Reason why 'Ozzy Airport' campaigner took out billboard to support Birmingham Pride

The man behind the campaign for Birmingham Airport to change its name in memory of Ozzy Osbourne took out billboard space to support Birmingham Pride - claiming the airport wasn’t as vocal as other transport providers over the event.

Dan Hudson, co-host of the multi award-winning LGBTQ+ podcast A Gay And A Nongay, took out the prominent ad space to greet attendees of the weekend event over the Bank Holiday weekend after spotting that Birmingham Airport (BHX) didn’t appear on the list of pride supporters on the event website.

However, he noticed that other transport providers such as West Midlands Railway, West Midlands Metro and Tui were on the list of sponsors.

Speaking to the Express & Star, he said: “I surprised to see that BHX does not appear on Birmingham Pride’s list of supporters - given how many LGBTQ+ people both work there and use the airport every day.

“I acknowledge that they may have supported in other ways silently but they were not as visible as other transport providers in the areas so I took out the billboard space to show that our campaign to rename the airport supports pride.”

He also noted that other UK airports - including Manchester Airport Group, which was the headline sponsor of Wilmslow Pride - had more prominent visibility in their locations, with a spokes person saying: “Manchester Airport Group aren’t just writing us a quick cheque. They’re showing up for the community, loudly and proudly, because it genuinely matters to them.”

Birmingham Airport, which is one of the largest employers in the West Midlands and recently announced £300 million worth of investments, have stated that they were involved in pride outside of sponsorship as they partnered with Arup at a breakfast event where colleagues and their families were invited to join.

The transport provider also argue that they do not need to support the once a year weekend event - and instead show support for the community in other ways.

In response, a spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: “We do not need expensive billboards to showcase our inclusivity and celebration around our amazing LGBTQ+ community. Instead, we prioritise the wishes of our colleagues and partner with the likes of Aviation Pride in an ongoing way.

“We are also proud sponsors of the Birmingham bulls, inclusive rugby team throughout the season also. The approach we take to support and celebrate this community is all year round and not just at one annual event.”

Dan Hudson says he is continuing his campaign to rename the airport after Birmingham-born Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne as the petition currently stands at nearly 80, 000 signatures. It has gained backing from Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne, and a number of musicians including Ozzy’s mentor Yungblud - who Hudson took out ad space to welcome then he came to Birmingham too.

The airport have previously said that they would not be renaming the airport but instead implemented an ‘icons wall’ earlier this year with Ozzy, front and centre. However, Dan has stated he “doesn’t see why he should stop” campaigning as he feels giving up would be letting thousands of supporters down.