Sarah and I went to Pride in London over the weekend!
It was so much fun, as always, but a highlight for us this year was having a wander through the family stage area and seeing so many happy LGBTQIA+ families celebrating Pride together.
This year was the celebration of 50 years of Pride in London. Hearing the people who marched in the first Pride protest in 1972 was incredibly humbling, inspiring, encouraging and really made us appreciate how far we have come and how much there still is to do.
Representation is so important, and with picture books being one of the earliest introductions to the world for children, they're a great place for us to show the whole of the world and all the kinds of people in it.
It is a privilege as a children's writer and illustrator that I get to create these stories and as I scribble away quietly at my desk, working on projects that I hope will reach families like mine and everyone else one day, showing new generations that LGBTQIA+ people are as much an important part of the global community as everyone else.
Pride is a celebration, but it is also a protest, fighting for, to keep and create a world where acceptance is the norm and differences are celebrated.
Happy Pride!