JOBURG PRIDE 2013 DETAILS ANNOUNCED
One of the groups planning to host a Johannesburg Pride event this year has announced details of a sunset Pride parade this September.
According to the organisers, the march will kick off at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown on the afternoon of Saturday 28 September.
It will, they said, “be showcasing well know performers, motivational speakers and renowned human rights and gay activists”.
The event aims to highlight the issues of “hate crimes, corrective rape and homophobia in South Africa and the African continent” and will feature three points of protest.
The march will first stop at the Johannesburg Central Police Station to hand over a memorandum to the station commander, outlining the LGBTIAQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual and questioning) communities’ concerns.
The organisers will also “request a round table meeting with the police department in an attempt to work with them in righting the wrongs facing the LGBTIAQ community in South Africa”.
The marchers will next pause at the Gauteng Legislature, where organisers will request that the Office of the Premier accept the same memorandum and that the premier meet with them to facilitate the round table.
The third point of protest will be on the Nelson Mandela Bridge, where organisers intend to stop the march and pay respect to members of the LGBTIAQ community who have been victims of homophobic and transphobic violence.
Wreaths and candles will be placed alongside photographs of the slain at a memorial wall.
The march will return to Mary Fitzgerald Square which will be the venue for a party and entertainment that will conclude the day’s events.
“The 24th Johannesburg Gay Pride working committee is excited about the move back to an outdoor venue. This venue provides the perfect platform for the LGBTIAQ community to dance in full view of this great city and is something event attendees will love,” said the organisers.
They added that an entertainment line-up will be announced soon.
The return of Pride to the city centre will be welcomed by many who felt that the relatively wealthy suburb of Rosebank, where it was most recently held, was not where it was most relevant, accessible or needed.
Johannesburg Pride – the oldest and largest in Africa – was plunged into crisis in April when the organisers of the last six events said they would no longer be involved in the city’s Pride commemorations.
Two groups that aim to host a Pride event this year have since emerged. While planning is still in the early stages, the second group is working on an “alternative” Pride that intends to be more issue-driven, representative and transparent and that will not be reliant on corporate sponsorship.
A “Joburg Mardi Gras” is also being planned this year by one of the former Pride organisers, but details of the event have yet to be announced.
n Goeie ding, maar nou gaan die “stuck -ups” weer ‘n treurmare h?. Ons wil mos net party, en vergeet van “corrective rape” en allerlei ander probleme wat die gay gemeenskap in die gesig staar, ten spyte van ons regte. Ek hoop hierdie pride lopie, gaan mense van verskillende agtergronde, en rasse saamsnoer.
Richard I think the fact that you just want to party dispite the fact that there are REAL issues around corrective rape, online victimisation (against you the white male) is the reason there really is a need for an alternative pride. As a community we are really have been partying for far too long while forgetting that there is an out right culling of LGBTIAQ persons in a country that , on paper, upholds all rights.
Aseblief dink n bietjie voor jy praat, voor dit more jou lesbian maat is wat gerape word!!
Activist: Before you slate comments posted maybe brush up on the nuances of Afrikaans. Richard eloquently points out the exact opposite you are accusing him of.
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The logo not saying anything gay. Looks like JHB is pride…..
nothing saying JHB GAY PRIDE
If those retarded woman protestors are holding this event I will certainly not go. Actually I’m just not going, pride at zoo lake is the one and only… Pitty, I met my partner there 4 years ago
Joburg Pride has been on the 1st Saturday in October for years, Soweto Pride has been on the last Saturday in September for years. The two events were meant to bookmark a week of queer events and until recently worked well together. The decision of these people to put Joburg Pride on the same date as Soweto Pride was mean spirited and stupid. I hope the organisers go ahead with Soweto Pride and I know where I will be…
JHB PRIDE was last weekend of the month , only few years back they changed it
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As much as we all know about Issues like Rape and Homophobia , I thought they wont be any Marching . Not after when PPL almost died 2005 , Especially Dat Lesbian dat had a BOTTLE OF COKE in her neck frm ppl throwing den from buildings in the CBD, For Safety why cant people go straight to NEWTOWN because I know its the safest area in the CBD , we all know how some of us behave when we excited we go and dig in snakes holes and there is trouble after , its not like these crimes they happen to gay people only , Marching its a no no , it wont be safe , Rosebank was bettter , What I know They gonna Target peoplr till the end of the event.
Forget about walking up and down in Joburg central, rather join HOUSE OF BACHELORS and walk the path of glam, pride and dollars! Sexy dudes can join all over South Africa!
This community does not deserve a Pride or a gay event. When it is there, they complain about it and attack organisers or do not show up to support it – be it Pride, Mr GSA , Out in Africa film festival, you name it. It should all be stopped so that they can appreciate it for a change. No wonder the organisers of these events are all leaving, no one can blame them. I for one would not put up with all their BS
i am ashamed of the LGBTI community and what it stands for …i say no more pride …..
To march or not to march? That is the huge question.
From what I understand, marching in the city center has never been safe for us the LGBT community.
Is it a good idea to send the lamb to the slaughter house?
It really saddens me that last years pride was such a ‘disaster’ as they call it. It was my first pride ever since I was at appropriate age for my parents to accept it and I for one really learned a lot and experienced great things that I thought only I was going through and faced with in the past. It made me realize that I’m not alone in various different aspects of who I am and what I’m feeling. It was so much insight in one day. I felt so very happy and truly proud to have been a part of it, had no idea there were so many problems until I red about it online after. I wish other young lesbians like me could have the privileged experience I had at the Zoo. Would repeat that day any and everyday if I could.
U should play kelly clarkson people like us at this years pride that represents so much we stand for and we stand together perfect song
no problem but why at night #just asking
cant wait for this years pride parade being at the pride its lot of fun to meet new faces of gay #gayz run the world