A worldwide LGBTQIA+ Pride event has announced the first wave of speakers and acts appearing at the online event on June 27, expected to attract up to 300 million viewers.
They include Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica – which this week legalised equal marriage – Prime Ministers of Norway Erna Solberg and of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel and Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of India. All were approached by Pride organisations in their own country. More leaders will announce their participation in the coming weeks.
Names from the world of entertainment including international musicians and bands, and performers from the LGBTQIA+ community, will be announced throughout June.
Global Pride was launched by national and international Pride networks after hundreds of Pride events were cancelled or postponed due to COVID19. Organisers are planning a 24 hour stream of content created by Prides globally, together with speeches from world leaders, activists and human rights defenders, reflecting the organisers’ statement that “Pride events might be cancelled but the spirit of Pride will live on”.
Organisers estimate that there are more than 1,500 Prides globally, and all are invited to be a part of the virtual event.
Kristine Garina, President of European Pride Organisers Association, said:
“Every Pride organiser in the world can tell you a story of someone whose life changed when they visited Pride, and so with so many Prides being cancelled or postponed, as organisers we felt we had a responsibility to come together and deliver Pride online. We’re tremendously excited for the potential for Global Pride to bring people together in the biggest Pride there has ever been.”
Julian Sanjivan, Co-President of InterPride, said:
“By taking Pride online, not only are we making sure that LGBTQIA+ people everywhere can still experience the joy and community of Pride, but we also for the first time are enabling people to take part in Pride wherever they are. This means people who aren’t out, or who are living in socially conservative countries, can take part. The support of these incredible world leaders and performers will mean so much to marginalised LGBTQIA+ people everywhere.”
The show will be livestreamed on the Global Pride website , on YouTube and on other platforms to be announced, and will be free to view. Michelle Meow, Executive Producer of Global Pride, said:
“Pride started as a grassroots coming-together to liberate our people. It’s remarkable that we’re doing exactly that during this pandemic. Our entire production team are volunteers who are members of our community that have a passion to ensure our visibility during this challenging time. This has never been done before and we’re excited about the authentic materials we’re collecting that represents our global community. While production will be a challenge, we’re incredibly grateful to the support of everyone from the small Pride organization you’ve never heard of before to the big global tech companies providing their support.”
Two months ago, when Global Pride was launched, organisers expected viewers to be watching from home. But with lockdown lifting in some countries, they expect some people to be able to watch in groups of friends, and hope that bars and venues in some cities may show the event on big screens. They’re encouraging all viewers to follow the social distancing and other guidelines from their governments.
Throughout June, daily announcements will build up the excitement as the Global Pride team drop the names of major artists and other contributors who’ll be appearing on June 27.