The slogan of the pride events altogether this year was Let Yourself Bloom with a flower-themed motif throughout, symbolizing "indirect and oblique communication – a practice deeply embedded in LGBTQ history". The organizers refer to the Latvian idiom "runāt caur puķēm/speaking through flowers", which illustrates just that.
According to the police's estimates, around 7,000 people took to the streets, which is approximately the same number as last year when a record was reached. 46 different organizations – companies, parties, NGOs, embassies – represented themselves officially, which is the highest number ever recorded.
People of various ages, nationalities, and walks of life gathered at the Vērmanes Garden in central Rīga around noon ahead of the march.
Last November, Latvia took a big step toward inclusion in legal terms, namely, by adopting a partnership law allowing two people, including of the same sex, to register their relationship legally. People will be able to exercise the rights of this law as of July 1 this year.
However, the legislation still has holes, and the participants of the event were aware of it:
Linda: "The law doesn't sort out inheritance, it doesn't sort out children's issues. There's still a lot to be done."
Marina: "They've made a strategic move – give them what they want but in fact nothing at all."
Staņislavs: "We can't stop here. We need to make same-sex marriage legal."
Noa: "If I get married abroad, Latvia will still not count it. What's the point?"
The first pride march in Rīga took place nearly 20 years ago, in 2005. As Kaspars Zālītis, a representative of the association Mozaīka organizing the pride events, told Latvian Radio on Saturday morning, around 70 people went on the first pride, so the number has increased a hundred times.
The first prides in 2005 and 2006 were also associated with violence and intolerance from bystanders, with rotten eggs and even worse things being tossed at the participants. This year, there were a few men standing at the beginning and end points of the parade with posters that are really getting old – literally, as we've seen the very same posters for years now.
Some participants from abroad were surprised to see the protesters. For example, Helen from Norway told LSM: "This is the first time I've seen them [protesters]. I've never seen them in any pride events before. They were standing there with their microphones at the entrance [of Vērmanes Garden], and it was unsettling. I was kind of scared."
The news agency LETA reports that the entire event passed without any conflicts or breaches of public order. The march was monitored by the police.
After the march, the first-ever openly LGBTQ-friendly choir in Latvia gave a concert. It was the largest concert so far for the Rīga Queer Choir, established only last year, and featured both Latvian folk music and queer anthems from around the world, like Madonna's "Like A Prayer". The choir is now actively campaigning for it to be officially included in the list of Rīga choirs so it can stand a chance to participate in the next Song and Dance Festival.
This year Rīga was also host of Baltic Pride – as the name suggests, a bigger pride event takes place in the Baltics, with each of the capitals rotating year after year. Baltic Pride events took place starting June 6 and included various workshops, film screenings, debates, seminars, discussions, concerts, exhibitions, parties, and more. The slogan of the pride this year is Let Yourself Bloom.
