From Cologne to Colombia: A world of LGBTQ+ pride
Celebrations of LGBTQ+ pride are increasingly gaining visibility and acceptance across the word. But, in some places, people who are out and proud risk being thrown in jail or even killed.
Christopher Street Day in Cologne
In Germany, pride parades usually take place in major cities on weekends from June to August. Cologne held its 25th Christopher Street Day ceremonies - annually the biggest in Germany - on the first weekend of July. Berlin will celebrate on July 23, and Hamburg has scheduled a week of pride from July 30 to August 7.
Stonewall was a riot
A police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on New York's Christopher Street, on June 28, 1969, is a major milestone for the queer liberation movement. Some of the biggest US pride parades are held on the last weekend in June to commemorate the riots that followed the raid. After a gunman killed 49 LGBTQ+ people at a bar in Orlando this June, mourners paid tribute at the Stonewall Inn.
Dyke March
Lesbian activists have established their own event for more visibility: the Dyke March. The first major US Dyke March took place in Washington, DC, in 1993 and drew 20,000 women. Bisexual and transgender women also join the processions. Organizers of the annual Dyke March in New York stress on their website that the event is "a protest march, not a parade."
Police assault on Istanbul Pride
In 2016, the Istanbul administration prohibited any demonstrations during the city's annual pride observances. When protesters marched in a rally for transgender rights anyway, they were violently attacked by police. The officers used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the Trans Pride crowds. At the Istanbul Pride closing rally, police arrested several participants as well.
Bike Pride
In Vietnam's major cities, cycling is one of the most common forms of transportation. That's why it makes sense that the first Viet Pride, in 2012, saw more than 200 participants cycling through the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam's capital. This year's celebrations will be held August 19-21. The events now draw close to 1,000 people.
Premiere in Johannesburg
The first pride parade on the African continent was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in October 1990. It was organized by anti-Apartheid activists. For the event's 20th anniversary party in 2010 (pictured), 18,000 people celebrated. Today, parade participants also protest against hate crimes such as the so-called corrective rapes of lesbians in townships.
Small steps in Uganda
Homosexuality is a punishable offense in Uganda - but activists still organized a pride rally in the capital, Kampala, in August 2012. Two years later, Uganda's Supreme Court annulled legislation allowing for life imprisonment for "aggravated homosexuality" and banning the "promotion of homosexuality."
Out and proud in Colombia
Colombia hosted its 2016 Orgullo (pride) celebrations on the first weekend in July. The country decriminalized homosexual activity in 1980. Today, same-sex couples can adopt children and enjoy the same pension and property rights as heterosexual couples.
Baltic pride
Bad weather can't stop members of the LGBTQ+ community in Riga from celebrating. During the first pride parade in the Latvian capital, in 2005, protesters threw rotten eggs and bottles at the small crowd of 40 people who marched the streets. Today, Latvia takes turns with Lithuania and Estonia in hosting the annual Baltic Pride parade.
Century of sadness in Russia
The last Moscow Pride (pictured) was held in 2011. The next year, the municipal administration banned pride parades for 100 years. Russian officials have repeatedly attempted to repress LGBTQ+ people. In 2013, the country passed a law criminalizing the distribution of materials to minors in support of "nontraditional" sexual relationships, which has led to a surge of homophobic propaganda.