West Midlands Ambulance Service has pulled out of Birmingham's giant Pride celebrations this weekend. The 999 organisation said it took legal advice before making the last-minute decision. Its statement did not expand on the reasons for the withdrawal.
But an internal document seen by BirminghamLive said staff taking part in uniform could "breach impartiality" and "create a reasonable perception that WMAS actively supports specific views, which would be contrary to the protected beliefs of some people".
The document went on: "Birmingham Pride describes itself as a 'protest until injustice against LGBTQIA+ people everywhere ends and true equality is achieved. As a public sector organisation, we need to ensure we discharge our public duties duly and comply with the principles of public law. Sincere apologies from the Executive Board are given for the late notification of this decision."
The Proud WMAS Network, the official LGBTQ+ staff network for the West Midlands Ambulance Service, appeared to back the decision in the internal document. It said: "As much as we as a committee are disappointed with the decision, we understand the reasoning behind it. As a committee, we will be planning a celebration of Pride during Pride Month, details of which will follow at a later date."
A number of police forces have pulled out of Pride events in recent years for the same reason as that put forward by the ambulance service. It followed a High Court ruling that the participation of uniformed Northumbria Police officers in a Newcastle Pride event in 2024 was unlawful.
But last August, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) said it believed the High Court ruling restricting uniformed police officers from attending Pride events due to impartiality concerns did not affect ambulance services. It said the ruling applied solely to police duties and has no bearing on other emergency services.
Michael Dickson, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service and AACE lead for diversity and inclusion, said at the time: "We do not believe the High Court ruling, which has been reached specifically in respect of the duties of the police, should prevent ambulance staff and volunteers from participating in Pride events. Senior leaders across the UK ambulance sector remain firmly committed to engaging with and providing the best care we can for everyone, and we welcome the opportunity to continue to join Pride events across the UK."
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson told BirminghamLive: "The Trust can confirm it has withdrawn from the Birmingham Pride parade, along with police and fire services, based on legal advice. We are very fortunate to have staff from many different backgrounds including the LGBTQ+ community work for us and we remain fully supportive of them and the 'Proud Network' we run within the service. We have informed the organisers as to why we are unable to participate and will keep this decision under review for next and future years. We will also continue to support staff participating in other events that meet the public sector equality duty."
