#OutrightProud
Pride Around the World
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Across the world, Pride remains a protest, a salient act of resistance uniting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people. As socio-cultural and political contexts evolve, Pride and LGBTIQ visibility events celebrate resilience, progress, and courage, and they showcase the persistence of LGBTIQ communities in constructing liberating alternatives enforced cisheternormativity.
Outright International identified 101 UN member states worldwide where Pride and other LGBTIQ visibility events were held in 2023, with at least 61 of these holding Pride events both within and outside the capital city. These events aim at resisting state-sanctioned homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and intersexphobia, building public awareness about LGBTIQ populations through the reaffirmation of the existence of diversity, building community and collaboration within LGBTIQ populations, and celebrating gains. Pride doesn’t always take the form of marches or parades; it has evolved to include festivals, performances, social events, press conferences, and more.
101
countries
worldwide where Pride and other LGBTIQ visibility events were held in 2023
61
countries
held Pride in more than one city
92
countries
did not hold Pride events due to hostile laws and attitudes
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Pride Around The World
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Eswatini
Organizers in Eswatini have reported that Pride has helped start conversations and raise awareness about LGBTIQ issues. (Outright International report on Pride Around the World in 2021.)
2018
Activists organized Eswatini's first Pride in 2018.
Facts
- Eswatini has held Pride every year since 2018, despite same-sex relations being criminalized.
- The 2018 event included a march, a picnic, stage entertainment and an after-party. Despite pushback from the government, religious leaders and the public, hundreds of people attended the event.
- Activists have faced difficulty in securing venues for Pride, but there have been no major attacks or state opposition at the events.
- After the first Pride, people have reportedly felt safer and more comfortable participating in other Pride events.
- At the second Pride in 2019, there was a balance of LGBTIQ-identifying people and allies, indicating that acceptance in Eswatini seems to be growing.
Pride provides a much-needed platform to raise awareness. And awareness serves as the first step towards decriminalization [of same-sex relations].
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina held its first Pride in 2019, the last country in the Balkans to do so. (Outright International report on Pride Around the World in 2022.)
3000
BiH's first Pride in 2019 attracted about 3,000 people.
Facts
- Hate speech, including by public figures and politicians, was on the rise leading up to the first Pride.
- Administrative obstacles, widespread LGBTIQ-phobia, and fears of violent backlash had prevented activists from organizing Pride sooner.
- In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers held many smaller events and activities.
- Pride has a led to more visibility for LGBTIQ people and contributed to the creation of a National Action Plan for the Equality of LGBTI People.
- In 2023, the police in Banja Luka banned a film screening for Pride, and a group of people attacked several activists discussing the ban and destroyed the location where Pride was to be held.
Invisibility, isolation, and violence, in both the private and the public spheres, are the biggest problems for the LGBTIQ population in BiH.
Poland
Pride events, locally known as Equality Marches, have taken place in parts of Poland since 2001. (Outright International report on Pride Around the World in 2022.)
50,000
In 2018, 45,000 people attended Pride in Warsaw, and in 2019, 50,000 attended. The number of Pride marches grew from 6 in 2016 to 20 in 2019.
Facts
- LGBTIQ people enjoy few explicit protections under the law in Poland. Despite this, activism by LGBTIQ organizations has grown in prominence and visibility over the last decade, both in relation to Pride events, broader advocacy, campaigns against LGBTIQ-phobia, bullying, and more.
- Under the administration of the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) from 2015 to 2023, the increasing visibility of the country’s LGBTIQ communities was met with a growing backlash
- Hate speech created challenges to organizing Pride events, both in obtaining relevant permissions and collaborating with law enforcement, resulting in an increase in public backlash.
- In 2022, Kyiv-Warsaw Pride was held in Warsaw, creating solidarity in the
the face of Russian aggression.
- In 2023, the PiS lost power after 8 years of dominance. Today, LGBTIQ activists have hope for reforms and are calling for the new government to address hate speech, public funding of queerphobic entities, and relationship recognition.
We've been through a very rough time, but at the same time, we're going out in the streets, and saying we are stronger and we're not going to give up.
Türkiye
Despite bans on multiple Pride events and massive police repression and violence directed at Pride, the committee organizing Istanbul Pride says it continues to build solidarity and community among LGBTIQ people.
241
In 2022, Turkish authorities arrested hundreds of people at Pride events, the largest crackdown to date. In 2023 police prevented one event was and detained at least 241 people.
Facts
-The first attempt at a Pride March in Türkiye was in 1993. The state restricted and detained LGBTIQ people intending to march, after which organizers did not attempt Pride March for another 10 years.
- From 2015 to 2022, there have been continued bans against Pride marches in multiple cities and systematic attacks by law enforcement against demonstrators, including detentions.
- The increasing clampdown on civil society, as well as any form of perceived dissent, has been accompanied by mounting hate speech, including against LGBTIQ people.
- At least 11 Pride protests and events in 2023 were disrupted by physical violence.
[The clampdown on Pride in Turkey sends] a message that our being ourselves is not accepted. Our identities and our lives are not accepted. Freedom of expression is such a right that if you aren't able to tell your story & your struggle to the rest of society, it's impossible to make things change.
Philippines
Pride events in the Philippines started in the early 1990s. Some progress has been made toward LGBTIQ equality, and Pride has undoubtedly played a role in achieving it. However, the increasing visibility of a growing Pride movement has been accompanied by resistance, too.
20
At Mendiola Pride in 2020, 20 people – who became known as the “Pride 20” – were arrested by police as a part of a government clampdown on dissent.
Facts
- Pride events in the Philippines started in the early 1990s.
- Some progress has been made towards LGBTIQ equality, and Pride has undoubtedly played a role in achieving it.
- However, the increasing visibility of a growing Pride movement has been accompanied by resistance.
- Mendiola Pride in 2020 ended with “a vicious mass arrest,” violent dispersal, and the illegal detention of 20 people. Yet the arrests “sparked a national conversation led by the LGBTIQ community not only about discrimination, but about state fascism, police brutality, and tyranny,” according to organizer Rey Valmores-Salinas.
- In 2023, more than 110,000 people participated in the Quezon City celebration to mark Pride in the country.
The battle for human rights for LGBTIQ people is undertaken by “standing alongside other oppressed peoples, in a movement from the grassroots."
South Korea
South Korea has a long tradition of holding Pride events, locally known as Queer Culture Festivals. (Outright International report on Pride Around the World in 2021.)
79%
Pew Research shows a generational divide in responses to a survey question on whether “homosexuality should be accepted by society”: in a 2019 poll, 79% of South Koreans aged 18 to 25 said yes, compared to 23% of those older than 50.
Facts
- Queer Culture Festivals in South Korea date back to 2000.
- Today, despite the growing Pride tradition across the country, the Queer
Culture Festivals of South Korea are coming under fire. Conservative Christian churches have mobilized to oppose the Queer Culture Festivals, encouraging followers to protest them, resulting in festivals attracting counter-protests that have led to violence.
- In 2022, South Korea celebrated Pride for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The event saw the attendance of anti-LGBTIQ rights and religious fundamentalist protesters holding signs such as “Homosexuality is Sin” and “No!! Same-Sex Marriage.”
-In 2023, the Seoul Metropolitan Government denied the Seoul Queer Culture Festival permission to use the venue customarily used for Pride, granting it instead for a Christian youth concert. Taiwan and Hong Kong Prides have issued a petition in support of Seoul Pride, urging the South Korean government to grant permission to handle the venue application “with due transparency in accordance with democratic principles.”
- Queer Culture Festivals in Korea consist of a Pride march and other activities. Booths usually line a square, and performances and speeches affirming the existence of LGBTIQ people, calling for recognition of rights and expressing solidarity take place on a stage.
- Activists are using the platform of the Queer Culture Festivals to advocate for an anti-discrimination law that would explicitly protect people from discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Local conservative churches mobilized thousands of protesters to keep the queer festival from happening.
Uganda
Activists in Uganda organized Pride events from 2012-2015, but threats of arrest and violence have forced them to stop organizing Pride until it is safer to do so. (Outright International report on Pride Around the World in 2021.)
100
Between 2012 and 2015, Pride events drew up to 100 participants.
Facts
- Despite a highly restrictive environment of state repression, activists managed to hold several Pride events in Uganda.
- The Pride events of 2012 to 2015 proceeded without incident, except for some heckling from the public.
- In 2016 the Pride event was shut down by police before it could begin.
- In 2019, organizers tried to revive the event but were threatened with arrest and violence.
- Same-sex relations have been criminalized in Uganda since British colonial times, and hate speech from religious leaders, politicians and the media, is prominent in the country.
- The Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023, prohibits organizations from “promoting” or “normalizing” consensual same-sex intimacy, effectively enacting a ban on Pride. The Act also includes the death penalty for some consensual same-sex acts.
We continue to call for full equality and justice for LGBTIQ people.
Singapore
Activists in Singapore have organized events like Pink Dot SG and IndigNation to show support for the human rights of LGBTIQ people. (Outright International report on Pride Around the World in 2021.)
28,000
While 2,500 people attended the first Pink Dot SG in 2009, as many as 28,000 people attended the event in 2019.
Facts
- Although Singapore only decriminalized same-sex relations between men in 2022, activists have organized Pride-like events such as Pink Dot SG and IndigNation since 2005.
- Pride serves the purpose of building community, affirming existence and creating visibility as well as pushing for change.
- A law that restricts public protests serves as an obstacle to Pride marches.
- At Pink Dot SG, attendees gather to form a "pink dot" to show support for inclusivity, diversity, and the freedom to love.
- In 2022, the Parliament of Singapore passed a bill to repeal Section 377A, a vestige of British colonial laws criminalizing consensual sex between men.
Pink Dot events usually feature concert performances and booths sponsored by organizations supporting the LGBT community and cause.
Trinidad and Tobago
Pride was launched in Trinidad and Tobago in 2018. (Outright International report on Pride Around the World in 2021.)
30 years
LGBTIQ community events in Trinidad and Tobago “date back at least 30 years.”
Facts
- In 2018, the High Court of Justice decriminalized same-sex relations, making Trinidad and Tobago one of the first countries in the Caribbean region to shed this colonial legacy.
- Some public antipathy remains, but LGBTIQ people enjoy greater visibility and growing levels of acceptance in society, enabling Pride events to be staged in recent years.
- Pride organizershave experienced effective collaboration with authorities.
- In future years, organizers aim to have the Pride festival become a staple in the calendar of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural events.
The festival has been a massive success for the community. We engaged over 3,000 persons throughout the events, with our virtual Parade garnering over 500 participants.
Sri Lanka
Despite the criminalization of same-sex relations in Sri Lanka, activists in Sri Lanka held their first Pride marches in the streets of Colombo and Jaffna in 2022. These events followed the development of a Pride movement dating back to 2005, with events becoming increasingly public over the years.
500,000
According to activist Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, virtual Pride events during Covid reached half a million people.
Facts
- With every subsequent year, activists have gone further. Now, Pride includes street marches along with a queer film festival, a rainbow kite festival on the beach, theatrical performances and workshops for journalists, as well as family and friends of LGBTIQ people and more.
- The 2022 Pride march in Colombo was closely linked to a protest movement calling for then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign.
- In the wake of a ruling from the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women finding Sri Lanka’s anti-homosexuality laws are an illegal form of discrimination against women, Sri Lankan parliamentarians introduced a bill to decriminalize same-sex intimacy that is currently pending.
- Despite little political will to recognize the rights of LGBTIQ people and police targeting of the community, societal views are becoming more progressive.
We had a drag show as the cabaret for the party! It was so much fun. So much so that the next year we felt we could go a bit further.
Guyana
- Guyana held its first public Pride events in 2018.
- Despite the fact that same-sex intimacy is still criminalized, the Pride has been fearlessly held until today.
2018
Pride events became possible in North Macedonia in 2018 after the defeat of the conservative Christian nationalist party that had ruled the country for 11 years.
Facts
- Pride was first possible due to the defeat of a party that had opposed equal rights for LGBTIQ people and used homophobia as a tool to distract from its political and economic failures.
- Newly elected politicians have been more supportive of LGBTIQ events and have allowed Pride to take place.
A very difficult period has passed for the LGBT community and we consider that now is the moment for a Pride Parade.
Angola
In Angola, Pride events are targeted toward sensitizing decision-makers and the general public about LGBTIQ issues and are mostly seen as advocacy events.
- Angola held its first Pride in 2019.
- In 2022, Associação Íris Angola, a leading LGBTIQ organization in the country, organized a photo exhibition for Pride and a festival called FestÍris.
- On 26 February 2024, founder of Associação Íris Angola, Carlos Fernandes, was found dead in his home and believed murdered.
Botswana
- Botswana held its first Pride in 2019 after decriminalizing same-sex sexual relations earlier in the year.
- Botswana's former President, Festus Mogae spoke at Pride Afrique in 2020.
Saint Lucia
- Saint Lucia held its first Pride in 2019.
- On March 8, 2022, Saint Lucia’s Parliament passed the landmark Domestic Violence Act, 2022, becoming one of the few countries in the Caribbean to provide legal protections to people in same-sex relationships who experience domestic violence.
- Saint Lucia continues to criminalize consensual same-sex intimacy.
Dania Abraham | Saint Lucia
Hear from Dania Abraham from the organization United and Strong. A human rights NGO representing marginalized groups on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. United and Strong Inc was formed in 2001 and became a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in 2005.
Saint Lucia’s Penal Code criminalizes “buggery” and “serious indecencies.” Though these laws are rarely enforced, they contribute to the pervasive antipathy towards LGBTIQ people in Saint Lucia. LGBTIQ people experience discrimination in employment, housing, healthcare, and education, despite the existence of a law protecting citizens from employment discrimination. Saint Lucia’s buggery laws are currently being challenged at the High Court of Justice.
South Africa
South Africa has held Pride events since 1990, the first on the African continent.
20,000
In 2023, more than 20,000 people marched in Johannesburg, South Africa for Pride and for LGBTIQ Ugandans after Anti-Homosexuality Act was enacted.
Facts
- Johannesburg, South Africa, was the site of the first Pride march on the African continent in 1990.
- Recently rebranded as Pride of Africa, Johannesburg Pride also spread in the form of African Pride Month, using the whole month of October to stage virtual events and reach out to LGBTIQ people all over the region and the continent.
- Presently Pride takes place in all nine provinces in South Africa. In addition to the big city Prides in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and the growing Pretoria Pride, several “Alternative Prides” have been designed to cater to racial and class intersectionalism, including Soweto Pride, Khumbulani Pride and Erkurhleni Pride.
There’s a history behind our Pride, where we come from...While we need to celebrate our progress, we must ensure we’re inclusive first. We want to reduce hate crimes; we want to create awareness that there are people who are gay, lesbian, intersex, and transgender, and they’re not going anywhere.
The Bahamas
After a hiatus, the Bahamas began hosting Pride again in 2020 to raise awareness and visibility for the LGBTIQ community.
400,000
In 2020, about 800 people registered to attend Bahamas Pride online, a remarkable turnout in a nation of 400,000 people.
Facts
- Several small Pride events have been hosted in the Bahamas since 2001, but backlash against a larger Pride event in 2014 caused it to be canceled.
- In 2020, activists decided to organize Pride again. It was hosted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and about 800 people registered to attend.
- The Bahamas Christian Council has pushed back against Pride and LGBTIQ visibility in general.
- Organizers have said that Pride in the Bahamas is intended to educate people and raise visibility.
Pride in the Bahamas is about education. As Nelson Mandela said, the most powerful weapon is education.
Georgia
Georgia hosted its first public demonstration in support of LGBTIQ human rights in 2012 to mark what is now known as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia.
47%
A Council of Europe survey in 2022 found that 47 percent of Georgians believe that the rights of LGBTIQ people should be protected a significant increase from 26 percent in 2015.
Facts
- Far-right groups have threatened, harassed, and violently attacked Pride participants.
- Because of the strong and traumatizing backlash to Pride and the personal risks involved, many LGBTIQ activists have switched tactics and are focusing on year-round community empowerment rather than certain days of visibility.
- Some activists are calling for more intersectional approaches to LGBTIQ advocacy.
- In resistance to the violence of far-right groups, other activists are still fighting for the visibility of LGBTIQ people through public demonstrations.
- The day after a 2021 Pride march was canceled due to violent backlash, 7,000 people attended a rally to denounce the violence and express solidarity with LGBTIQ people and those injured.
- In 2023, a planned LGBTIQ Pride event was evacuated as far-right protesters stormed the site.
We were hunted. They were trying to destroy us.
Ghana
Even in countries like Ghana, where the laws are repressive against gender and sexual diversity, LGBTIQ persons take steps to recognize the progress made, foster community, and build acceptance.
2024
In 2024, Ghana's parliament voted to pass a controversial bill to severely restrict LGBTQ people’s rights, in a move condemned by rights activists. While the bill is still waiting for the president’s assent, it has contributed to widespread human rights violations against LGBTIQ persons.
Facts
- Over the years, Ghana's atmosphere has become increasingly hostile against persons of non-conforming sexual orientations and gender identities or expressions.
- In light of this, LGBTIQ organizations in Ghana cannot organize public Pride events as they would prefer.
- Challenges to such events include the widespread stigma against sexual and gender diversity, discrimination, and security issues.
- In previous years, various organizations would hold discreet Pride month activities during June. However, they always prioritized safety and security for LGBTIQ persons.
- In previous years, activists found ways of incorporating the celebration of LGBTIQ people’s rights and identities into local festivals, but the tabling of a hostile anti-LGBTQ law has made any form of visibility more dangerous.
We’ve not done the open and public ones because of the security issues and the risks it will bring.
Hungary
Pride in Hungary, where LGBTIQ people’s human rights are heavily contested, has always had a political edge.
35,000
According to organizers, 35,000 people braved the heatwave and gathered at Városliget Park for Pride in 2023.
Facts
- Baltic Pride, conceived as a regional event, seeks to increase LGBTQ visibility, dismantle the arguments against allowing LGBTQ people to exercise equal rights, and demonstrate how progress is being made over time.
- The first Baltic Pride took place in Riga, Latvia, in 2009, thus initiating a regular rotation of Pride hosting among each of the three Baltic state capitals. It was held in Lithuania in 2022.
- Pride in Lithuania initially faced opposition. About 500 people marched in Vilnius in 2019, while 600 police surrounded the marchers, sometimes using tear gas to protect against more than 1,000 anti-gay protesters.
- Because local community involvement is limited in organizing the regional event and because it is always held in a capital city, some perceived Baltic Pride as elitist. This critique fueled the organizing of more grassroots Pride celebrations in recent years.
Unlike Pride marches in more happy countries of the world, this is really a human rights demonstration.
Lithuania
For many, Pride is more of a protest than a celebration in Lithuania, as many legal reforms are needed to achieve true equality for LGBTIQ people throughout the country.
2021
In 2021, for the first time, activists held a Pride march in a second city, Kaunas, demonstrating that LGBTIQ activism extended beyond the capital.
Facts
- Baltic Pride, conceived as a regional event, seeks to increase LGBTQ visibility, dismantle the arguments against allowing LGBTQ people to exercise equal rights, and demonstrate how progress is being made over time.
- The first Baltic Pride took place in Riga, Latvia, in 2009, thus initiating a regular rotation of Pride hosting among each of the three Baltic state capitals.
- Pride in Lithuania initially faced opposition. About 500 people marched in Vilnius, while 600 police surrounded the marchers, sometimes using tear gas to protect against more than 1,000 anti-gay protesters.
- Some perceived Baltic Pride as elitist because local community involvement is limited in organizing the regional event and because it is always held in a capital city. This critique fueled the organizing of more grassroots Pride celebrations in recent years.
We know how to suffer, but also how to take care of each other.
Malawi
Malawian activists organized the first public Pride march in 2021 to address criminalization and anti-LGBTIQ violence.
50
About 50 people participated in Malawi's first public Pride march.
Facts
- Malawian activists organized the country's first public Pride march in 2021.
- Pride was hosted to increase visibility, address anti-LGBTIQ violence, and issue demands to the government. These demands included decriminalizing consensual same-sex relations and investigating police violence against sexual and gender minorities and sex workers.
- Some activists had anticipated violence and arrests at the 2021 Pride march, but these did not occur.
- However, there was a backlash to the 2021 Pride march, as in the weeks following the march, participants were reportedly been threatened, dismissed from school and work, and physically attacked.
-Malawi LGBTIQ activists held a Pride march again in 2022 but did not march in 2023.
This narrative that there are no LGBTIQ+ persons in Malawi is still continuing – so this was a moment to show everyone that we are here, we exist, and we are not going anywhere.
Rwanda
Rwandan activists organized the first Pride event in 2021 to increase LGBTIQ visibility.
250-300
Rwanda’s first Pride celebration hosted about 250 to 300 people.
Facts
- Although Rwanda does not criminalize same-sex sexual relations, LGBTIQ organizations report that discrimination, particularly in employment, is common and that the fear of discrimination in accessing employment, health care, education, and housing prevents LGBTIQ people from living openly.
- Few activists are publicly “out” as LGBTIQ in Rwanda.
- Rwanda's first Pride in 2021 was publicly pitched as an “inclusion event.” In Rwanda, strident political demands or dissent can have severe consequences.
- Pride was held to promote the visibility and inclusion of LGBTIQ Rwandans.
- Activists have been cautious to hold public events related to LGBTIQ issues because of LGBTIQ-phobic sentiments in the country.
Pride was to raise awareness, to show that LGBTI exists in Rwanda.
Peru
Within two decades of the first Pride March in Peru, there has been a multiplication of marches throughout the country. A map elaborated by the Lima Pride March Collective in 2023 shows that 31 cities organized Pride marches in 2023, with Juliaca having its first Pride march.
40,000
The Pride March in Lima, 2023, was highlighted as the most attended in the last two decades, with more than 40,000 people mobilized.
Facts
- Pride celebrations in Lima took place behind closed doors until 1995. -Approximately 15 activists attended the first public demonstration in 1995.
–In 2002, a public Pride March was organized for the first time in Peru.
- The Congress of the Republic has been unable to pass an equal marriage law that was presented five years ago, and the Constitutional Court has issued three rulings refusing to recognize same-sex marriages of Peruvians legally married abroad.
-The lack of legal advances is partly explained by the political situation, where the main political parties in parliament – both left and right – are deeply conservative.
- In the case of Azul Rojas Marín v. Peru, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found Peru responsible for torture and sexual violence against an LGBTI person by Peruvian police officers in 2008.
- In Olivera Fuente v. Peru, the Inter-American Court found the Peruvian State liable for discrimination against a same-sex couple in a commercial establishment in 2004.
I will always take with me that image of when we passed by a school and the whole student body was glued to the window just to see us. It felt so nice because we didn’t feel alone. And there were people who looked at us and said, “They really exist, and they’re here marching.”
Ukraine
After Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 LGBTIQ activists in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city sitting just 20 miles from the Russian border, felt it was essential to hold a Pride event inside the city even though it had endured months of shelling.
30
The [2022] Warsaw march was declared a “March for Peace,” and thousands marched behind a contingent of more than 30 Ukrainian activists representing at least 12 different organizations.
Facts
- In 2012, the Ukrainian parliament was poised to vote on a “gay propaganda” ban modeled on the kind gaining ground in Russia.
- In response, 15 activists from across Ukraine decided to plan a protest, which became an inspiration for the first Pride.
- As participants assembled in May 2012, they were met by hundreds of far-right counter-protesters and had to cancel the march due to security concerns.
- Pride in Kyiv was first successfully held in 2013, as the march of the previous year had to be canceled due to the presence of hundreds of counter-protesters.
- When Pride was organized for the first time in Kharkiv in 2019, the mayor tried to ban it, and right-wing groups attacked the “Pride Hub” by throwing torches and breaking windows.
- In 2022, due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv Pride was moved to Warsaw, Poland. In Kharkiv, activists decided they would hold a march of sorts in the subway.
- In 2023, Ukraine’s justice ministry approved a ground-breaking bill that would establish in law registered partnerships as a voluntary family union for two adults, regardless of gender.
I believe that it’s forbidden for us not to hold Pride.
Lenny Emson | Ukraine
Lenny Emson is a Ukrainian-born LGBTIQ human rights activist who identifies as a bigender individual. He has over 20 years of experience in the fields of human rights activism and advocacy for LGBTQI freedoms.
Lenny has been involved in the LGBTQI movement as an activist, founder, and employee of several LGBTQ nonprofit organizations in Ukraine and abroad.
Since 2015 Lenny has been a Co-Chair of one of the oldest Ukrainian LGBT organizations, the LGBT Association “LIGA”, and in 2021 Emson became the Executive Director for KyivPride, the biggest pride non-profit in the country.
Namibia
LGBTIQ Namibians have numerous political demands, including the decriminalization of same-sex intimacy, which are articulated through Pride and other LGBTIQ visibility events.
2019-2021
The Afrobarometer survey round from 2019 to 2021 ranked Namibia as the “third-most-tolerant of homosexuality” in Africa, behind Cabo Verde and South Africa.
Facts
– In Namibia, the common law inherited through British colonialism criminalizes same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults.
In an early step backward, Namibia’s parliament amended the Labour Act of 1992 in 2007 to remove protections on grounds of sexual orientation.
- In a May 2023 victory, the Supreme Court of Namibia decided that marriages between same-sex couples conducted abroad should be recognized within the country. However, in July, Namibia’s upper house of parliament passed a law banning same-sex marriage, aiming at contradicting the judgment.
- Activists first publicly celebrated Pride in Namibia in 2013 in the country’s capital, Windhoek.
- In 2021, about 500 LGBTIQ people, activists, and allies participated in the annual Pride march.
If I saw Pride parades happening when I was in school and younger, it would have done so much for me. It would have given me so much more validation. It would have probably changed the trajectory of my young adulthood life
Friedel Dausab | Namibia
Friedel Dausab, the Safety and Security Officer at Positive Vibes Trust, said his country was still embracing colonial-era laws that were victimizing the LGBTIQ community. Watch and learn more about the situation in Namibia
Jamaica
Despite the hostile climate for sexual and gender minorities, Jamaica LGBTIQ activists and organizations began celebrating Pride in 2015.
10 years
Jamaica criminalizes same-sex acts between men under its Offences Against the Person Act, with punishment of up to 10 years imprisonment.
Facts
- Since 2015, the National Pride, PrideJa, takes place in Kingston during the week of “Emancipendence,” the period when Jamaicans celebrate Emancipation Day on 1 August and Independence Day on 6 August.
- Montego Bay, on the eastern part of the island, held Pride events from 2015 through 2018.
- In 2019, Montego Bay’s mayor refused to allow Pride participants to use a government agency’s building, the Montego Bay Cultural Center. Other venues followed suit, refusing to rent to organizers for Pride events.
- Pride has continued in Jamaica despite the criminalization of same-sex acts and social bias against LGBTQ people.
- In 2012, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found evidence of discrimination against LGBTQ people in Jamaica and recommended the decriminalization of consensual same-sex acts between adults.
It's always been reported and documented that [Jamaicans are] very, very anti-LGBT. So I think we have to give a lot of credit to the fact that our first Pride was actually held, and subsequently, we’ve had one every year since then.
Taiwan
In 20 years, Pride in Taiwan has grown tremendously, evidence of the progress made in shifting social perception from wariness to majority acceptance and of policy and legal advancements in the country.
200,000
In October 2023, the country held its 21st annual Pride Parade in Taipei, with about 200,000 people attending.
Facts
- Pride marches have taken place in Taiwan since 2003.
- Taiwan is a regional leader in Asia on LGBTQ rights, particularly since the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019. Most recently, Taiwan’s parliament gave a nod to equal rights by adopting a law allowing joint child adoption by same-sex couples.
- In 2019, activists initiated Taiwan’s first Trans March, which drew 3,000 participants in 2022.
- In its 20th year in 2022, Pride in Taiwan included workshops on legalizing transnational marriages and legal gender recognition for trans and gender-diverse persons
People come from all over Taiwan to Taipei to participate in and witness Pride.
Jennifer Lu | Taiwan
The fight for LGBTIQ human rights in Asia pushes forward through challenges and successes. Learn more from our Director for Asia Programs, Jennifer Lu, based in Taiwan, about the state of LGBTIQ rights in the region.
Malta
Malta has one of the best LGBTIQ human rights records in the world. In 2022, the government worked hand-in-hand with LGBTIQ communities to extend Pride beyond the main island.
2%
In 2019, 8,000 people–nearly two percent of Malta’s entire population–attended the Pride March.
Facts
- The Maltese Constitution protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2017, the year after the enactment of regulations outlawing forms of conversion practices.
- Malta has been at the forefront of legal progress aimed at protecting the rights of transgender and intersex people.
- Malta’s first Pride was held in the capital city, Valletta, in 2004. About 50 participants attended.
- In 2022, the island of Gozo in Malta held its first Pride.
Growing up as part of the LGBT community, you have to find ways to validate your existence... These things – like Pride – make you realize that your existence is valid, you are loved.
Dyke* March Berlin
In countries throughout the world, lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and people who relate to LBQ identities have sought to carve out space for themselves in mainstream Pride marches – often dominated by cis gay men – while also creating their own centers of gravity, one of which, in many cities, is Dyke March.
10,000
From about 2,000 participants in the first year, the march grew to nearly 10,000 in 2022.
Facts
- Dyke* March Berlin began as an effort for lesbian visibility in Berlin in 2013.
- The asterisk following “dyke” stands for inclusivity.
- In Berlin, the Dyke* March reached its 10th anniversary in 2022.
[Dyke* Pride brings together] lesbians all over – lesbian families, lesbian elders, young people who are just coming out. It’s great to see all of those people come together, showing many ways one can exist as a lesbian in Berlin
Mauritius
In October 2023, Mauritius, which has held Pride since 2005, celebrated its first Pride to take place since the Supreme Court decriminalized sodomy in October 2023.
2023
The 2023 Pride March took place in October in a celebratory environment following the decriminalization of same-sex intimacy.
Facts
- Pride began in 2005 in Rose Hill, a suburb with about 100 people, through the efforts of activists and the organization Collectif Arc-en-Ciel.
- The Pride march was moved to Port Louis, the capital city, in 2016 and faced encounters with counter-protestors.
- Counter-protestors increased in number in 2017 and 2018, numbering about 500 in 2018 and effectively obstructing the parade, forcing a move back to Rose Hill.
- The 2023 Pride March took place in October in a celebratory environment following the decriminalization of same-sex intimacy.
Over time, there has been a noticeable increase in media attention, casting the event in a favorable light. This heightened visibility brings attention to LGBTQI+ issues and helps integrate discussions on LGBTQI+ rights into broader human rights discourse.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong decriminalized consenting homosexual conduct in 1991, but it has not implemented any anti-discrimination law.
2019
In 2019, during massive protests against the Extraction Bill, authorities banned the traditional Pride march and replaced it with an assembly.
Facts
- Pride began in 2008 with significant government support and saw large turnouts, even during politically tumultuous times like the Umbrella Movement in 2014.
- In 2019, during massive protests against the Extraction Bill, authorities banned the traditional Pride march and replaced it with an assembly.
- From 2020 to 2022, due to the government's "Zero-Covid Policy," Pride was held online and later as indoor pop-up exhibitions.
- In September 2023, a partial victory for LGBTIQ rights was achieved when the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal ruled that the government must provide legal recognition for same-sex relationships within two years.
- In December 2023, the Pink Dot festival, another LGBTIQ event, faced surveilled by the police.
- In 2024, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council passed the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution.
- Article 23 creates the vague offense of “external interference”, targeting collaboration between any person and “external forces” and carries a maximum 14-year sentence. The law suppresses civil society and threatens both LGBTIQ people’s rights and broader human rights.
Today can be the start of a more equal society in Hong Kong, but there is still a long road ahead. It is now crucial that the government does not delay in implementing this ruling as a first step towards ensuring full equality for LGBTI people.
Argentina
In 2023, amidst an economic crisis and a contentious presidential election, Argentina’s Pride event was held two weeks before the runoff marked 40 years since the return to democracy.
30
In November 2023, the Pride March took place at thirty locations across Argentina, with Buenos Aires as the epicenter.
Facts
- Argentina is recognized for its avant-garde stance on LGBTIQ rights with pioneering laws on gender identity, non-binary identity documents, a transgender employment quota, and equal marriage.
- In November 2023, the Pride March took place at thirty locations across Argentina, with Buenos Aires as the epicenter. The slogans included: "Not one more adjustment, not one less right," "Rights Yes, Right No," and "Pride is Democracy."
- The march commemorated 40 years since the return to democracy and called for justice for Tehuel de La Torre, a 22-year-old trans man who disappeared in 2021.
- The 2023 Pride event featured significant participation from families and highlighted demands for comprehensive reparations for trans people and resistance against the far-right candidate Javier Milei's policies.
- The event brought together generations of activists, highlighting the progress and ongoing struggles of LGBTIQ people in Argentina.
For me, Pride is vindicating those rights that gave us the freedom to walk & move through the streets freely. As a survivor of many exclusions, there is something to celebrate and a message to leave: the policies of our bodies express the lack of equality & the rights that are yet to be conquered.
El Salvador
Bukele, El Salvador’s president, has shown a lack of support for sexual diversity issues, including by eliminating the country’s Secretariat of Social Inclusion, where the Directorate of Sexual Diversity was housed.
26,000
In 2023, the Pride March saw a record attendance of 26,000 people.
Facts
- In June 1997, El Salvador held its first Pride March, making it the longest-running Pride march in Central America. The march was organized by the LGBTIQ association Entre Amigos.
- In 2023, the Pride March saw a record attendance of 26,000 people, with the slogan “The fight for equality begins with your identity” emphasizing the demand for a gender identity law.
- Increased police presence at the 2023 march made some participants feel threatened rather than protected, highlighting ongoing tensions between LGBTIQ communities and law enforcement.
The sense of the march has also changed: although it has always been political, now it is more so, due to the context in which we live… People recognize that although it is a celebration, they also recognize that it is a necessity to march year after year for our rights.
Belize
In Belize, support from foreign diplomatic missions helps amplify Pride events, shed a positive light in the media, and garner political support. But activists also center community-building.
2017
Belize held its first Pride event in August 2017, a year after decriminalizing same-sex acts.
Facts
- In 2016, the Belizean Supreme Court struck down section 53 of the criminal code, a colonial-era law criminalizing “carnal knowledge against the order of nature.”
- This ruling made Belize the first Caribbean nation in which a court found the prohibition of consensual same-sex acts unconstitutional.
- Belize held its first Pride event in August 2017, a year after decriminalizing same-sex acts. It includes beach parties, market fairs, and workshops, with increased visibility each year.
- The government has failed to advance a proposed bill that would prohibit discrimination in employment, education, housing, and other sectors on various grounds, including sexual orientation and gender identity, age, disability, race, and other protected characteristics.
- In 2023, Pride was more visible than in previous years, though there are no parades due to safety concerns. Events are publicly advertised and supported by foreign embassies, though Belizean government support is minimal.
Pride creates a sense of belonging because it’s a time where, while we may not have the full support of the state, we can bring forward our issues to celebrate and discuss our concerns.
U.S.: Florida
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has advanced numerous anti-LGBTQ laws, such as the "Don’t Say Gay" law, and LGBTIQ people have faced increased anti-rights rhetoric.
22
Activists, including those from Equality Florida, protested against 22 extreme anti-LGBTIQ bills during the 2023 legislative session.
Facts
- In 2023, Florida passed several anti-LGBTQ laws, including bills restricting gender-affirming care and expanding the “Don’t Say Gay” law in schools.
- Activists, including those from Equality Florida, protested against 22 extreme anti-LGBTIQ bills during the 2023 legislative session.
- One city had to cancel its Pride event in 2023 due to fear of legal repercussions.
- In the town of Hollywood, Todd Delmay and his team organized “My Hollywood Pride” for the first time in 2022 under the theme “Welcome Home.”
Pride in and of itself is a political statement…our way of showing communal love and resistance against those who would silence us & want to force us into the proverbial closet or would like to erase our existence. Merely having a Pride is a political statement, especially in this political climate.
Bangladesh
Activists in Bangladesh have different perspectives regarding the threats and possible benefits of visibility around Pride, in a context marked by increasing anti-LGBTQ hostility from religious fundamentalists.
2016
The movement suffered a severe blow when activists Xulhaz Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy were murdered in 2016.
Facts
- The first Rainbow Rally organized in 2014 by Roopbaan, an LGBTQ magazine, aimed for greater visibility of the community but faced severe backlash.
- The movement suffered a severe blow when activists Xulhaz Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy were murdered in 2016.
- Since 2021, Inclusive Bangladesh has organized an annual online Pride event, viewed by thousands, to combat hostility and increase visibility.
What took us by surprise is how well-organized these actors are: there are homophobic pamphlets published for distribution across the country, and there are announcements from mosques in smaller towns and even villages.
India
Pride in 2023 evidenced different perspectives with regard to the impact of legal developments: for larger cities, the discourse around criminalization was often the starting point for organizing Pride events, while activists from small towns held Pride and other visibility events without significant reference to decriminalization or other national advocacy priorities such as the need for recognized same-sex civil partnership or marriage.
2019
In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, the first Pride in 2019 saw significant participation, with subsequent events growing in size and impact.
Facts
- In Guwahati, Assam, the first Pride event was organized in 2014 following the reinstatement of section 377. Visibility has increased since decriminalization in 2018.
- In 2022, the first Pride Walks were organized in Jorhat and Dibrugarh, Assam, reflecting the growing momentum for LGBTIQ rights in smaller towns.
- In Kalyani, West Bengal, events like winter picnics and cultural programs during Basanta Utsav serve as Pride celebrations, focusing on building rapport with local communities.
- Alipurduar’s annual rally, “Hridoye Somo,” focuses on equal rights and youth, avoiding the term “Pride” to reduce stigma and increase participation.
- In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, the first Pride in 2019 saw significant participation, with subsequent events growing in size and impact.
2018 has been a huge landmark. Visibility shot up like crazy, and the number of collectives also started increasing. In fact, in Assam itself, there are Prides happening in various districts now, like Jorhat…
Kosovo
Activists in 2023 were buoyed by growing political support for Pride in a context in which several protective laws exist, but Kosovo has taken significant steps to protect the rights of people with diverse sexualities and gender expressions.
2017
The first Pristina Pride event occurred in 2017, aiming to increase visibility and report hate crimes.
Facts
- The first Pristina Pride event occurred in 2017, aiming to increase visibility and report hate crimes.
- Pristina Pride Week 2023 focused on mental health and systemic discrimination, featuring discussions, cultural performances, and art exhibitions.
- Activists face backlash, especially outside Pristina, but there are plans to expand Pride events to other cities.
Pristina Pride is carrying that legacy. It’s a celebration but also a protest… We are taking up space, we remain and are resilient. When the prime minister showed up at the Pride, everyone [saw] that across Kosovo. It sends a message: that we are not disposable.
Italy
Activists in Italy held at least 50 Pride events in different regions in 2023, defying ongoing efforts by far-right politicians to curtail sexual and gender minorities’ rights.
1994
The first major Pride parade was held in Rome in 1994, with around 10,000 participants.
Facts
- The first-ever Pride event in Italy took place in 1972 in Sanremo.
- The first major Pride parade was held in Rome in 1994, with around 10,000 participants.
- In 2000, Rome hosted the first World Pride, drawing approximately 500,000 participants despite opposition from the Vatican and government official.
- The 2023 Pride Season saw significant participation, with nearly a million at Roma Pride, 300,000 in Milan, 100,000 in Torino, and 20,000 in Catania, indicating widespread support and visibility.
- The 2023 Pride events faced challenges such as local authorities restricting participation in Scafati and political resistance in Lazio, Roma, and Milano, reflecting the growing tension between LGBTIQ advocacy and conservative forces.
Since the appointment of the current Prime Minister, the true grassroots resistance to the rising far-right anti-minority rights policies has turned the squares of the Italian Pride events into the most crowded ‘resistant squares’ in the recent history of the country.
Thematic Research
Factors such as invisibility, insecurity, and inadequate funding prevent intersex people and organizations in many countries from achieving adequate representation in LGBTIQ Pride events. There is more to do to ensure equitable representation, visibility, and full inclusion of intersex people in LGBTIQ advocacy and flagship events, including Pride.
Facts
- In 2019, Campaign for Change, the first and only intersex-led organization in Nepal, launched its own event with the intent of heightening visibility of intersex [people].
- Metro Manila Pride in 2022 was the first time a group of intersex people participated visibly in Pride [in the Philippines] rights issues. [In 2022, 25 intersex individuals participated in the national Pride.]
- The inclusion of the intersex flag on the rainbow flag is viewed by some as a “big step forward” for intersex people.
- In 2023, the intersex flag was flown at the opening ceremony during the São Paulo Pride march in Brazil, for the first time in history.
Many Pride events are insufficiently accessible to persons with disabilities: they often involve walking long distances, squeezing through crowds, and standing and waiting under the hot sun, while sign language interpretation of events or adequate street safety measures for visually impaired persons may be an afterthought.
Facts
- In 2019, the Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) noted that LGBT persons with disabilities face intersectional discrimination, greater social exclusion, and violence, and barriers to education, housing, employment, and health, particularly sexual and reproductive rights. They may also face barriers to participation in Pride.
- Grenland Pride in Norway, led by queer disabled activist Michelle Moland, prioritized accessibility, resulting in positive feedback from the queer disabled community.
- In Kathmandu, Nepal, the Queer Youth Group ensures that multiple languages, including Nepali Sign Language, are used in all aspects of Pride to improve accessibility.
- Sydney WorldPride 2023 was noted for its accessibility efforts, including detailed planning, dedicated funding, and oversight into every aspect of the event organization. It offered 23 types of accessibility features, from physical access to sensory/well-being spaces.
LGBTIQ migrants and refugees who have transitioned from countries with severe restrictions on LGBTIQ organizing to those where Pride is celebrated as a national event reported mixed perceptions of Pride,
Facts
- A refugee from Uganda noted the lack of racial and economic diversity at Pride in the United Kingdom and emphasized the need for Pride to address the material conditions of LGBTIQ+ migrants and refugees.
- A queer feminist from mainland China, found European Prides to be overly corporatized, and preferred feminist marches and BIPOC queer and trans community spaces that prioritize safety and belonging over visibility.
- A gay student from Russia who attended his first Pride in Italy reported feeling a strong sense of community and support, noting the participation of families and older adults who showed solidarity with the marchers.
- In Denmark, while some LGBTIQ asylum seekers participate in public Pride events for the first time, while others avoid high-visibility events due to safety concerns.
Global Black Pride gives space to Black LGBTIQ people from around the world to come together and celebrate their intersecting identities.
Facts
- Global Black Pride was set up not only in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also due to the global spotlight on racism and police brutality in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in the U.S. and the wave of Black Lives Matter protests which swept across cities around the world.
- It was first held virtually on July 10, 2020, just after Pride Month, and again in 2021.
- A mix of prerecorded content and live broadcast, the first Global Black Pride connected organizations and viewers on 4 continents.
- An in-person Global Black Pride was held in Toronto in 2022.
Global Pride in 2020 aimed to serve as a space for “the LGBTI+ community around the world to come together and celebrate diversity and equality during these challenging times.”
Facts
- The primary organizers, the European Pride Organizers Association and InterPride, wanted to create this space because the COVID-19 pandemic “had a devastating impact on Pride organizations worldwide with hundreds of marches and events cancelled or postponed.”
- The event also focused on the pivotal role of Black trans people in the Pride movement and called for an end to racism.
- Speakers included Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the President of Costa Rica, where equal marriage was recently legalized; Erna Solberg, the prime minister of Norway; Xavier Bettel, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg; and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon.
- Organizers estimate that more than 57 million viewers from all around the world tuned in at some point during the 24-hour online event.
Pride Afrique is aimed at LGBTIQ people and allies across Africa, a continent in which over half the countries still criminalize same-sex relations.
Facts
- The first Pride Afrique was held as a three-day, trilingual online pan-African celebration of Pride in 2020.
- In 2023, Pride Afrique hosted an in-person Pride gathering at the Pan Africa ILGA conference in Mauritius.
- According to participating organization The Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, the 2020 event “explor[ed] the diversity of the LGBTIQ+ lived experiences of queer persons in Africa and the diaspora … Pride Afrique 2020 incorporated multiple levels of storytelling that were structural, relational and personal while creating a multi-dimensional narrative for the LGBTIQ+ community.”
As legislatures seek to introduce laws that limit the rights of transgender people, especially in current anti-trans hot spots such as the United Kingdom and Australia, creating safe spaces for visibility, inclusion, and recognition becomes all the more important.
Facts
- Trans Pride Brighton held its first march in 2013 and remains a protest, challenging transphobia in the UK and globally.
- Trans Pride in Melbourne was held for the first time in 2022.
- In 2023, Trans Pride Brighton was believed to have attracted 30,000 participants, despite extreme weather.
Explore More
Pride Around the World Reports
Check out the new Pride Around the World in 2023 report: Beyond the Rainbows and Glitter
The report series is made possible with seed funding from Google.org.
The 2024 report is made possible with support from Balenciaga.
