LGBTQ+ adopters, foster carers, special guardians and their children will parade en masse on Saturday, 1 August, in the Brighton & Hove Pride Parade. It’s the first time peer support charity New Family Social and its members will take part in the event.
As the event draws near, New Family Social has limited remaining spaces in its walking group in the parade for LGBTQ+ members who live locally. The charity is calling for them to act now to secure their place.
Brighton & Hove Pride’s 2026 parade theme is The Power of Love, to mark the event’s 35th anniversary. For New Family Social, joining the parade is an opportunity to champion the love, resilience and everyday visibility of its LGBTQ+ parent members. This is at a time when court cases, a challenging environment and a dramatic fall in some parts of the community adopting have all occurred.
James Lawrence, Head of Communications & Engagement at New Family Social, said: ‘We’re thrilled to take part in the Brighton & Hove Pride Parade for the first time. Our LGBTQ+ adopters, foster carers and special guardians build loving, secure families every day.
"Pride is a powerful moment to celebrate that visibility. But we’re aware our members face strong criticism daily. This is both online and in the media, from opponents of LGBTQ+ people adopting and fostering. The recent convictions in the horrifying and tragic Preston Davey case saw media coverage that deeply bruised LGBTQ+ adoptive families.
‘This year some members participating asked not to wear t-shirts highlighting that they are adopters or foster carers. There’s real concern that images from our attendance at Pride events will be used online to attack them. At the same time we all know that by being visible, we encourage our community to follow in our steps.
‘The need for more LGBTQ+ people to consider adoption or fostering is stronger than ever. In England there’s more children waiting for adoption than there are applicants. Those children can’t wait for our critics to turn their attention elsewhere. They need LGBTQ+ people to step forward now. So we will parade in Brighton to show that our families are successful. And because our country’s most vulnerable children need us to.’
LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers in the region who are members of New Family Social can find out more about joining their walking group by CLICKING HERE
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