Many people will remember Virgin Atlantic making history in 2019, when they chartered the first ever Pride flight to mark the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Virgin has since sponsored Pride festivals, hosted international panels, supported Attitude Magazine, helped launch Open for Business (a business-led coalition to make the economic case for LGBTQ+ inclusion) and supported the abolition of anti-LGBTQ+ laws. This is what led him to buy Heaven nightclub in London. He realised many young gay people were being ostracised and wanted to meet other gay people and feel part of a community.
The helpline allowed young callers with problems to retain their anonymity and get help from the right people. With a long history of supporting LGBTQ+ rights, Richard Branson began supporting the gay community nearly 50 years ago, when he started the Student Advisory Centre. And while we love celebrating Pride month each June, Virgin champions LGBTQ+ rights all year round, and has done from the very beginning. From Pride credit cards, specially-designed beers, emotive employee videos and even a dedicated radio station, we didn’t let the pandemic stop us from celebrating. To honour Pride in 2021, we’ve done a roundup of the very best celebrations across the Virgin companies.
