The history of ITV Pride

• Warning: This episode includes swearing and references to homophobic slurs which some listeners may find upsetting.
  

With celebrations ongoing for LGBTQ+ History Month, the latest ITV Pridecast looks back at the history of the ITV Pride network and the people who’ve shaped it into what it is today.

Since 2012, ITV has had a dedicated network to support and champion LGBTQ+ colleagues across the company. On this episode Liam starts off by chatting with Andy Collinson, one of the founders of ITV Pride and the network’s first chair. He discusses why he decided to set up the group and why promoting diversity and inclusion has helped in making ITV a more representative place to work. As well as his commitment to support LGBTQ+ colleagues, Andy also chats about the many roles he had whilst working as a journalist at ITV Wales.

On top of that Liam also chats with AJ Dean, one of ITV Pride’s most supportive allies. AJ is a Publicity and Engagement Manager for ITV in the North and works closely with the teams at Emmerdale and Coronation Street. She chats about how she first got involved with supporting ITV Pride through her friendship with the legendary Coronation Street creator, Tony Warren. AJ discusses how Tony shared stories to her about growing up as a gay man in Manchester and the difficulties he faced. She also talks about how she helped organise ITV’s attendance at Manchester Pride for the first time and how proud she felt that Tony Warren got to see Coronation Street being represented at the event.

Liam’s final guest on the show is Matt Scarff, the original host of the ITV Pridecast. Matt has now moved onto working for BAFTA but he shares his happy memories of working for ITV and his inspiration in creating the ITV Pridecast. As well as chatting about the fun he had in hosting the Pridecast with his co-host, Georgina Marcantonio, Matt also talks about becoming the chair of the ITV Pride network and the work he did to promote diversity and inclusion. He also discusses the important role ITV Pride has in making colleagues aware of the issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community and creating a safe space for people across the business.