Letter: Happy to march with Gay Pride

Sir: On Sunday, more than 200,000 lesbians and gay men joined the Pride Celebration in Brockwell Park but, as ever, the event went largely unnoticed by the national press. What does this celebration mean to the heterosexual majority? Ignoring it means short-sightedness.

There is a bond betwen me and every other lesbian and gay person. We are all part of the same community and we have a level of understanding between us that no other group in society could aspire to. We will be using our common strengths, our support systems, our lobby groups, our spending power and our sense of community to assert our right to equality and freedom.

In future, we shall not be the grateful and meek recipients of gestural changes to the law; we shall not be the outcasts who are satisfied with ineffectual and palliative words. We will use every means available to ensure that our rights are protected and brought into line with those accorded to heterosexuals - discrimination will not be accepted.

When you ignore us, you lose out on our creativity, generosity of spirit and your share of our immense spending power. Discriminate against us at your peril.

Sincerely,

JEREMY ORAM

London, SW6

20 June