Ticket to pride: LQBGTQ+ charity ‘adopts’ Vauxhall station
An LGBTQ+ charity has ‘adopted’ Vauxhall station in a move that aims to improve support and end discrimination against the community on the rail network.
Station adoption sees groups and charities volunteer to take more active roles in their stations, to better reflect the people they serve.
Yesterday morning, Member of Parliament for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, Florence Eshalomi, South Western Railway (SWR) Managing Director, Stuart Meek, and LGBT HERO’s Chair, Alan Palmer, unveiled a commemorative plaque by LGBTQ+ artists from the area at the station’s waiting room, where they also cut a rainbow ribbon.
At the event, Mr Meek said: “Stations aren’t simply about getting from A to B; they should involve, reflect and serve their local community — and celebrate everything that makes a community special.”
LGBT HERO, based in Effra Road, Brixton. is the national health and wellbeing charity for LGBTQ+ people, supporting more than 100,000 individuals each month.
Vauxhall is one of London’s busiest railway stations, with more than 13million commuters passing through its doors each year, and sits in the centre of a community with strong LGBTQ+ links.
Almost one in ten Vauxhall residents identify as LGBTQ+ and South London’s oldest gay venue, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, is among the many destinations just moments from the railway station.
Ian Howley, chief executive of LGBT HERO, said: “Lambeth is a vibrant and diverse borough, but we need to address rising anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime. Our partnership is about more than symbolic gestures — it’s about real action and creating spaces where everyone, especially LGBTQ+ people, feel safe and valued.”
The adoption of Vauxhall is part of SWR’s All Aboard campaign to end all discrimination and abuse against customers and colleagues on the railway.
A 2023 report by London TravelWatch on the experiences of LGBTQ+ people travelling in the capital revealed that 82 per cent change their behaviour or appearance to avoid abuse.
It also found that one in five experienced hate crimes on the transport network in the past year, echoing a survey by LGBT HERO in Lambeth, with 84 per cent not reporting the incidents.
Among its 12 recommendations, the watchdog called for greater collaboration between transport operators, decision-makers and police authorities, including working with trusted third parties in the LGBTQ+ community.
SWR is also joining the Lambeth Allies Programme, a coalition of organisations committed to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Lambeth, developed by LGBT HERO and Lambeth Council.
MP Eshalomi said: “As we celebrate this launch, we must remember that sadly people from the LGBTQ+ community continue to face discrimination and abuse, simply for who they are.
“Initiatives like this help us to ensure that our LGBTQ+ communities feel safe in public spaces.
“I am proud to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community and show that in Vauxhall we will continue to work with a range of partners to build an inclusive society that embraces diversity.”
Pictured top: SWR staff, LGBTQ HERO colleagues, MP Florence Eshalomi and supporters celebrate the adoption of Vauxhall station yesterday (Picture: SWR)