Bermudians took to the streets of London as part of that city's Pride parade. A group of 20 dressed in Bermuda shorts and blazers marched in protest of the Island's failure to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

They walked through London's West End armed with a banner that read: 'Bermuda and LGBT refugees: No better time for full human rights and equality'.

Pride London is an annual event celebrating gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender culture. One of the largest marches of its kind in the world, this year it attracted around half a million people.

Organiser of the Bermuda march Adam Cooper said: "We were marching to increase awareness of our situation. There are a lot of Bermudians here in London for whom going home is not really an option because of the discrimination they've experienced.

"We sometimes joke that Bermuda's biggest export is LGBT people. But there's a real drain of talent and it's Bermuda's loss."

Participant Andra Simons said: "I've been disappointed in the painfully slow process of including sexual orientation in the Bermuda Human Rights Act.

"It's been over a decade, with several groups seeking change through evidence, discussion, protest and logic, but the Government has either withdrawn, baited, or remained silent."

He continued: "Great visionaries like Nelson Mandela, whom I would think our leaders aspire towards, know that a country can only reach as high as its most marginalised and persecuted communities. It is the role of a democratic and progressive party to insure the protection of the few from the tyranny of the majority.

"I'm looking forward to our Government's swift action soon."

Mr. Cooper added: "I had a number of people come up to me afterwards because they recognised the shorts.

"They didn't realise that LGBT people don't enjoy the same rights in Bermuda as in the UK and were invariably shocked by the lack of legal protection."