For one week crowds will party in the town to commemorate the day that individuals stood up to hate at New York’s Stonewall Inn.

Those actions, more than 40 years ago, may have started the ball rolling towards a more tolerant world but there is still much to be done to complete the journey.

This Government is determined to take the action needed to build a fairer society.

Be it helping schools tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying or putting measures in place to end discrimination in the workplace.

The government is also doing its bit to support civil partnerships and we are holding talks with a whole range of people to find out how some religious organisations can allow same-sex couples the opportunity to register their relationship in a religious setting.

We are cracking down on hate crime and promoting better recording of crimes against homosexual and transgendered people

The law will be changed so that unfair historical convictions for consensual gay sex with over 16s will be treated as spent and not show up on criminal record checks. And we are developing the first ever Transgender Equality Action Plan.

The UK will stop the removal of asylum seekers forced to flee particular coutries because of their sexual orientation or gender identification, where they are at a proven risk of imprisonment, torture or execution.

Equality is not just what lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are entitled to, but it is also critical to building the fair, just and prosperous society we all need and want.