NEW MAYOR TO ATTEND LONDON PRIDE

London’s newly elected mayor, Conservative Boris Johnson, will attend the city’s Pride parade on 5 July, reports Pinknews.co.uk.

This will be the first time that the outspoken Johnson will attend a gay Pride event.

Johnson beat incumbent Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone last week reflecting an apparent revolt against Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government.

While Livingstone had supported the gay and lesbian community, he had been accused of not spending enough money on Pride London compared to other events.

The news of the new mayor’s participation in Pride was confirmed by Johnson’s campaign manager, the openly gay Dan Ritterband who is expected to take a significant role in the city’s government.

Ritterband is among a number of other openly gay men who have been given senior roles in the city by Johnson, including Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes.

Neverthless, there are questions about Johnson’s personal opinions on gay issues.

In 2001 he wrote, “if gay marriage was OK – and I was uncertain on the issue – then I saw no reason in principle why a union should not be consecrated between three men, as well as two men, or indeed three men and a dog.”