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About Colombo
Colombo Pride has been held for around two decades. Its first edition drew about 350 people. It is organised by Equal Ground, the organisation founded by activist Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, together with other queer groups.
Pride here is not a single day. A programme of culture, celebration and political work spreads over several weeks in June or July. It includes the three-day Abhimani film festival, a music and dance festival, competitions and a kite festival where rainbow kites take to the sky. Recent editions have also featured drag performances.
For a long time Pride stayed small. Only after the pandemic and Sri Lanka's severe economic and political crisis did it grow markedly; the most recent editions were among the largest in its history.
Politically, Pride has a clear task. Sections 365 and 365A of the colonial-era Penal Code still criminalise same-sex acts, with penalties of up to ten years in prison. They are rarely enforced. A reform bill that would change them was found constitutional by the Supreme Court but has not yet been passed by parliament. Equal Ground has campaigned for decriminalisation for years, with a particular focus on lesbian, bisexual and trans women.
Anyone planning to attend will find the current programme through Equal Ground.
Colombo 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.