PC Phil Adlem proposes to his Kiwi boyfriend Jonathan Sammons during the Pride March in London June 2016
A year after British bobby Phil Adlem's London Pride Parade proposal went viral, his Kiwi fiance says the surprise publicity was a privilege because it gave them a platform to reach millions.
Jonathan Sammons, who is from Auckland but moved to London 15 years ago, spoke to the Herald onSunday after the Guardian published an opinion piece written by Adlem last week about the worldwide reaction to the street-side proposal.
Adlem wrote that most of the online response to the proposal was fantastic, but some was full of hate. He also received threats and further hostile reactions from a colleague and a old friend initially made him "wish I had never done it".
Phil Adlem, left, and Jonathan Sammons have spoken publicly about the viral video of their marriage proposal during last year's London Pride parade. Photo / Supplied
But his experience of bullying and hate crime - he was the victim of a brutal homophobic attack aged 18 - was "far from unique" and the reason why Pride continued to be so important, he wrote.
Sammons said the couple, who plan to marry in London in October and have started the surrogacy process with hopes to begin a family next year, initially tried to count the views on all the videos.
"[We] gave up after 100 million people - which is absolutely mind blowing. It went around the world, and because every country has made different amounts of progress with LGBT rights, we got a wide variety of responses to say the least.
"To people who are persecuted or discriminated against by people or by law, we got messages of telling us of their appreciation and inspiration which was wonderful to hear. Even anonymous messages from police officers around the world who are too frightened to come out.
"Phil turned down all media and attention, instead he started to volunteer for an anti-bullying charity delivering talks to schools in London. It made us want to do something worthwhile and positive with the exposure."
Kiwi Jonathan Sammons, left, with his British police officer fiance, Phil Adlem, who proposed during London's Pride Parade last year. Photo / Supplied
Adlem had asked him what he thought when he told him he would write the opinion piece.
"I'll tell you what I told him - 'regardless of what reaction we get if we have the opportunity to help someone with their journey then it's worth it'.
Online abuse directed at the couple after the video went viral included comments that both should be hanged, that they were "absolutely disgusting" and "don't blame Isis if they strike them".
He personally wasn't bothered by the abuse, but he was concerned those behind the comments were potentially affecting the lives of gay people around them, Sammons said.
"We know for example that LGBT teenagers are more likely to consider suicide than their non-gay counterparts, and from surveys in the UK nearly half of LGBT children still get bullied. People that wrote the nasty comments contribute to these horrible statistics.
Phil Adlem, left, and Jonathan Sammons will marry in October. Photo / Supplied
"We have to ask what we can do to stop children being subjected to this level of torment which can ultimately take them to the edge of taking their own life. We can all do more and normalising LGBT lives is a massive part of that process."
Sammons said while he and Adlem are able to express who they are while only getting negative comments via social media, others weren't so fortunate, and he agreed with his fiance's words about the importance of Pride.
"In Britain, there are members of the LGBT community who are subjected to ridicule and violent assault. But around the world it is so much worse with imprisonment, torture or death. Pride in London is becoming more and more of a celebration, but the protest and movement for LGBT rights must not be forgotten.
"For example, the torture of gay men in Chechnya should be fought against and protested around the world, and not put to one side because they are of a different nationality to you."
