During four days lasted the visit of APO "Gay-Alliance Ukraine" members in the capital of the Netherlands – Amsterdam, where Gay Pride week took place, traditionally crowned with one of the most colorful gay parades in the world called "Canal Parade".
Taras Karasiichuk and Stanislav Mishchenko, members of the KyivPride-2013 organizing committee, as well as a journalist and editor of the web portal of APO "Gay-Alliance Ukraine" Oleksandra Lopata became official guests of the Municipality of Amsterdam, took part in several social events and celebrations, had a meeting with the deputy mayor of The Holland capital, talked to politicians, LGBT activists from different countries and journalists and spoke of the situation with LGBT rights in Ukraine. The trip to Amsterdam was supported by The Embassy of the Netherlands, who is a long-standing and reliable partner of the APO “Gay-Alliance Ukraine”.
On the first day of the visit Ukrainians attended a reception by the Municipality of Amsterdam, where the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Eric van der Burg gave the welcome speech. During this event activists met their colleagues from the Netherlands, Russia, Georgia, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and other countries where the level of tolerance and human rights of LGBT vary from full acceptance in the Netherlands to clear refusal in Uganda. On this background, the reception guests were enthusiastic about the fact that in May of this year Kyiv managed to hold the first successful LGBT Pride, which, despite the massive opposition of homophobic groups, organizations and political forces actually took place and ended up without casualties – unlike the last year's attempt. Then, because of the resistance of thousands of haters, one of the most important actions of the Pride, Equality March, had to be canceled, and three of its organizers were physically injured during the attack of homophobic bullies, whose identities still haven't been recognized.
After the reception in the Municipality, Ukrainians took part in the political action "Pride Walk", a parade through the streets of the city, which being held for the second year in a raw within Amsterdam Gay Pride week. This parade is a statement of human rights support for LGBT people, including people in those countries where these rights are systematically violated and where homophobia is legal, sponsored by the authorities on the official level and elevated to the rank of state policy.
On the following day Ukrainian activists witnessed one of the most memorable and massive events during the Amsterdam Pride Week called "Warriors for Love". The action took place in the best traditions of the large-scale political concerts in the Open-Air format, during which musical numbers are interleaved with the bright colored political performances. The concert brought up together several thousand people, both citizens of Amsterdam and its guests. One of the performances was staged by Ukrainian visitors – organizers of KyivPride – together with the Dutch politician, human rights activist, feminist, and a member of the European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights, Marije Cornelissen.
Mrs. Marije has already come twice to Kyiv to participate in the Equality March in the Ukrainian capital. This year she had a reason to make a statement on the historical event – the first successful Ukrainian Pride. Cornelissen told about it to the audience gathered in front of the stage in Amsterdam. Her speech was preceded by video demonstrated on a large screen, telling about the attempts to conduct LGBT Pride events in those countries where gay activists have to face resistance from the anti-gay society and the authorities. Including those in Ukraine. After that Stanislav Mishchenko took the floor and addressed the audience with words of gratitude for the support. He also expressed his hope that future steps of the gay activists in Ukraine would have more success. During this performance on the stage, the organizers of KyivPride and Marije Cornelissen were accompanied by members of "The European Gay Police Association" based in Amsterdam, which not only provided additional entertainment to the performance, but also expressed the readiness for cooperation with the APO "Gay-Alliance Ukraine" and the Ukrainian police in the area of raising awareness on LGBT issues.
The main event of the Gay Pride week in Amsterdam was "Canal Parade", like no other event in the world: here the participants of the Pride sailed through the famous canals of the city on the colorfully decorated boats and were watched from the shores by thousands of viewers who unstoppably greeted the "rainbow fleet" during the whole route. Kyiv activists, as the official guests of the Municipality of Amsterdam, sailed the boat of the City Hall together with its employees, deputy mayor and heads of Municipality departments, waving Ukrainian flag
It became not only one of the most memorable and celebratory moments of the trip, but also a strong statement on both sides: on the need to continue the fight for gay rights in Ukraine and on the support of these intentions by the authorities of Amsterdam.
APO "Gay-Alliance Ukraine" cooperates with the Dutch diplomatic missions, politicians, authorities and activists for many years now. In 2012 The Embassy of the Netherlands was the only sponsor of the KyivPride, which, although disrupted by radical homophobes, was the first serious statement that the LGBT community is not going to put up with the situation developed in the Ukrainian society. Then a group of journalists from the Netherlands came to attend the Pride and to film the events and they had an opportunity to talk to the organizers. Marije Cornelissen also prepared to participate in the Equality March and made several statements on the inadmissibility of discrimination policy in the light of European integration aspirations of Ukraine, which received wide international response and didn’t go unnoticed in the country. In 2013 Mrs. Cornelissen mentioned significant progress, since despite of all the obstacles this time the Equality March was conducted after all. The Embassy of the Netherlands organized a special reception on the occasion of KyivPride.
Since September 2013, APO "Gay-Alliance Ukraine" launches a joint project with the Embassy of the Netherlands in the field of raising public awareness on issues related to human rights for LGBT people and democratization of the society.
Автор: www.upogau.org
