This article first appeared in Edition 55 of The Bogotá Post. “We want all citizens, people from different social sectors, to come and join in.” Many LGBTQ people have felt discriminated at some point in their life, so we need to keep fighting for equality, respect and sexual diversity so that we are considered as first-class citizens by everyone,” Prieto said. “In Colombia, people are still discriminated against for their sexual orientation. It will end in Plaza Bolívar in the city centre, where the party will continue with live music. The slogan for this year’s celebration is “Difference Unites Us” and the march will begin from Bogotá’s Parque Nacional (Calle 35 #7) at around 12.30pm where people will parade on floats and in costume. “It is really important that LGBTQ people and social organisations keep fighting for our rights,” Juan Carlos Prieto, Director of Sexual Diversity of the Bogotá Mayor’s Office, told The Bogotá Post. The 2018 Bogotá gay pride parade will take place on July 1st and will mark the 23rd year of Bogota’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) march in the city. It’s that time of the year again when the biggest wigs, the tallest heels and the most colourful costumes grace Bogota’s streets − it’s gay pride. Photo: Laura Brinkley July 1 will see the streets of Bogotá filled with rainbow flags and banners as the city’s LGBTQ community march in the city’s annual pride parade. The 38th annual Toronto Pride Parade is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 24.The gay pride parade in Bogotá attracted thousands last year.
“Marching won’t contribute towards solving these issues - they are beyond the reach of symbolic gestures.” The relationship cannot be mended through a parade,” the letter said. “That will not be accomplished in one day. The group signing the open letter added that the two groups need to work together to regain trust and allow members of the LGBTQ community to feel safe. Pride Toronto also banned police floats from last year's annual pride parade. Police were not allowed to attend the parade in uniform, or with weapons or cruisers, in 2017. Last month, Toronto police formally applied to have officers in uniform march in this year's parade. Signed by The 519, Toronto People With AIDS Foundation, Sherbourne Health Centre, ASAAP, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) and Pride Toronto. Joint public statement about police participation in Pride Toronto's 2018 parade. We will rally and rise, but it will be with heavy hearts as we have not yet begun to grapple with our anger, shock, and grief.” “At the end of June, we will come together as we have for decades and we will be seen.
The arrest of Bruce McArthur, the alleged serial killer, has added a new poignancy and a new pain to the fears that sit at the heart of anyone who lives a life of difference,” the letter read. “It is an incredibly complex and difficult time. Only a significant commitment and meaningful action can start the critical work of making our communities safer." "We believe that our resources are better invested in shared efforts that focus on deeper dialogue, collaborative action, and sustained institutional change.
"We request that the police withdraw their application to march in the 2018 Pride Parade," the letter says. The relationship between Toronto police and city's LGBTQ community has become frayed over the recent handling of the deaths of Alloura Wells and Tess Richey, as well as the Bruce McArthur case, the man charged with with the deaths of seven men from Toronto's LGBTQ comminity. Pride Toronto (PrideToronto) April 3, 2018. The letter which was addressed to the “LGBTQ2S communities and the broader community of Toronto” was posted to Pride Toronto’s Twitter account late Monday evening and was signed by members of Pride Toronto, the 519, Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, Toronto People with AIDS Foundation and the Sherbourne Health Centre. Pride Toronto is asking the Toronto police to withdraw their application to participate in North America's largest gay pride parade.
Pride Toronto is asking the Toronto police to withdraw their application to participate in North America's largest gay pride parade, citing a strained relationship between the two sides that "cannot be mended through a parade."