Riga Pride and Friendship Days

Riga Pride and Friendship Days

Riga Pride and Friendship Days are an annual event held in Riga, Latvia in support of raising issues of tolerance and the rights of sexual minorities in society. The main organiser is the Latvian NGO Mozaīka (Mosaic), and it is supported by ILGA-Europe.

History

The event originally began in 2005 under the name "Riga Pride", as the local equivalent to other Pride Parades held elsewhere around the world. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4708617.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Latvia gay pride given go-ahead ] ]

Following public manifestations of homophobia surrounding the Riga Pride event in 2005, [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4711261.stm "Protests disrupt Latvia gay march"] , bbc.co.uk, 23 July 2005.] some members of the LGBT community, their friends, and family members united to found the organisation Mozaīka [ [http://www2.mozaika.lv/?lang=2&mid2=1 Mozaīka English-language homepage] ] in an attempt to improve the understanding of, and tolerance for LGBT rights in Latvia.

From 2006, the event has been officially known as "Riga Pride and Friendship Days", expanding the programme include not just a parade, but also an ecumenical church service, and seminars on tolerance and LGBT rights.

Negative reactions

Over the years, the event has prompted negative reactions and sometimes threatening protests from some members of society.

In response to the activities of Mozaīka, an umbrella organisation for co-ordinating anti-LGBT rights activism in Latvia, [http://www.nopride.lv/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=36 NoPride] , was formed in the run-up to Riga Pride and Friendship Days 2006.

Also in 2006, the event sparked controversy when Riga City Council at first tried to refuse permission for the Pride Parade. Similar political debates surrounded the first Pride Parade in 2005.

The LGBT community in Latvia has also been divided in its attitudes to the event. In a February 2007 survey of 537 LGBT persons by the organisation ILGA-Latvija, 82% of respondents said they were not in favour of holding the planned Riga Pride and Friendship Days 2007, while only 7% felt that these events would help promote tolerance against sexual minorities. [ILGA-Latvia Survey Working Group, poll conducted 1-28 February 2007. From [http://www.ilgalatvija.lv/ ILGA-Latvia website] lv icon (accessed 13 May 2007).] ILGA-Latvija, however, has since changed its stance and now is positive towards the Riga Pride and Friendship Days.

International support

Aside from ILGA-Europe, the event has also received consistent support from other LBGT organisations in neighbouring countries, most notably RFSL from Sweden.

References

ee also

*LGBT rights in Latvia

External links

* [http://www.diena.lv/lat/multimediji/dienatv/dzive/praids-un-naids News video from Riga Pride and Friendship Days 2008, including protests] lv icon


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pride parade — 13th annual São Paulo Gay Pride Parade, 2009, Brazil. In 2006, it was considered the biggest pride parade of the world by the Guinness Book of World Records with an estimated 2.5 million participants, In 2009, 3.2 million people attended. Pride… …   Wikipedia

  • LGBT rights in Latvia — The democratization process in Latvia has allowed lesbians and gays to establish organizations and infrastructural elements such as bars, clubs, stores, libraries, etc. Cultural, educational and other events can be held, and lifestyles can be… …   Wikipedia

  • Jānis Pujats — infobox cardinalstyles cardinal name=Jānis Pujats dipstyle=His Eminence offstyle=Your Eminence See=Riga|Jānis Pujats (born 14 November 1930) is the Archbishop of Riga, Latvia.Pujats was born in the town of Nautreni. He attended the Theological… …   Wikipedia

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Russia — /rush euh/, n. 1. Also called Russian Empire. Russian, Rossiya. a former empire in E Europe and N and W Asia: overthrown by the Russian Revolution 1917. Cap.: St. Petersburg (1703 1917). 2. See Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. 3. See Russian… …   Universalium

  • international relations — a branch of political science dealing with the relations between nations. [1970 75] * * * Study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies and political… …   Universalium

  • GERMANY — GERMANY, country in north central Europe. The Talmud and the Midrash use Germania (or Germamia ) as a designation for northern European countries, and also refer to the military prowess of these peoples and to the threat they posed to the Roman… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Liverpool — This article is about the city. For the football club, see Liverpool F.C.. For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). Liverpool   Metropolitan borough …   Wikipedia

  • Adolf Hitler — Hitler redirects here. For other uses, see Hitler (disambiguation). Adolf Hitler …   Wikipedia

  • Nikolai Leskov — Portrait of Leskov by Valentin Serov, 1894 Born February 16, 1831(1831 02 16) Oryol, Russia Died March 5, 1 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”