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Britain’s Royal Mail is issuing a set of Pride postage stamps. The set marks the 50th anniversary of the country’s first gay pride march, which took place in London in 1972 and was inspired by similar events in the US.
The eight stamps chronicle “the story of Pride across five decades.” They were designed by British artist Sofie Birkin.
David Gold, the director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “The vibrant, colorful Pride events that take place in towns and cities across the UK today trace their origins to a small number of people who marched through central London half a century ago to raise awareness of discrimination and inequality.”
The stamps, along with postcards and presentation packs, can be pre-ordered from today and will become available on July 1.
The UK is not the first country to issue LGBTQ-related postage stamps. In 2014, Finland issues stamps commemorating the influential work of erotic artist Tom of Finland. They became the best-selling set of stamps in the country’s postal history.
Related: UK reveals new banknote featuring gay, maths genius Alan Turing
Last year, the UK paid tribute to World War II codebreaker and math genius Alan Turing. A gay man, his career was left in tatters after he was arrested for gross indecency in 1952. He killed himself a couple of years later. The Royal Mint (which produces the UK’s money), selected Turing to feature on the latest design of the £50 note.
