The Cyprus Orthodox Christian church condemned the parade and issued a strongly-worded statement saying it considers homosexuality “the human being’s fall from grace and an illness and not a natural way of life or choice. “We hope Cyprus becomes a European Union member country that respects rights not only in words, but in deeds as well,” said Modinos.Ī small group of Orthodox Christian protesters, some holding crosses, staged a demonstration nearby to denounce the event they called “shameful.” Scuffles broke out between protesters and the police as they tried to break a police cordon and approach the parade. Modinos’ court battles in the 1990s forced the government to repeal anti-gay laws - a vestige from the east Mediterranean island nation’s British colonial past.
![ready for my first gay pride parade ready for my first gay pride parade](https://s1.r29static.com/bin/entry/3d5/0,0,2000,1050/x,80/2194549/image.jpg)
Cyprus, a European Union member and a largely Orthodox Christian society, decriminalized homosexuality a dozen years ago, but activists say the nation has much to improve on in terms of gay rights.Īmong the speakers addressing the crowd waving rainbow flags and carrying placards reading “equal rights to all” was Cypriot gay rights pioneer Alecos Modinos. Imagine a Pride weekend with a sensible progression of events that move seamlessly from the Hill to downtown and back again, mirroring the ease with which gays now move about in this. As a native of Starkville’s surrounding area and a member of the LGBT community, I find it difficult to find a place where I feel I belong. According to Starkville Daily News, the parade drew nearly 3,000 people making it the largest parade the city has ever seen. Gavrielides urged lawmakers to pass legislation to further gay rights, including a civil partnership law. The parade is the first gay parade to occur in the city and in the surrounding areas. ClexaCon Ascension Las Vegas PRIDE Official Women’s+. x Bodywork Las Vegas PRIDE Parade Official After Party. a member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founder of the first annual Gay Pride March. “This proves that Cypriot society has progressed much more than politicians say,” Gavrielides told The Associated Press. Las Vegas PRIDE presents Alyssa Edwards: Memoirs of a Traveling Queen. 2020 marks 50 years since the first Pride parade in New York City. One of the organizers, ACCEPT-LGBT Cyprus President Costas Gavrielides, said he was overwhelmed because he had expected just a few hundred people to attend the event in the heart of the capital Nicosia. On June 28, 1969, members of New York City's gay community rose up against oppression and state-sponsored violence, fighting back in an event now known as the. NICOSIA, CYPRUS-Several thousand people turned out for Cyprus’ first gay pride parade on Saturday, exceeding the expectations of organizers who said the event’s popularity shows that Cypriots are shedding their conservative attitudes.