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About Medellin
Medellín's Pride is the Marcha del Orgullo LGBTIQ+. It takes place every year in June or early July, usually on a Sunday afternoon, as part of the Mes de la Diversidad Sexual, a month for which the city puts together its own cultural programme. The route changes from year to year. At the most recent edition the march set off around two in the afternoon from Calle Barbacoas in the city centre and ended at Parque de las Luces. In other years it finished in the Obelisco area, where a stage hosted concerts into the evening.
It is one of the largest Pride marches in Colombia. The city government counted around 85,000 people from Medellín and other towns in Antioquia at an earlier edition, and the city broadcaster Telemedellín expected about 115,000 at the latest one. The march is organised by the Alcaldía together with community groups, among them Corporación Stone Wall and the Alianza Social LGBTI de Antioquia. The Alianza also runs a volunteer team that helps with crowd management and first aid on the day.
Within the city administration, the Gerencia de Diversidades Sexuales e Identidad de Género runs programmes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex residents. It is involved in preparing the march and is the contact point for projects during the rest of the year.
Colombia's legal framework is among the most progressive in Latin America. Rulings by the Constitutional Court opened civil marriage and joint adoption to same-sex couples. Trans people can change the gender marker on their documents, and besides F and M the options include T and NB. The criminal code treats an offence motivated by the victim's sexual orientation as an aggravating factor. Prejudice and discrimination still occur in everyday life.
Medellin Pride – frequently asked questions
From the magazine
Magnus Hirschfeld and His Institute: What Was Lost on 6 May 1933
Long before Stonewall, Berlin had a place where homosexual people found advice and recognition. How the Institute for Sexual Science began and why it was destroyed in 1933.
Harvey Milk and Proposition 6: The November 1978 Victory
In 1978 a California ballot measure would have forced queer teachers out of public schools. Harvey Milk fought it, and voters rejected it. What happened and what it has to do with Pride.
Brenda Howard and the Pride Week: Who Turned a Memorial March into a Tradition
After Stonewall, a march marked the anniversary in 1970, and later a whole week. Brenda Howard is named as one of the people behind it. What is documented and where the title Mother of Pride stays disputed.