Marches for the day of pride in Colombia and Venezuela

First modification: 07/04/2022 – 05:34

At noon the concentration began in the Enrique Olaya Herrera National Park from where thousands of people came out carrying flags of diversity, balloons and banners until they reached the Plaza de Bolívar, where a stage was set up for the presentation of various artists, among them the Colombian band Monsieur Periné.

A celebration that was joined by the mayor of the city through a message posted on her twitter account.

The protesters recognized that, although there is much work to be done, the achievements are significant. “Today we take to the streets because the LGBTIQ+ community has earned visibility spaces in this country, I think this march is a great example that the community is present, that we can raise our voices and show ourselves with joy and diversity that characterizes us”, said Jahira Quintero, assistant to the meeting.

The mobilization is part of the activities that will take place until July 16, within the framework of the Equality Festival, during which various cultural, sports and academic meetings are held.

A difficult road to travel

Despite the progress made by the LGTBIQ+ community, the number of homicides against its members is worrying. So far this year and until the month of June, the Ombudsman’s Office reported that 33 people have been murdered, which represents an average of one per week.

In the last 18 months, deadly crimes have been perpetrated against 48 transgender women, 27 gay men, four lesbian women and one bisexual man.

“The existence of cultural gender prejudices and patterns continue to be the main arguments that legitimize discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, leading to serious violations of the human rights of this population,” he declared. the Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo.

According to figures provided by the organization Diverse ColombiaIn 2021 alone, 405 LGBTIQ+ people were attacked, 205 were murdered, 97 were threatened, and 103 were violently attacked by the police.

In Venezuela the voice was also raised

After two years of absence due to the pandemic, the LGBTIQ+ flag dressed the streets of Caracas this Sunday, in a broad mobilization of the community that sought to unite the entire society, including the opposing political sectors, within a single struggle: claiming their rights.

From 10:00 in the morning they met in the Francisco de Miranda Park despite the constant threat of rain that did not stop them from their tour of the capital.

“We are giving an example that had not been shown before in the country. The organizing committee of this march (…) is an absolutely plural committee in which there are Chavistas, dissident Chavistas, opponents and dissident opponents,” said Tamara Adrián, the first Venezuelan transsexual deputy.

With the motto “there is much more that unites us than divides us”, hundreds of demonstrators denounced the restrictions that the Venezuelan government and society impose on them, such as the limitation to donate blood, the impossibility of legally changing your name, the non-existence of same-sex marriage, among others.

“Sometimes for being a member of the community they treat you the worst. This march is to raise our voices and say: no more resentment towards us, we are normal people, love is love, we just want to be accepted. I have suffered a lot of discrimination since I was little, even in high school, I even tried to take my own life once. But I said I was going to go ahead because there are people who believe in me, ”said Jhonatan Lozada, a young man who identifies as homosexual, for a local media outlet.

Those attending the march agreed that one of the primary needs for progress in Venezuela on these issues is education in schools about the LGBTIQ+ community, to break the taboo that stigmatizes them.

More than 46 organizations participated in the logistics of this year’s march, which was attended by people not only from the capital, but also from various parts of the country.

With information from Reuters, EFE and local media.