Tag: Pride in pictures

The first annual gay pride parade in Taipei, Taiwan was held in 2003, and attracted over 20 thousand people. Ma Ying-jeou, who was the mayor at the time, gave a speech at the parade. “Taipei, as an international city, should respect individuals of different groups and cultures,” he said. “The existence and respect of such communities is important to the diversity of a city.” He later became president and served from 2008-2016. The parade is a social movement, with few advertisements and no...

“I am gay – and that’s a good thing!” said Berlin’s former Mayor Klaus Wowereit prior to the 2001 elections. He is one of several prominent German politicians who are openly gay. Two of the three main political parties in the German Government are considered socially conservative in regards to queer rights. Despite this, the Berlin Pride Parade that takes place every year aims to celebrate the progress that Germany has made to ensure that the LGBTQ community gains equal...

In 1979, there was a protest held in Rabin Square, Tel Aviv. The protest drew attention to longstanding discrimination of the LGBTQ community in Israel. Today, Israel has progressed drastically in terms of their laws protecting the queer community and their celebration of queer culture. The parades were politically motivated at first, but transitioned to focus on LGBTQ rights, equality and equal representation. An individual used to serve up to 10 years in prison if they engaged in same-sex activities. In the...

Guadalajara, Mexico, held its first Pride parade in 2014. The parade has quickly gained popularity, and approximately 70,000 people attended the parade in 2019. Founded by Karina Velasco Michel, a queer rights activist, the pride parade in Guadalajara is one of the most popular parades in Latin America along with those in Mexico City, Sao Paolo, and Buenos Aires. The LGBTQ community has faced no shortage of discrimination in Mexico. Although homosexuality was legalized in 1871, homophobia is widespread in the...

This year, Zurich, Switzerland celebrated its 25th pride parade. Thousands of people crowded the city streets to celebrate the queer rights movement and advocate for social and legal changes. Switzerland is relatively progressive in regards to LGBTQ rights and freedoms, but there are a few legal changes that still need to take place for the queer community to gain full equality. In 1789, same-sex activities were decriminalized under the Napoleonic Code. Same-sex relationships have been legally recognized since 2007, when the...

The Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney, Australia started off as a human rights protest, and has grown to become a celebration of sexuality and expression. The first parade happened in 1978 and attracted about 500 people. In 2019, over 300,000 people attended the parade. The parades started to end systemic discrimination and police brutality against queer people. Australia is now recognized as one of the most accepting countries in the world, in regards to the queer community. A PEW...

In 1984, Tokyo held its first Pride parade. The parade, sponsored by a gay magazine, was named the Tokyo Lesbian Gay Parade and has changed its name six times since then. Now the Rainbow Pride Festival Parade, the event attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year. The LGBTQ community still lacks full equality in Japan. Queer people gained legal status in 1880, but there is still no nationwide recognition of same-sex relationships. An individual can also legally change their gender,...

In August 2012, the Moscow City Court upheld a ruling which banned Pride parades until 2112. That’s 93 years from now. The court cited that Moscow Pride creates the possibility of public disorder, due to the lack of support for the queer community from the public. The first Pride parades in Moscow took place in 2006, 2007 and 2008. They were bombarded with homophobic attacks. In 2009, the Russian LGBT Human Rights Project organized a parade at the last minute, avoideding...

Rio de Janeiro holds one of the biggest Pride parades in the world. The parade attracts approximately two million people, and celebrates the progressive stance that Brazil has taken on LGBTQ rights. Queer people have been legally recognized in Brazil since 1830. Human rights for the Brazilian LGBTQ community are among the most advanced in the world, despite ongoing social challenges. Over 14 per cent of the Rio population identifies with the queer community. Rio de Janeiro State University and University...

London has been hosting Pride parades since 1972. The event attracts approximately a million people, and is the only annual event to close Oxford Street, one of the busiest streets in the city. Despite the size and popularity of Pride, the United Kingdom has endured a long battle with queer rights. The Offences Against the Person Act 1861 removed the death penalty for homosexuality, yet same-sex acts remained illegal, and were punishable by imprisonment. The police were very strict about laws against...

Seoul, capital of South Korea, held the only Korean Pride Parade until 2009. The first South Korean Pride took place in 2000, and 50 people attended. The queer community in South Korea still faces legal discrimination. Laws and human rights surrounding the LGBTQ community are confusing, to say the least. Although same-sex relationships are legal, same-sex marriages are not recognized as a form of legal partnership. The Military Criminal Act identifies same-sex relationships as a form of sexual harassment, and those found...

In 1974, Dublin, Ireland hosted a one-day festival celebrating the LGBTQ community. This one-day event has now grown to a ten-day event and serves as an annual celebration of the social and political progress that has occurred within the LGBTQ community. The festival also serves as a reminder of the things that still need to change, and work that still needs to be done. Declan Flynn, a 31-year old gay man, was attacked and killed in Fairview Park in September...

Johannesburg, capital city of South Africa, has been hosting Pride parades since 1990. The organization behind it, the Gay and Lesbian Organization of the Witwatersrand (GLOW), was founded in 1988 and has continuously advocated for progressive change since. The parade in Johannesburg was the first to take place on the African continent. 800 people attended. “I’m fighting for the abolition of apartheid,” said Simon Nkoli, anti-apartheid activist and founder of GLOW. “And I fight for the right of freedom of sexual orientation....

Although Paris didn’t start hosting Pride parades until 1979, queer culture has been recognized and documented in France dating back to the Middle Ages, according to twelfth century poet, Michael D. Sibalis. During this time people were regularly convicted for same-sex activities. In the eighteenth century, historian Maurice Lever documented the rise of queer subcultures in Paris. He described this group as having “its own language, rules, codes, rivalries and clans.” In the French aristocracy, there were several icons that were...