WMAS pulls out of Birmingham Pride Parade
Bosses say taking part could be considered “unlawful”
The West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) has pulled out of a Pride parade in Birmingham this weekend, saying that taking part could be considered “unlawful”.
It said that, alongside police and fire services, the ambulance service has withdrawn from the parade based on “legal advice”.
The decision follows a High Court ruling last year that Northumbria Police acted unlawfully by allowing officers to take part in Newcastle Pride in 2024.
The force later said that officers attending a subsequent Pride event could not wear clothing identifying them as police staff.
WMAS said as a result that there was a “very strong likelihood” that allowing identifiable uniformed staff to attend this weekend’s parade in an official capacity would be considered “unlawful”.
A spokesperson said: “We are very fortunate to have staff from many different backgrounds including the LGBTQ+ community work for us and we remain fully supportive of them and the ‘proud network’ that we run within the service.
“We have informed the organisers as to why we are unable to participate and will keep this decision under review for next and future years.
“We will also continue to support staff participating in other events that meet the public sector equality duty.”
Birmingham Pride is taking place on May 23 and 24, and will see performances from Katy B, Sigala, and Nadine Coyle.