ILLUSTRATION: PAUL HOLLAND
AUGUST 2019 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 15C
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Editor
Without change, the world wouldn’t move forward,
learning and hopefully improving as it goes. The
arrival of this issue coincides with London Pride, the
capital’s annual celebration of LGBT+ rights and
culture. If anything proves the power of positive
change, it is this. Hearst – the company that publishes
ELLE Decoration – will be marching in the parade
on 6 July and I, along with my colleagues, will be there
waving banners and shouting myself hoarse.
This year’s event is even more powerful, as it marks
the fifty-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots in
New York, where violent protests erupted in the face
of police brutality and acted as a catalyst for the
modern fight for LGBT+ rights. While acceptance and
tolerance have come a long way since then, there is
still much to be done. Last month, two women were
brutally attacked on a London bus simply because of
their sexuality, and a recent report by The Guardian
newspaper outlined that homophobic and transphobic
hate crimes in England and Wales have more than
doubled in the past five years. These are two facts that
have particular resonance for me.
Two years ago this summer, I myself was attacked
with my boyfriend outside a gay bar in Liverpool.
Stood close, holding hands, smoking a cigarette, were
we doing anything depraved or offensive? No. We
were just two men in love, enjoying a night out. Yet,
nine people saw fit to express their anger at our
difference with their fists, beating and kicking us to
the kerb. I spent a month in hospital, but – thanks to
an incredible team of doctors and nurses, and loving
friends and family – I came through it stronger, and
more determined to never let bigotry and small-minded
values triumph. I know I was one of the lucky ones.
Some will say that the intro to a humble design and
interiors magazine is hardly the place for politics or
the overtly personal. I disagree. Given the chance, we
should all leap onto any soapbox we can, no matter
how small, and shout at the top of our voices about
what matters, what means something to us and those
around us. And so, hopefully without trivialising any
of this, I present our latest biannual issue dedicated
to transition. The pages in front of you are filled with
the new, the unusual, what is to come – things some
of you may find shocking, challenging even, but that,
nonetheless, will become the new normal. Embrace
change and diversity. Welcome difference, be inclusive,
and do it all with love. Be proud. I know I am.