Genoa. The concert of BigMama at the Luzzati Gardens warmed spirits, and in Genoa on Saturday 8 June the moment arrived Liguria Pride: thousands of people they took to the streets to form a rainbow wave that crossed the streets of the city center, amidst music, signs, banners and eleven floats. The estimate around 6pm was about ten thousand people forming one colorful tide made up of students, families with children, activists and citizens in general who came to demonstrate “for the rights of all“.
There traditional parade with carts – one of which hosts BigMama herself – the banners and the participation of associations and citizens have started from via San Benedetto around 4pmbut the concentration of participants began at 3pm. As mentioned, 11 floats participated in the procession: that of the Liguria Rainbow Coordination, then the Community of San Benedetto/CGIL, Agedo, Rainbow Family Train, Latin American Communities, Transatlantica, Arcigay Genova, Genova che Osa, Arci Genova – Futurevox, Movimento degli spazio sociale , collectives and united assemblies.
From Via San Benedetto the large snake headed towards Via Andrea Doria, Piazza Acquaverde, Via Balbi and then continued touching Piazza della Nunziata, Largo della Zecca, Galleria Giuseppe Garibaldi, Piazza del Portello, Galleria Nino Bixio, Piazza Corvetto, Via dei Santi Giacomo and Filippo, via Serra, via de Amicis, via Fiume and via XX Settembre to arrive then in Piazza De Ferrari with final speeches from the stage. Therefore inevitable traffic changesin effect from approximately 3pm to 7pm, with via XX Settembre closed between 6pm and 7pm.
A total journey of 4 kilometers among the views of the city center, including climbs. And precisely to allow anyone to participate, Liguria Pride has planned twoshortcuts”. In light of the turnout, particular attention was given to accessibility, inclusion and safety. A team of volunteers remained available to meet the needs that will be collected, the final speech was translated into LIS and easy fonts and writing were used readability: “The parade aims to be a space of freedom, free expression and incisiveness. Those who participate take care of this space – underlining from the coordination of Liguria Pride – We do not engage in sexist, discriminatory, harassing and homolesbian-transphobic behaviours”.
Closing at Luzzato with Free Shots concert and DJ set
Once the procession is over, the evening continues at the Luzzati Gardens, where the Village opened on June 1st and where, at 8.30 pm, the Free Shots live. It will follow at 11pm DJ set until late at night by Ma Nu!.
Liguria Pride, thousands in procession in the city center: “There are so many of us, we can’t see the end”
This year’s theme of Liguria Pride is ‘Queer Anger’, a “generative, creative, ironic, irreverent, provocative anger. It’s in a worrying political climatein which the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and women are under attack, but also marked by an authoritarian and repressive turn, by the demolition of welfare and the culture of common and public goods, by a militaristic and ethno-nationalist policy, which we all invite and everyone to bring their anger to this ninth edition of Pride – they explain from the coordination – one joyful anger as it has been historically expressed in the LGBT movement, a generative, creative, ironic, irreverent, provocative queer anger. We reclaim the words with which Mayor Bucci welcomed us in 2018, today enriched by the contribution of Pope Bergoglio: Offensive*, divisive*, and endowed* with immense fagotism”
“We are furious because in recent years the Municipality and Region have frontally attacked rainbow families, the Zan DDL, the health and well-being of LGBTQIA+ people and women. The Municipality has challenged sentences on homoparenting by dragging lesbian mothers to court and forcing them to go through endless journeys to be recognized as what they already are: mothers. The deputy mayor Pietro Piciocchi is a supporter of Pro Vita e Famiglia, a ‘neo-Catholic’ association which states that homosexuality is a curable disease and which finances campaigns against abortion, which unfortunately also find consensus in the Regional Council – underlining by the organizing committee – Despite the facts, the local administrations have attempted pinkwashing and rainbow washing operations (from the ice cream flavors dedicated to women on 8 March to the luminous writings on the Palazzo della Regione for the day against homolesbobiatransphobia) in search of consensus also among the community. Corruption and arrogance are ingredients of this policy that does not look at people, made up of propaganda, ignorance, carelessness and partisan interests.”
