Tag Archives: LGBT Pride

Turkish Police Fire a Water Cannon and Rubber Bullets at Istanbul LGBT Pride March (Video)

Thousands of men, women and children gathered in Istanbul’s historic Taksim Square on Sunday for the annual gay pride festival only to face water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas.

“Where are you, my love?” sang one group of LGBT rights activists, waving rainbow flags and holding hands, swaying to the popular Turkish love song. “I am here, my love!”

Moments later, Turkish riot police aimed a water cannon into a crowd of people sending them running for safety as water pounded them from behind. Belongings flew off with the force of the water as people struggled to stay on their feet — a scene that caused several young police officers to laugh openly, mocking the drenched protesters.

It was just one of many assaults Sunday against peaceful gay pride participants, reportedly the first time in 13 years that the annual festival was forcefully dispersed.

Many people expressed confusion as to why the peaceful parade was blocked by police forces after more than a decade of successful gay pride marches. Just the week before, on June 21, a smaller transgender pride parade took place in roughly the same location without encountering police force.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ-TBLiij6c

Despite being squashed by police forces, Sunday’s pride festival was one of hope and acceptance for Turkey’s LGBT community and its growing group of allies. Even after police dispersed crowds from Taksim Square, people poured into side streets singing, dancing and chanting.

South Korean Court Throws Out Police Ban on Gay Pride Parade

A court in the South Korean has ruled that police violated the law when they banned a pride march to be held June 28, according to a press release from organisers.

Police had denied permits to hold the march, citing conflicting applications for events that overlapped the parade route. These applications were filed as the result of a showdown between Christian conservative activists and LGBT activists, who had both camped out in front of the police station processing applications for more than a week in May. The conservatives managed to get their public use applications in first.

On Tuesday, the court ruled this violated the LGBT activists’ right to protest.

Unless there is a clear risk of danger to the public, preventing the demonstration is not allowed and should be the absolute last resort.”

Myeong Jin Kang, chairman of the Korean Queer Cultural Festival, embraced the court’s acknowledgement and recognized the moment’s significance in a press release saying,

The court’s decision in relation to police’s unjust notice prohibiting assembly is important. Within a democratic country, built on civil society, the guarantee that society can use their voice has a deep meaning.”

Last year’s march was disrupted when anti-LGBT activists lay down in the street in front of parade floats. Police also attempted to shut down the event by trying to revoke the march permits saying it was inappropriate to hold the event in light of the Seoul ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people two months earlier. But the march was ultimately held peacefully.
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Organisers have projected more than 20,000 people will participate in the march, and the march’s opponents are likely to attempt to disrupt the event once more. When the Queer Cultural Festival opened on June 9, participants were outnumbered by protestors holding signs with slogans like “Stop Same-Sex Marriage” and “Gays Out: Homosexuals have no human rights.”

Many protestors held smaller signs that simply said, “Come back — We’ll be waiting.”

Apple Make Video Tribute To San Francisco Pride

Apple have posted a beautiful video showing the company’s support of employees who took part in this year’s San Francisco Pride Parade. According to the video, thousands of Apple employees and their families took part in the Pride Parade, including Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

The YouTube video was posted with the following message:

On June 29, thousands of Apple employees and their families marched in the San Francisco Pride Parade. They came from around the world — from cities as far as Munich, Paris, and Hong Kong — to celebrate Apple’s unwavering commitment to equality and diversity. Because we believe that inclusion inspires innovation.

California Governor Announces Appointment of Out Lesbian to Serve on California’s Court of Appeal

Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that he has appointed San Francisco Chief Deputy City Attorney Therese M. Stewart to serve as a justice on the California Court of Appeal, on the First District Court’s Division Two.  The appointment was made during San Francisco’s LGBT Pride weekend, and marked the historic milestone for California’s judiciary as well as its LGBT community. Stewart will be the first openly lesbian justice to serve on the California Court of Appeal, if confirmed.

In response to the news, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera issued the following statement:

“Terry Stewart was my very first hire after I was elected City Attorney, and it has been an extraordinary honor to have someone with her intelligence, dedication and passionate commitment to justice serve as my chief deputy for more than a dozen years. I’d be lying if I didn’t concede a degree of personal disappointment in knowing that she won’t be standing by my side in the City Attorney’s Office anymore.  But I am incredibly proud of Terry for all she has accomplished in her career, for her appointment to the California Court of Appeal today, and for shattering one more historic barrier as California’s first lesbian-identified appellate court justice.  On a weekend in which San Francisco celebrates LGBT equality, Terry Stewart’shistoric appointment is still more cause to celebrate—not just for the LGBT community, but for all Californians who’ll be so ably served by her remarkable gifts on the judiciary.”

Dennis Herrera, San Francisco City Attorney

Stewart, who has served as chief deputy city attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office since 2002, and was key figure to argue on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco in the trilogy of cases advocating for marriage equality for LGBT Californians in the California Supreme Court.  She also led the team of San Francisco deputy city attorneys intervening as plaintiffs in the federal case challenging Proposition 8.

 

Sao Paulo Celebrates LGBT Pride

Yesterday, the streets of Sao Paulo filled to celebrate Pride, and as the city blocked its main central avenue to allow room for colourful floats to pass, LGBT advocates called for a Brazilian law against discrimination.

“As long as there is this prejudice, we are going to be in the streets. We are fighting against different types of prejudice: racism, homophobia. We are here together to show there are plenty of us.”

Valder Bastos, a well known drag queen Tchaka.

The LGBT Community said a law banning discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is long overdue in Brazil. Criminalising displays of discrimination would reduce violence against members of the LGBT community.

Last year Brazilian President – Dilma Rouseff, launched efforts to set up centres that would promote and defend LGBT rights. She also reminded people via Twitter on Sunday about a hotline they can use to report hate crimes.

Activists at the parade said they also want to see Brazil pass a gender identity law like that in neighboring Argentina, where people can legally change their gender without needing surgery or a judge’s approval.

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UN Launches Campaign on Equality and Rights of LGBTs in Brazil

Brazil Pride 01On Monday the 28th April, 2014, the United Nations launched a campaign on equality and rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals and transvestites (LGBT) in Brazil. In partnership with São Paulo City Hall, the campaign “Livres & Iguais” (Free & Equal), was initiated to shine a light on the alarming rates of violence against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transvestites and transsexuals. It is the UN’s aim to promote equality and respect for human rights of the LGBT groups.

At the launch was São Paulo City Mayer, Fernando Haddad, Daniela Mercury, UN Champion of Equality, the Assistant Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Humberto Henderson, and the Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Brazil (UNIC Rio), Giancarlo Summa

LGBT Community was represented by Keila Simpson, President of the Transvestites of Bahia Association (ATRAS) and winner of the Human Rights Award 2013 in the LGBT category;

Alessandro Melchior, Municipal Coordinator of  LGBT Policies; Fernando Quaresma de Azevedo, President of the São Paulo LGBT Parade Association (APOGLBT); Gustavo Bernardes, President of the LGBT National Council; Thaís Faria, Officer at ILO; and Leandro Ramos, Representative of  AllOut, the international organization that develops mobilization campaigns in defence of LGBT rights. Leandro Ramos will also act as moderation of the event.

The event is part of a list of activities in the run up to LGBT Pride Month in São Paulo. São Paulo LGBT Pride Parade (Parada do Orgulho LGBT de São Paulo) takes place in Avenida Paulista, and has been running since 1997. It is one of the biggest pride parades and the city’s government not only invests millions to support the parade, but many politicians show up to open the main event and ride on floats.

São Paulo LGBT Pride Parade Pride receives about 400,000 tourists and makes between R$ 180 million and R$ 190 million.

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