On Sunday 12th June, the worst massacre of LGBT people in the West since the Holocaust took place in Orlando, Florida. A gunman entered Pulse, an LGBT night club, and killed 50 people, injuring 53 more. This was a horrific tragedy for those of us around the world who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Not only because of the tragic loss of life, but because of where it took place. Gay clubs were the places we had built as a community because we felt safer there than in the rest of the world. LGBT clubs and bars, bookshops and cafes are supposed to be where we can express our real selves, without fear of being judged for who we love, how we act or what we wear. On Sunday, that sense of safety was stolen from us.

We've seen the homophobic and transphobic motives of the attack glossed over by the media who are more interested in who the killer was than who his victims were. We've seen the racial dynamics of the attack, with most of the victims being latinx, being casually ignored. We've seen our tragedy being exploited by politicians to further their own xenophobic agendas. But now is our time to gather and defy the fear that hateful people try to instill in us. Now is our time to mourn our dead.

The London Pride Parade was born from a community that had to mourn its dead far too often. It was born out of conflict, out of radicalism. And yet now the parade is full of corporate logos and slogans - supporting their employees and promoting diversity, yes, but also using the event for self-promotion.That shouldn't happen, this year of all years. Pride is for people, not private companies.

We, the undersigned, call upon any and all of the private corporations marching in the London Pride Parade this year to replace any signs or banners, any floats or buses bearing your names and logos, with something commemorating those we lost in Orlando. Black banners, artwork, the names of the fallen - anything that focuses attention on them and not on your company. Let us mourn our dead with the respect they deserve. If you want to share our celebration, then you should share our grief. Don't overpromote the decision, don't turn it into a PR stunt. Don't distract from or pinkwash our tragedy. Just do the right thing, the honourable thing, and pay tribute to the innocent lives which were lost. Be true to Pride's roots, rather than allowing it to become a commercialised shadow which has lost all real meaning.