Pride Radar

S O L I D A R I T Y

By Frank van Dalen

Pride events – whether they take the form of celebrations, protests, or marches – are intended to raise the visibility of LGBTI people as an oppressed minority. Pride Radar, InterPride’s inventory of almost 800 Prides, is the proof of how vibrant the Pride movement is on a global scale. Each event, wherever it is held, is a profound political statement. Where the LGBTI equality movement has enjoyed substantial success, the Pride movement is strong as well.

At the same time, we see blank spots on the world map where Prides are absent or presently unknown to us. With social climates of exclusion and laws that criminalize homosexuality, it is an act of bravery to organize a Pride event in many areas of Africa, parts of Asia, Russia, and the Middle East. These regions constitute the frontier of the worldwide Pride movement.

In recent years, Pride United located Prides around the world and identified the underlying mechanisms that propel the Pride movement. As we did this work, one mechanism became clear to us: the existence of a Pride, its format, and the role it plays in society are strongly related to the local political, social, and legal situation for LGBTI persons.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many countries in Eastern Europe joined the European Union, adopting LGBTI rights as a fundamental European value. Despite the adoption of pro-equality laws, organizing a Pride event remained an uphill battle in many countries in Eastern Europe. In 2010, Belgrade Pride was met with severe violence; it was only last year that the Pride event finally took place without incident, albeit thanks to a heavy presence of thousands of combat uniformed police officers. By taking the streets in Moldova, Serbia, Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, the climate in Eastern Europe slowly changed. Protesters became less vocal and media started to cover Pride events in a less biased fashion. That many Prides in Europe have a strong political agenda is not without reason.

Credit: Pride United/InterPride.

A powerful asset of Pride events is their visibility.

A powerful asset of Pride events is their visibility. What is visible cannot be ignored; it must be addressed. However, there is a dark side to this as well. In Russia, where visible homosexuality is perceived as a negative influence on the values of the country, anti-gay laws have created an unsafe environment for LGBTI people. As a result of Russia’s annexation of the Republic of Crimea in 2014, LGBTI Crimeans found themselves in a newly criminalized situation.

In a survey of over 100 Pride organizers, 20 percent of the European Prides reported that their Pride events make no or minimum impact on local LGBTI equality. In the United States, this number is 57 percent. One explanation could be that the battle for same-sex marriage was fought for in the courtrooms. And although equal rights are getting into place and LGBTI issues are given strong support by many political leaders, there are reasons to make Prides in the United States more political: for instance, the LGBTI movement is still struggling with public accommodations and trans rights bills in many states. Homo- and transphobic violence and youth suicide need public attention, which can easily be provided by the Pride movement, making an impact on a local level.

The situation is different in Africa, where except for South Africa, equal rights and political support for LGBTI persons are absent. In South Africa, where the Constitution protects and affords rights for LGBTI individuals, there has been an increase in Black Prides. Now that Black persons in South Africa have achieved legal advances in racial equality, they have been able to become more vocal and visible as LGBTI-persons as well. But, sadly, the increase in the number of Black Prides is also a manifestation of the growing gap between Black and White, rich and poor. This phenomenon is not limited to South Africa. Wherever minorities and economically disadvantaged LGBTI people feel excluded from existing Prides, they organize their own Prides.

Hostility of a society towards LGBTI people does not always prevent a Pride event from happening. In 2016, for the fifth year in a row, a Pride event will take place in Uganda. The multi-day Pride, including a march in the forest close to the lake of Entebbe, empowers the local community. With an organizing committee that changes annually, an army of LGBTI activists is being trained to transform the legal and social climate for LGBTI people in Uganda. It is only a matter of time before the dream of local activists to march down the streets of Kampala, the capital city, is realized. And Uganda is not the only country where LGBTI activists are celebrating their Pride. We have seen initiatives in Zimbabwe, despite the homophobia rife under president Robert Mugabe. The same happened in Kenya, with the US Embassy providing a safe venue for the event. Even though there is a long road to walk, the climate is changing slowly. In December 2014, the Africa Liberal Network (ALN), composed of 35 political parties from 24 African states, established a human rights framework including non-discrimination based on sexual orientation.

"The right to love and peaceful assembly." A participant's sign succinctly conveys the reason why LGBTI Ukranians and international allies came together for the 2015Pride march in Kiev. The March took place after authorities reversed their position from the previous year and committed a protective police detail to the gathering.Credit: Andrey Basevich.

S O L I D A R I T Y

In spite of the danger, LGBTI Ugandans march proudly through the forest, blazing a trail for future activists to follow. Credit: Frank van Dalen.

Blending political support with the Pride movement, connecting one freedom movement with another, and demonstrating international political solidarity can strengthen the Pride movement and its impact on society. The newly elected president of Taiwan, Tsai Ingwen, and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) endorsed LGBTI politics heavily and even participated in Taipei Pride in October 2015. That same month, Ing-wen’s endorsement received international support during the congress of Liberal International (LI) in Mexico City. Hong Kong Pride’s endorsement of the Umbrella movement lent additional momentum to the protest of China’s domination in the election of Hong Kong’s leadership. At the same time, in many other Asian countries, autocratic governments are active. Following a military coup in Thailand just two years ago, all events considered by the ruling military group to be a threat to the happiness doctrine, including LGBTI demonstrations, were suppressed. Within this environment, it is hard to blame Prides for having less controversial events, like that in Phuket, which focuses on HIV-prevention within the LGBTI community, rather than fighting for legal and social reforms. And although China has made a lot of progress on LGBTI-themes, the government does not allow mass assemblies.

Pride events make a difference. In South and Central America there has been an increase in the number of small Pride events alongside the mega-prides in Rio, Sao Paulo, and Mexico City. They pave the way for the improvement and expansion of rights, like same-sex marriage in Mexico. What is visible cannot be ignored and must be addressed.

The impact that a Pride wants to have on society and the LGBTI community is a decision to be made by its organizers, based on the social and legal climate of the region. Whatever form it takes, the number of Prides around the world is growing and these events will continue to effect positive change for the global LGBTI community.

Frank van Dalen is former Chair of the Dutch LGBT movement COC and Gay Pride in Amsterdam. He currently serves as Chair of Pride United, Chair of the LGBTI committee of Liberal International, and Vicepresident of InterPride, the international organization of Pride organizers, of which Boston Pride is a founding member. He is the author of Pride Radar. In recent years he visited and contributed to many Prides from Australia to Cuba, from Toronto to multiple countries in Eastern Europe, from Latin America to Africa. Credit: Ollegott.