The Sofia Pride Parade 2018 will take place on Saturday, June 9, 2018. The date was recently announced by the organising committee for the parade. What’s more about one of most friendly annual event in Sofia and the issues of this very special year.
Sofia Pride parade is the largest annual human rights event organized in Sofia, Bulgaria, for the first time in 2008, where a hundred people had marched in the streets of Sofia. At this time, skinhead groups tried attacking the few participants. The police stepped in. They arrested 70 ultra-nationalists and Nazis. Despite the intolerance of part of the country, where homophobia is wide-spread, the movement continued to grow. Last year, about 3,000 people joined the procession, and more than 20 businesses provide their support. Organizers expect this year to reach 5,000 people. The friendly movement therefore continues to grow.
For the eleventh straight run for LGBTI equality (The acronym LGBTI stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex), the Sofia Pride Parade will pass on the streets of the capital on June 9th, 2018. The motto of Sofia Pride 2018 will be « Different People, Equal Rights » and, as every year, the procession will be preceded by a series of cultural events and a film festival.
The date of June 9th have not been decided by chance because at this date Bulgaria will still have the EU Council Presidency. The Sofia Pride parade 2018’s organizers believe that this presidency of Bulgaria could force the Bulgarian government to take position. Unlike representatives of some other countries in Western Europe or even in the United States where the Pride Parade is considered a normal event, none of the representatives of the Bulgarian government support the LGBT community at all. Possible consequent failure of politicians to stand on the side of equality would be particularly embarassing for Bulgaria.
Sofia Pride 2018’s starting point is the Monument of the Soviet Army like the last year.
More about HUGE, the first Bulgarian online magazine about gay culture.
Cover picture : Anastas Tarpanov Photography – Sofia Pride Parade 2017.
