19/06/2018 | Writer: Gözde Demirbilek
Hundreds of people were in Izmir for the sixth Pride March: for our rights and our loves!
Hundreds of people were in Izmir for the sixth Pride March: for our rights and our loves!
The sixth Pride March took place on 10th June in Izmir with the participation of hundreds of people. LGTBI+ painted the streets of Alsancak with the colors of the rainbow for their rights, their identities and their loves. Flags and emblems of rainbows, bisexual, trans, intersex and asexual [people] were waved at the site.
The march started from the OSYM building the march went on to Kıbrıs Sehitleri Street. The press briefing by the Izmir Pride March Committee took place in front of the Türkan Saylan Cultural Center, just as in previous years.
“Once more and yet again we are marching; firmly, with determination and enthusiastically! We are not marching alone but all together! We will march today in spite of anyone who tries to take away our rights, our freedom, our feelings, our desires, our loves by calling our existence a sin, a crime or an illness. Those who do not fit into norms, those who don’t think they deserve to be loved, those who think there is something wrong with them… Today is the day to be who you are as you were. With this march each of us are beautiful in our uniqueness and even more beautiful together…”
“Don’t be ashamed and sad because you do not fit into gender norms and you do not desire who you are expected to desire! You are not to be blamed; those who hate you are to be blamed! You are not alone, don’t be afraid! Today we are gonna march trembling over fear; we are gonna walk over the pain and march inspire of the violence, the gate and the discrimination and destroy all of them. We are going to walk to a more beautiful world by walking under the rainbow.”
“Dear sister on the street, today we will be the sound of your high-heels. The lubunya (queers) in the suburbs: we will be your flower shirt! Those who are “inside”; we will raise our voice for you outside. Those of you who can’t be with us, we will shout out for what you’ve got piled up inside you. Those of you who are forcibly displaced; Welcome on board, in this march there is a spot for all of you! Those of you who are not with the living, we will shine the light of your souls. For those of you who survived, we will console each other!”
“Those of you who are discriminated against because of their sexual interests and identities; those of you who are discriminated against at school, home or work, in enlistment, camps, prisons… even though you are not with us today, we didn’t forget about you. We recognize each other by our wounds; we will be “you” today and march today; we will become each other’s voice and unite in marching for our rights and freedom.”
“We know how to march on no matter what gets in our way and even if we fall we know how to keep going by holding on to each other, by assisting and embracing one another and by never ever leaving the other alone. We march with pride!”
After the press briefing the march went on to Kordon. The march proceeded enthusiastically and affectionately. After a brief rest the fun continued with the After-Pride Party and Dudakların Cengi.
Translation: LGBTI News Turkey
Tags: life
