YESTERDAY's Bradford Pride celebration was thrust into the spotlight on social media when activists claimed they had been asked by police if they were a ‘hate group’ - leading tennis ace Martina Navratilova to wade into the debate.

Protesters from ‘Get the L Out’ held banners up in City Park which said ‘lesbians don’t have penises’ and ‘Lesbian = Female Homosexual’.

PHOTO GALLERY: Crowds turn out for Bradford Pride 2019

Lesley Semmens tweeted: “Just had the police (including an inspector) in to Cafe Nero in Bradford to ask us if we were a “hate group”!! #BradfordPride #LesbiansOnChairsDrinkingCoffee Someone has reported us already #GetTheLOut.”

In reply, former Wimbledon champion and gay rights campaigner Martina Navratilova, said: “You must be kidding!!!”

According to the Get the L Out website, it is a “grassroots lesbian feminist activist" group.

It says: “We stand against any kind of misogynistic politics and systems that prioritise men’s interests: queer politics and transgenderism, right-wing politics, left-wing politics, patriarchal religious institutions, men’s rights activism, racism, and capitalism.”

It’s understood that while Get the L Out protestors were holding banners, they were faced with other activists who were holding flags representing the transgender community. 

Councillor Richard Dunbar, Bradford Council's LGBT Champion, highlighted how Pride is about inclusion and welcoming people and they do not want the trans community to feel unsafe. 

Jason Courcoux, Bradford Pride Chair, said that if people want to protest, they can protest - if they do it peacefully. 

West Yorkshire Police were contacted for comment on the claims made by Get the L Out.