reasonable perception" that it actively supported specific views, which would be "contrary to the protected beliefs" of other people.

The service said that while it acknowledged Birmingham Pride's mission statement, it must, as a public body, follow the law while upholding its duty to promote fairness and prevent discrimination.

In a statement released on Friday, Parker, who represents Labour, responded: "Pride is a community event. People go to celebrate who they are, to see their neighbours and feel part of something. I think that matters.

"The legal position is what it is and public bodies are right to take their legal obligations seriously - I respect and accept that.

"What I find harder to accept is the idea that showing up for your LGBTQ+ staff and patients is somehow a political act. These services exist for everyone."

WMAS referred the BBC to its previous statement when asked whether it wished to respond directly to Parker's comments.

WMAS had said it remained fully supportive of its staff belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, adding: "As a public sector organisation, we need to ensure that we discharge the public sector equality duty and comply with the principles of public law."

It stated: "We will also continue to support staff participating in other events that meet the public sector equality duty."

One ambulance service staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, said they "welcomed" the mayor's comments.

"It feels good to have his support on the matter," they told the BBC.

"Pride is not a political campaign, it's about visibility, dignity, and showing support for colleagues and the patients we serve."

Another worker added:" I would like to echo Parker's sentiment that this "direction of travel" is indeed worrying.

"Every person I have spoken with feels similarly outraged by the trust's stance."

Last year, Birmingham Pride's director of innovation Eva Echo said some political parties were excluded from attending because "those who do not fully commit themselves to supporting and protecting" the trans community "do not have a place with us during Pride".

WMAS' statement this week referenced a judicial review involving Northumbria Police, in which a court found the force had acted unlawfully by allowing uniformed officers to attend Newcastle Pride.

The ambulance service said that based on statements previously made by Birmingham Pride organisers, there was a strong likelihood that supporting identifiable WMAS staff to attend the parade in a professional capacity would also be unlawful.

It comes after the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives said a recent High Court ruling restricting uniformed police officers from attending Pride events did not apply to ambulance services and said it welcomed them taking part.

Birmingham Pride describes itself as a continuing "protest until injustice against LGBTQIA+ people everywhere ends and true equality is achieved".

This year's festival event will take place at the Smithfield site again, with plans paused for a homecoming presence at the city's Gay Village.

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