10 Days Remain Until First Baltic Pride
This year the Baltic Pride will take place in Rīga, Latvia, from May 15-17. The March for Equality will be held on Saturday, May 16, beginning at noon. The location is still being negotiated with the Rīga City Council and the local police. Following the march, there will be a gathering at which participants will be addressed by local and foreign guests from various organisations.
On Friday, May 15, Friendship Days will open with a press conference and a political discussion, “The Importance of Social Inclusion in Times of Crisis.” Among the politicians who will be on hand will be the Swedish minister for integration and equality, Nyamko Sabuni, a representative of the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs, Christian Veske, and a former Lithuanian MP who is now a candidate for the European Parliament, Marija Ausrine Pavilioniene. Several senior Latvian politicians have also indicated that they will attend the event.
“We are pleased that Friendship Days this year are being organised in tandem with colleagues from Lithuania and Estonia. The situation in the three countries differs, but what we have in common is the desire to create an environment in which life and work are fine for everyone, not just for those who conform to some kind of narrowly defined norms,” says Linda Freimane, board chairwoman of the Latvian LGBT organisation Mozaīka.
Vladimir Simonko, head of the Lithuanian Gay League: “Friendship Days will offer various events that will be aimed at eliminating stereotypes about LGBT people, also encouraging society to think beyond its own accepted ideas. Most LGBT people in the Baltic States, sadly enough, are still hiding their orientation, which means that they cannot live fully full lives. They often feel great loneliness and alienation.”
Madle Saluveer, who represents the board of the Estonian Gay Youth organisation: “This will be an excellent opportunity to show that partnership among the Baltic States is necessary if we wish to deal with issues that are of equal importance to all of us. Particularly at a time of economic difficulties, it is important to make sure that each individual feels a sense of belonging to his or her country and wishes to take part in its growth.”
