{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Scouts is a place where everyone is welcomed, valued and celebrated. Here, UK Inclusion Team Member Marcus Coulson shares his powerful story\u2026","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom an early age I remember noticing that my thoughts were different to my peers. They were always talking about who they were seeing or who their celebrity crush was. But I had other thoughts which were not aligned to theirs.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI remember dating girls to fit in with my male friends, but deep down I knew it was not meant to be.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI found my home with Scouts, knowing I didn\u2019t need to please anyone. I could be my whole self and express myself in the way I wanted to. \u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/ienfyjav/marcus-pride.png","width":1592,"height":2060,"altText":"Marcus, wearing a purple Scouts t-shirt and rainbow necker, at London Pride.","caption":"Marcus says Scouts gave him \u0027a place to belong\u0027","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThen in 2011, I felt ready to come out. My Jamboree unit were the first people I told.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d planned to come out to my parents around the same time but, sat around a campfire discussing society one Saturday night, I felt it was the moment to tell everyone that to me, Scouts was my place to belong.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe unit took it so well, accepted and supported me. Many members talked about their experiences, too. I knew I wasn\u2019t alone and I wanted to help others feel accepted, too.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve been involved with Scouts at Pride in London and its Family Area for many years now. It\u2019s a fun-packed day full of songs, smiles (and very sore feet!), and there\u2019s something so magical within the chaos.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI first attended Pride in London with Scouts in 2012. It was the first time I\u2019d felt truly supported to be myself. I hadn\u2019t met many LGBT people before, and suddenly there were all these Scouts by my side who felt just like I did. I was part of a community, and it was wonderful.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI remember the buzz of the day, the waving flags, the acceptance and the freedom. Each year, when we turn the corner into Trafalgar Square and I see the Scout flag, I get so emotional. I look around at all the Scouts expressing themselves and feel so proud.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen we reached the end of the parade in 2012, one of the Scouts in our group bravely came out to us. It was a moment I\u2019ll never forget.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt makes me sad to think of all the young people who feel they\u2019re never supported for who they are. But they shouldn\u2019t feel embarrassed or ashamed \u2013 Scouts are here for each other no matter what. \u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Pride everyone can truly be themselves\u2013 just like at Scouts. Both open the door to so many wonderful friendships and a fantastic community of people who support each other.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a volunteer, I love Pride because it allows me to show people that Scouts is there for them all year round. I can\u2019t describe the feeling of seeing a young person realise that they\u2019re not alone.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe have 50 Scouts attending Pride in London in 2026, including a delivery team, a photographer and a member of the UK Leadership Team.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a very early start for everyone taking part. We\u2019ll arrive in London at 9am, get registered and move to the start point on Park Lane. There\u2019s a two-hour wait before the parade begins, so we keep up our energy with a few games and plenty of sweet treats. There are so many new people to meet, the time really flies by.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOnce the parade starts, the crowds are huge, the noise is loud and the atmosphere is electric. There\u2019s really nothing quite like it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELoads of people recognise our Scout uniform and love to chat or give us a shout out from the barriers. It\u2019s a fantastic place to promote Scouts and lots of people share their intention to sign up each year.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts gave me a place to belong, and Pride reminds me every year why that matters. If even one young person feels seen, supported and celebrated because of what we do, then it\u2019s all worth it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou\u2019ll find Scouts hosting a fun range of free activities in the Family Area, so please drop by if you\u2019re attending. Everyone\u2019s welcome.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019re not attending Pride in London, there\u2019s plenty of other ways to take part in Pride Month.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ESign up to a parade in your area or turn up to support those taking part\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EHost your own parade at your next section meet\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EExplore Pride-themed crafts like flag colouring and \u003Ca href=\u0022/activities/make-a-pride-windmill/\u0022 title=\u0022Make a Pride windmill\u0022\u003Ewindmill making\u003C/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFind \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://shop.scouts.org.uk/scouts-events/scout-pride?gad_source=1\u0026amp;gad_campaignid=23851811464\u0026amp;gbraid=0AAAAADDo6usz4UHK_PETRAc22v4WyRNBM\u0026amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8bXLxrT8lAMVzoxQBh2SpTBoEAAYASAAEgKPh_D_BwEv\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Pride items on Scout Store\u0022 data-anchor=\u0022?gad_source=1\u0026amp;gad_campaignid=23851811464\u0026amp;gbraid=0AAAAADDo6usz4UHK_PETRAc22v4WyRNBM\u0026amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8bXLxrT8lAMVzoxQBh2SpTBoEAAYASAAEgKPh_D_BwEv\u0022\u003EPride-themed badges and accessories at Scout Store\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"30 June 2026","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Pride-themed badges and accessories at Scout Store","url":"https://shop.scouts.org.uk/scouts-events/scout-pride?gad_source=1\u0026gad_campaignid=23851811464\u0026gbraid=0AAAAADDo6usz4UHK_PETRAc22v4WyRNBM\u0026gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8bXLxrT8lAMVzoxQBh2SpTBoEAAYASAAEgKPh_D_BwEv","newWindow":false}],"id":90255,"nodeName":"How Scouts gave Marcus a place to belong","title":"How Scouts gave Marcus a place to belong","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/ienfyjav/marcus-pride.png?cc=0,0.07255161149372989,0,0.4927396506421924\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dd089490d345d0","caption":"Marcus Pride","type":"png","size":4853903,"width":1592,"height":2060,"altText":"Marcus, wearing a purple Scouts t-shirt and rainbow necker, at London Pride."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How Scouts gave Marcus a place to belong","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Marcus shares how he\u2019s supported at Scouts, where everyone can be themselves.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC85MDI1NSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2026/june/how-scouts-gave-marcus-a-place-to-belong/"}