Turkish Police Attack Pride Marchers; Hundreds Marry in Mexico City LGBTQIA Celebration
HAVANA TIMES – Millions of LGBTQIA people and supporters took to the streets around the world to celebrate Pride over the weekend. In Turkey, advocates led rallies in Istanbul, defying a ban by the conservative government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who’s been condemned by human rights groups for violently targeting LGBTQIA people with hate speech and discriminatory policies. Last Sunday, a Trans Pride march was also attacked by Turkish police, after activists gathered across Istanbul despite a ban, facing repression from security forces that fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators.
In Mexico City, dozens of LGBTQIA couples held mass wedding ceremonies Friday to kick off Pride celebrations. This is Edgar Mendoza, who married his partner of a decade.
Edgar Mendoza: “I feel very happy, because we have been together for 10 years, and with this marriage, we got to take another step that we wanted, which is to become a more stable family. I think this document is very important. Beyond being a paper or a marriage symbol, it’s the security I can bring to my family.”
And in the U.S., millions participated in Pride marches across hundreds of cities, including New York, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, yesterday, urging supporters to unite and continue fighting in the face of intensifying attacks against LGBTQIA rights.