Pride in London: your ultimate guide

Did you know that Princess Diana spent a night clubbing with a gay icon at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern? Or that Highbury Fields hosted the first gay rights protest? Take a tour of the key points in the historic battle for equal rights and the current hot spots that celebrate queer culture.

The British Museum has just published ‘A Little Gay History’, a new book exploring same-sex desire in the museum’s collections. According to author and curator RB Parkinson, ‘the aim is to show the depth of LGBT history across the cultures of the world, and to remind people that same-sex desire has always been an integral part of the human condition.’ Inside the book are over 40 objects of queer historical interest. Parkinson talks us through five of his favourites. ‘A Little Gay History’ by RB Parkinson is published by The British Museum Press at £9.99. He introduces a special screening of ‘Maurice’ at BFI Southbank on Tuesday Jul 2.

Asif QuraishiBritain’s first Muslim drag queen Tell me about your drag persona, Asifa Lahore. ‘She’s a bombshell and mixes her Muslim culture with her British upbringing. She pokes fun at being LGBT, she pokes fun at being Muslim. When I first went on stage in a burkha and did a parody song, half the audience were laughing at the jokes and the other half were like: Should we be laughing at this?’ You grew up in a conservative Muslim family. Was it difficult to come out? ‘I waited until I was 23. My parents took me to the GP at first, who told them it was something they had to accept. The options I was given were be celibate or marry a woman. I ended up getting engaged to my cousin in Pakistan to get them off my back.’ Do you worry about Islamophobia, especially after Orlando? ‘It’s scary and there is Islamophobia within the LGBT community. I have a lesbian friend who wears a hijab and whenever she goes to LGBT spaces wearing it, she gets comments about why she’s there because it’s just assumed she’s heterosexual.’ Has there been a moment in your life that’s proved that ‘love wins’? ‘Last year I won a Pride Award and my mum – who’s never come to any major events where she’s seen me perform – came to the ceremony and witnessed me receive this award in full drag. She’s my hero.’ See Asifa Lahore at Pride in Trafalgar Square and in the Pride Parade. Charlie CraggsTrans rights activist and founder of Nail Transphobia Can you remember your first Pride? ‘I went to Prid

London is arguably Europe's unofficial gay capital London's LGBT community is probably more extensive than you realise. The capital is widely acknowledged to have the largest gay population in Europe and a 2015 survey by the Office for National Statistics found that Londoners are nearly twice as likely to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual than people living in most other UK regions. 2. London embraces its LGBT community London's gay community is also especially well integrated. According to a 2014 YouGov survey, Londoners know an average of 8.5 gay men and 3.6 gay women. Though the second figure is surprisingly low in comparison to the first, both numbers are comfortably above the national average. 3. London's LGBT scene isn’t focused on one location Increased acceptance coupled with rising rents and the growing popularity of dating apps has caused a number of London's most famous gay bars to shut down. But the capital still has a diverse scene that varies in vibe according to location. Whereas many Soho drinking dens are young and buzzy, south London venues like the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) tend to attract an older and more relaxed clientele. As you'd expect, east London hang-outs like The Glory are generally the city’s edgiest. 4. London’s LGBT scene doesn’t require deep pockets Londoners love to bitch about G-A-Y, which runs two separate Soho bars and several weekly club nights at Heaven, a huge cavernous venue under Charing Cross station. But there's som