Libraries, Pride Month & Reform UK – But What’s The Problem?
On 3rd June 2026, Echo Essex reported that Reform UK have ordered Essex libraries to “not promote LGBTQ and inclusive pride events”.
This report from Echo Essex comes on the third day of Pride Month, a month that exists to acknowledge queer history, appreciate progress, and celebrate queer joy. This is a month where inclusive events crop up throughout a town or city to bring attention to the issues that a historically oppressed group experience on a daily basis, and is invaluable, especially given the political tension focussed on trans people. In a world where it is getting scarier to be visible as a member of the LGBTQ community, Pride Month is an invaluable time for the community to gather together.
The first event recognised as Pride was the Stonewall Riots in New York in 1969, led by trans women after one of their safe spaces was raided by police. The LGBTQ+ community have had to fight for the recognition they have gained in the last few decades, and still have a lot of progress to make worldwide, whether that be for decriminalisation, for marriage equality, and the ability to adopt and have children. There is a long way to go, as demonstrated by Reform UK’s dystopic rhetoric and act of erasure.
Echo Essex reported that an unnamed “senior councillor” (which appears to have been reported by PinkNews and Yellow Advertiser on June 2nd 2026 to be Chris Hossack of Brentwood North) said the authority “needs to be careful not to highlight any particular groups or themes.”
PinkNews, and Yellow Advertiser reported that Chris Hossack, Reform UK Councillor in Brentwood North justified this action by Essex County Council by expressing that “our libraries are spaces for everybody, for reading, learning and enjoyment in unity, and their shelves recognise authors and books and resources spanning a huge range of subjects, which we will endeavour to maintain. With this in mind, we need to be careful not to highlight any particular groups or themes, so, mindful of this, and unless the activity is specific to libraries, we have taken a decision to pause promotion of such events at libraries via the council’s public-facing communication channels, including social media.”
While this take may sound as if Reform UK is striving to create an equal space, without elevating the voices of any particular group, making access to material equal and equitable, that is not the truth of such a statement, even if it is posed to appear that way. Instead, by declaring that they are “careful not to highlight any particular groups or themes”, Reform UK appear to be indicating an intent to rescind and revoke a library’s right to utilise their catalogues to showcase a variety of books that are relevant for various events throughout the calendar year. This is particularly telling with the council deciding to do this within the first week of Pride 2026.
Given the rise in bigotry, particularly to the trans community over the last few years, the act of a council acting to erase the publicization of queer safe spaces in community hubs such as libraries is not surprising, but, still absolutely abhorrent.
A report on Hornchurch, Upminster, Elm Park and Rainham Community Group on Facebook on June 2nd, further demonstrated Reform UK’s attempts to silence queer voices in their councils. Havering Residents Association posted in the group, indicating that Reform UK’s “first policy change was to stop the flying of certain flags in line with Reform UK Ltd’s national policies on flag flying. The policy states that the only flags flown on public buildings are the Union Flag, the St. George’s Cross, and the Havering Council flag. The only other events they will be flying flags for will be for the armed forces and veterans.”. Havering Residents Association said that they enquired about pride flags and “The new Leader of the Council, Councillor Prince had agreed for the Progress flag to be raised, yet Reform UK’s Central office interjected and stopped it.”
This means that the pride flags were no longer allowed to hang from public buildings, effectively silencing the act of declaring a building a safe space for the LGBTQ community, an action blocked from the upper echelons of Reform UK’s chain of command.
Thameside Library in Grays, Essex, has a large pride flag painted on the pavement outside the building. I find myself wondering whether this will be removed from the concrete in the coming days given Reform UK no longer wanting to showcase that their libraries are LGBTQ+ safe spaces.
These decisions from Reform UK are dystopian and abhorrent. Libraries are a free local resource, and act as more than simply places where a vast network of books await for you to browse. They act as community hubs and centres, offering a warm space for those who cannot necessarily afford to heat their homes, a hub for local clubs and a safe space for the vulnerable. My local library has a board game club every few weeks, previous local libraries of mine offered crochet clubs and places for new parents to meet people in the same boat as them and build their villages. They offer information about community events and resources to help members of the community, centres in Basildon, for example, give out recycling bags to residents on behalf of the council.
The removal of promotional materials for the upcoming pride events in Essex Libraries is a terrible decision, that appears deeply rooted in bigotry under the guise of avoiding “highlight[ing] any particular groups or themes”. When you are a member of the LGBTQ community, and do not feel safe to come out in your community, knowing that there are other people like you in your areas who may relate to your experiences, and will be there if and when you may be ready to tell the world who you are, or even if you can’t can be instrumental in keeping those people that are struggling with their identity and self-acceptance going. Promoting pride helps people realise their future is bright, and that anyone can be gay.
By removing these materials, that opportunity is stripped from the vulnerable, who may not feel safe to seek this information out themselves.
However, from an economic stance, it also means that these events may have a reduced footfall, when a greater community presence is more valuable than ever.
A spokesman for Save Our Libraries Essex said: “This is very disturbing and alarming news. What possible reason is there not to display pride promotional material – it’s not as if it’s costing the library service anything – other than pure prejudice?
“It’s not just bigotry, it’s anti-business. Pride gets people out and spending money in our towns and cities. Where will this end up?”
We must rally together in turbulent times and ensure that the community and its pride is not quashed by bigotry existing under the guise of National Pride and the careful choice to “not to highlight any particular groups or themes.”
I would like to end with a poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller, which I think is particularly important in such a tense political climate.
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Imogen L. Smiley 