First Bus x TIE
Time for Inclusive Education
More than a Pride Bus
A new Pride-themed bus celebrating LGBT+ history and inclusion has taken to the streets of Glasgow as part of a new partnership between First Bus and Time for Inclusive Education (TIE).
Unveiled ahead of Glasgow Pride on Saturday 18th July, the specially designed double-decker will travel across the city over the coming year, carrying the message "Pride in Every Journey" while showcasing six influential LGBT+ figures whose contributions helped shape science, technology, literature, civil rights, and society.
The launch marks the start of a wider collaboration between First Bus and TIE, focused on using education and community engagement to help tackle prejudice, bullying, discrimination and antisocial behaviour. As part of the partnership, the organisations will also work together on a new schools initiative due to be launched later this year.
At First Bus, we believe our buses connect people, communities and opportunities. Through this partnership, we want to use one of Glasgow's most visible public spaces to celebrate diversity, promote understanding and encourage positive conversations about inclusion.
The Pride bus reflects our commitment to creating a workplace and public transport network where everyone feels welcome, respected and able to be themselves. By bringing stories of LGBT+ achievement into communities across the city, we hope to inspire curiosity, learning and greater understanding among customers and colleagues alike.
The bus features six individuals from across almost 500 years of history whose achievements have left a lasting impact on the world. Together, they represent a range of fields including science, engineering, civil rights, literature, activism and space exploration.
While many people will instantly recognise the rainbow colours of the bus as a symbol of Pride, the individuals featured may be less familiar. Their stories highlight the important contributions LGBT+ people have made throughout history, often while overcoming significant barriers and discrimination.
The People Behind the Stories
Alan Turing (1912 to 1954)
Founder of modern computing
Alan Turing is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern computing. During the Second World War, he played a pivotal role in breaking the German Enigma code at Bletchley Park, helping Allied forces intercept encrypted military communications. Historians widely believe this work shortened the war by several years and saved millions of lives.
Despite his extraordinary achievements, Alan was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexuality, which was illegal in Britain at the time. He was subjected to chemical castration and stripped of his high-level security clearance. He died two years later, aged just 41.
In 2009, the UK Government formally apologised for his treatment, and he received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013. The 2014 feature film The Imitation Game is a biography of his life.
He was voted the greatest icon of the 20th century in a major public poll conducted by the BBC and, in 2021, he became the face of the Bank of England's £50 note. His legacy continues to shape the modern digital world.
Sally Ride (1951 to 2012)
First American woman in space
Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she travelled aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983.
A physicist and NASA astronaut, Ride later dedicated much of her career to encouraging young people, particularly girls, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She founded Sally Ride Science, an organisation committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.
It only became publicly known that she had shared a 27 year relationship with her partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy, following her death.
Sally was a trailblazer whose legacy continues to inspire generations both within and beyond the scientific community.
Bayard Rustin (1912 to 1987)
Civil rights organiser
Bayard Rustin was one of the most influential organisers of the American Civil Rights Movement. A lifelong pacifist, he played a central role in organising the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin was a key adviser to King, helping to shape the movement's commitment to nonviolent protest.
As an out gay man, Rustin frequently faced discrimination, both from wider society and within the civil rights movement itself. Despite his leadership and strategic brilliance, he was often pushed into the background because of his sexual orientation.
Throughout his life, he remained a leading advocate for civil rights and social justice. In 2013, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the American Civil Rights Movement.
Bayard is widely recognised as one of the movement's most important, yet historically overlooked, figures. In 2023, Netflix released Rustin, a feature film about his life.
Lynn Conway (1938 to 2024)
Pioneering computer scientist
Lynn Conway was a pioneering computer scientist and electrical engineer whose innovations transformed modern microchip design.
Her work underpins many of today's computers and electronic devices. After transitioning in the late 1960s, Conway experienced significant discrimination, including being fired from her job at IBM. She received a formal apology for the firing from IBM in 2020, over five decades later. Lynn went on to become one of the world's leading engineers while also becoming an influential advocate for transgender equality and visibility.
Marie Maitland (c.1540s - 1596)
Scottish poet
Marie Maitland was a 16th century Scottish poet whose surviving work includes some of Europe's earliest known love poetry between women since Sappho of Lesbos.
One of her best known works, Poem 49 of the Maitland Quarto Manuscript, is written in the Scots language and expresses Marie's desire to marry the woman she loved.
It was written at a time when homosexuality was punishable by death in Scotland and the Scottish Witch Trials were underway, illustrating Marie's resilience and bravery in committing her love to paper.
Her work was rediscovered by Scots linguist and historian Ashley Douglas, author of With My Own Hand: The secret life of Marie Maitland, Scotland’s sixteenth-century Sappho.
Booan Temple
Rights activist
Booan Temple is a lesbian activist best known for her role in one of the most iconic acts of LGBT protest in UK history.
On 23 May 1988, the evening before Section 28 came into force, Booan was among a group of lesbian activists who interrupted the BBC's live Six O'Clock News broadcast.
Wearing "Stop the Clause" T-shirts, the protesters entered the studio to draw national attention to the legislation, which prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities, including in schools.
The protest became one of the defining moments of resistance to Section 28 and remains a powerful symbol of LGBT activism in Britain. Booan's inclusion recognises the courage of those who stood up to discrimination and fought for the rights and legal protections that many now benefit from.
"When we developed the concept for the bus with First Bus, we wanted it to do more than recognise Pride as a single annual occasion."
"As an education charity, it was important for us that the bus helped shine a light on LGBT people whose stories and achievements are not always widely known. By bringing these stories into everyday public spaces, we can encourage learning and raise awareness."
"For many people, this may be their first introduction to the individuals featured on the bus. We hope it inspires people to learn more about their lives, achievements and the challenges they faced, while recognising the lasting impact they have had on society"
Time for Inclusive Education (TIE)
Have you seen the Pride bus?
If you have seen the Pride bus travelling across Glasgow, we hope you'll take a moment to learn about the people featured on it.
Their stories highlight that progress has always been driven by individuals who challenged prejudice and stood up for equality - even when it was difficult to do so and came at great personal cost.
As the bus travels across the city over the coming year, we hope it inspires conversations and helps to ensure that LGBT history remains visible in public spaces.
Free Educational Resources
TIE provides curriculum resources exploring the lives and achievements of several of the figures featured on the bus, helping schools deliver LGBT Inclusive Education in line with national guidance.