Representatives of the Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ community joined tens of thousands of participants at the Warsaw (25) Pride March in a joint parade demonstrating mutual solidarity and opposition to the Russian occupation of Ukraine.
The march began with a minute of silence dedicated to the victims who opened fire near a gay bar in downtown Oslo on Friday night, leading to the cancellation of an LGBTQIA+ event scheduled for this Saturday.
At the start of the parade, Anders Eide, Norway’s Ambassador to Warsaw, said, “Love will prevail. Our fight for justice, equal rights for all and our support for the LGBTQIA+ community will remain clear and unequivocal.” said.
A wave of rainbow flags from LGBTQIA+ communities flooded the major streets of the center of the Polish capital, which this year dotted with Ukraine’s blue and yellow.
“We want to remind everyone that the war must end for the survival of Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ rights,” said Lenny Emson, head of the Kyiv Pride Parade, which could not take place due to security concerns.
Images of the march in Warsaw, organized under the auspices of liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and in the presence of European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, contradict the political and legal context in Poland, according to a recent report. Bringing together more than 600 LGBTQIA+ associations from 54 countries in Europe and Asia, the international NGO ILGA Europe is considered the most closed country to sexual minorities in the European Union.
In 2020, ILGA Europe ranked Poland 44th among the 49 countries that most respected LGBT+ rights. Ukraine ranked 39th.
In the capital, Kiev, dozens of members of the LGBTQIA+ community gathered at a nightclub in the center of the city.
source: Noticias
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