“The first Pride March in Asia took place in the Philippines because of the political space provided by a post-martial law environment.
And in a country where the Catholic Church actively discriminates against homosexuals, perhaps it comes as no surprise that the first pride march in Asia was held in a country where LGBT people have a very clearly defined public enemy, and very tangible injustices to work toward eliminating.īut Jonas Bagas, Secretary General of the Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy Network (LAGABLAB) says the march had more to do with the political climate at the time. The success of the parade in raising the visibility of LGBT people and their rights in the Philippines is unquestionable. People came up to me to say, ‘Thank you for what you are doing for us.’" The most popular talk show in the country invited a number of gay activists, including me, to their show in September (1994) and after that I was recognised in restaurants, banks, even in buses and on street corners. The media coverage meant that we had exposure on television talk shows for months and years to come.
“The march itself was quite small, but the TV exposure was big. Mickley says pride was a particularly apt name for the march, as for the first time the LGBT Filipino community had come to stand up, march, and be seen. He arrived from the USA in 1991, and as well as his church co-sponsoring the pride march in 1994, he gave the keynote address at the rally afterwards and delivered a Queer Pride Mass in the devoutly Roman Catholic country.įr. Richard Mickley, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church of the Philippines, the first openly gay and lesbian organisation in the country, was invited to the Philippines by LGBT activists to give voice to the invisible LGBT agenda at that time. The small group of about 60 people marched from EDSA on Quezon Boulevard to Quezon Memorial Circle, carrying placards and chanting for equal rights.įr. “It was the first time anyone on television saw someone gay on the street with a political placard, and with a political slogan on it, verbalising human rights for themselves.” As one of the main organisers of the march, Atadero remembers it marking a revolutionary break in the way the public perceived LGBT people in the Philippines. That all changed on June 26, 1994, when ProGay Philippines and the Filipino Metropolitan Community Church staged the first gay pride march in the country, and what turned out to be the first gay pride march in Asia. Lesbians and tomboys were virtually absent on TV, and the few who were there preferred to focus on feminism, not lesbian feminism.” “There were gay activists on television mouthing human rights for other downtrodden people, but even the gays who were out on television considered it impolite to bring attention to themselves or to the issue of homosexuality. He says it was a curious time for the LGBT community in the Philippines as gay activists were active, but not in putting their own rights on the political agenda. Photo courtesy of PROGAY.įilipino gay activist Oscar Atadero remembers the early 90s well. Richard Mickley (front left) are pictured in the photo above. Organisers Oscar Atadero (far left with his arm raised) and Fr. The march was organised by Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (PROGAY Philippines) and Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) Manila.
The Lord Mayor of Norwich, councillor Evelyn Collishaw, launched theįrom the gardens at 2pm, with the Norwich Samba Band leading the walkers to Millennium Plain for speeches and entertainment.Marchers at the Manila Pride March in Quezon City on Jthe first gay pride march in Asia. There was also a Pride Picnic at Chapelfield Gardens between 12 and 2pm with acoustic entertainment on the bandstand, African drumming, Egyptian dancing and many activities for children. The main events of the weekend took place at The Forum on Saturday, 25 July, 2009, with stalls, lectures and films throughout the day at Fusion, including the premiere of "Norwich Pride: The Coming Out Stories". "One of the key aims of Norwich Pride was to ensure that Norwich is a city where everyone feels safe and proud to be themselves," said Nick O'Brien, chair of the Norwich Pride Collective. With the slogan "Let's turn Norwich into a rainbow", the Norwich Pride Collective wanted to make the weekend a colourful highlight in Norwich's calendar. The parade concluded with music and dance at Millennium Plain. Norwich Pride 2009 celebrated Norfolk's lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans life (LGBT) communities.Įvents took place across the city including a Camp It Up Cabaret on the Friday and a Pride Parade at Chapelfield Gardens on the Saturday.
Norwich saw around 1000 people shower the city with rainbow flags from Friday, 24 - Sunday, 26 July, 2009, at the city's first gay pride event. Norwich Pride 2009 applauded Norfolk's gay communities