Girl band Little Mix delighted fans around the world on Saturday when they performed a hit song with a giant Pride flag on the video screen behind them.

The band were performing at The Assembly as part of an all-star concert to celebrate the Global Teacher Prize, which is hosted in Dubai. Mid-way through their performance of ‘Secret Love Song, Pt. II’ – a gay anthem with relatable lyrics about hidden love – a giant rainbow flag lit up the screen behind them.

The flag appeared repeatedly during the song’s chorus, which includes the lyrics: “Why can’t I hold you in the street?/Why can’t I kiss you on the dance floor?/I wish that it could be like that/Why can’t it be like that?/’Cause I’m yours.”

The song has been considered an anthem for the LGBT+ community since its release as a bonus track on 2015 album Get Weird. The album includes two versions of the song, with single ‘Secret Love Song’ featuring Jason Derulo and appearing to reference a heterosexual relationship, while ‘Secret Love Song, Pt. II’ featured only the band.

Little Mix member Jade Thirlwall confirmed the track was about LGBT+ rights when she tweeted to a fan who had realised its meaning “I’m so happy you’ve said this. This is how I picture it and how we saw the music video in our heads.” The band also dedicated a performance of the song to the LGBT+ community in 2017, in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.

Saturday’s performance was especially relevant given that one of the teachers up for the Global Teacher Prize, Andrew Moffat, was shortlisted for his work pioneering LGBT+ inclusive anti-bullying programme No Outsiders.

As part of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has strict laws condemning homosexuality and the promotion of LGBT+ imagery. Federal law technically states that “sodomy with a man” is “punished by death,” though executions of gay men are not actually carried out. However, LGBT+ people frequently face imprisonment.

https://twitter.com/LMGlobaINews/status/1109518235387527174

Twitter account LM Global shared a clip of the daring performance, and fans were vocal in thanking Little Mix. One wrote “This should be an enough [sic] reason that they are out there being the girl group who really speaks up and use their platform to spread messages and be that symbol of hope and empowerment. My ladies ain’t just showing off their talents their [sic] really out there using it for A CAUSE.”

When one person wrote: “imagine all the parents there with their kids……” another responded “good. their kids will be exposed to equality and the importance of tolerance.”