Thousands attend Pride parade

Destiny Rogers 

Over 20 000 people recently turned out to celebrate the 30th annual Johannesburg Pride parade. 

  Johannesburg Pride is the longest-running pride event in Africa and also one of the largest such parades in South Africa.

  This year organisers unveiled a new flag inspired by the flags of all 54 African countries to advocate for the inclusion of all African LGBTIQ identities.

  Organisers said Johannesburg Pride was all about celebrating The Pride of Africa. “LGBTIQ Africans from all over Africa flee to South Africa as the safest country for them on the continent. South Africa’s constitution explicitly ensures the rights of LGBTIQ people.”

  The country was also the first African nation and the fifth country in the world to legislate same-sex marriages.

  During the march through the Sandton area a rainbow lit up the sky above the celebration. Some took the rainbow as a sign the weather approved of the march while others took it as a sign from God.

  Rami Chuene tweeted: “God is such a show-off though. Hello to the righteous washed by the blood, whiter than snow, judgmental homophobes!”

  Some Christian groups announced they would attend Johannesburg Pride, not to protest the occasion but to support the LGBTIQ community.

  However, about 200 women mounted a protest along the route. They claimed that because of social stigma and cost disadvantaged LGBTIQ people in the townships could not attend the event.

  They also protested the commercialisation of the event. In fact, the parade enjoyed notable corporate support from the likes of Mercedes-Benz. The protesters also noted the predominance of white LGBTIQ people participating in a country with a majority black and coloured population. QNews