Rainbow Pride Pinpoints LGBTI People Who Want to Boost Society
Bratislava, July 14 (TASR) – The Rainbow Pride Bratislava 2018 event, which took place on Hviezdoslav Square on Saturday afternoon, pointed in particular to young LGBTI people who are leaving Slovakia because their country provides them with significantly worse living conditions than most other EU countries, TASR learnt on the same day.
The eighth Rainbow Pride event in Bratislava highlighted LGBTI people who are trying to change Slovak society for the better and at the same time show that all people are equal regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Partly due to a generally negative trend in the development of Slovak society, we consider it necessary to show that LGBTI people are part of it, they belong here, among their friends, their families, neighbourhoods, working groups and church communities,” said Rainbow Pride spokeswoman Natalia Tomekova.
This year’s event bore the name ‘We’re Not Going Anywhere – We’re Coming’, as it gave scope to LGBTI people who’ve decided not to leave Slovakia or, on the contrary, have returned to the country. The organisers wanted to encourage the LGBTI community to stay in Slovakia and fight for its rights.
The Rainbow Pride event was officially supported by Public Ombudswoman Maria Patakyova (a Most-Hid nominee), who also gave a speech at the event, despite being strongly criticised by the Slovak National Party (SNS) for it.
Various NGOs, a large number of embassies in Bratislava as well as Bratislava regional governor Juraj Droba (Freedom and Solidarity party/SaS) also supported the event, which took place with the financial support of the Culture Ministry.
