Pride pioneer to receive honorary doctorate

Ted joined the Gay Liberation Front in 1970 and co-founded Black Lesbians and Gays Against Media Homophobia 20 years later

A pioneer for LGBT rights who helped to organise the UK's first Pride march in 1972 is to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton.

Ted Brown, 75, will be presented with the honour at the university's summer graduation on Friday before leading the line at Brighton Pride on Saturday.

The activist, who first joined the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) at the age of 20, has been recognised for campaigning efforts spanning more than half a century.

Mr Brown said: "I never imagined that standing up for who I am and for what I believe in would become what it is today."

He added that being recognised "not just for the march or the moments people remember, but for the long road it took to get here, means everything to me".

Born in New York to Jamaican parents, Mr Brown's campaigning efforts with the GLF saw him help stage the now-iconic "kiss-in" protest in London in 1972.

He later co-founded Black Lesbians and Gays Against Media Homophobia in 1990 as a direct response to the treatment of the world's first openly gay footballer, Justin Fashanu.

Mr Brown also successfully campaigned against the violent homophobia in reggae artist Buju Banton's controversial song, Boom Bye Bye.

The university's vice chancellor, professor Donna Whitehead, said: "Ted Brown has not just shaped British civil rights history, he has helped to write it.

"As our city prepares for Brighton Pride this weekend, it's clear that Ted has changed this country for the better."

Mr Brown will be made an honorary Doctor of Letters on the final day of the University of Brighton's summer graduation ceremonies, where more than 3,000 students from 97 countries will be recognised.

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