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Gok Wan reveals ‘part of his heart will be empty’ ahead of Pride 50th anniversary celebrations as social injustices ‘still happen’-Stella Akinwumi-Entertainment – Metro
‘We’ve got a long long way to go.’
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Gok Wan reflected on the importance of Pride ahead of this weekend’s LGBTQ+ celebrations.
Thousands are expected to line the streets and watch the London Pride parade, which is due to commence at 12pm from Hyde Park Corner – as we mark 50 years since the historic march of 1972.
During Thursday’s edition of This Morning, the fashion consultant, 47, remembered those living in countries where queer people are criminalised and will be using the upcoming event to support those who can’t come out.
‘When we stand as a community in London on Saturday and we are with our allies, we are supporting all those people around the world that can look at that with hope he told presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
TV host Gok shared how ‘outwardly proud’ over his sexuality despite the scrutiny that ‘still happens.’
‘A couple of days ago our friend, I won’t mention his name, but he texted me saying “had a terrible day. Just walking home from work and somebody called me a really derogatory name for a gay person and spat at me.”‘
Gok Wan is a TV fashion expert who rose to fame through How To Look Good Naked (Picture: ITV)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
He continued: ‘Now he is a similar age to me. He runs a business, he is just your normal average male, so stuff still happens.
Sharing a similar experience, Phillip, who came out as gay in 2020, added: ‘I just mentioned earlier on that I had a phone call with someone I know who said that their friend just decided to come out later in life, and has been fired, but openly in an email. Like you can’t work for me because you are gay.’
‘It literally blows my mind,’ Gok enthused.
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‘So it isn’t just a party on Saturday, it is about standing for equality. We’ve got a long long way to go. On Saturday I will be with Phil, and we’re going to be on the bus in the parade.’
‘And while the music is wonderful, and everyone is standing there in joyfulness. There’s going to be a part of my heart that will be empty, and that empty part of my heart is the reason why we have to talk about it,’ he added.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
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Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride
This year marks 50 years of Pride, so it seems only fitting that Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also share stories, take time to reflect and raises awareness for the community this Pride Month.
And we’ve got some great names on board to help us, too. From a list of famous guest editors taking over the site for a week that includes Rob Rinder, Nicola Adams, Peter Tatchell, Kimberly Hart-Simpson, John Whaite, Anna Richardson and Dr Ranj, as well as the likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Drag Race stars The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi offering their insights.
During Pride Month, which runs from 1 – 30 June, Metro.co.uk will also be supporting Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community during times of conflict, and youth homelessness charity AKT. To find out more about their work, and what you can do to support them, click here.
For Metro.co.uk‘s latest Pride coverage, click here.
