Theme of 30th İstanbul Pride Week to be 'resistance'

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2022 marks the 30th year of İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week. Every year, İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week has been celebrated with various events such as workshops, movie screenings, presentations, and panel discussions in the last week of June.

The Pride Week is ending with a march on the last Sunday of June, which has been denied permission by the Governorship of Istanbul authorities since 2015.

Several protesters have been detained with violence for joining the march.

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The Committee for the 30th LGBTI+ Pride Week said that this year's Pride Week theme will be "resistance".

In a statement it published, the İstanbul Pride Week stated the following:

"With the Taksim Gezi Park protests in 2013, we all decided that 'Resistance' be the theme for Pride Week. Although years have passed, we have decided to say 'Resistance' again against increasing homophobia, transphobia, ace+phobia, bi+phobia, male-dominated state policies, heterosexism, violence, and hostility towards our queerness."

The statement reminded us of the protests of trans sex workers who went on hunger strike in 1987 at Gezi Park.

"This year, we once again say 'Resistance'. Today, we salute all the people who are resisting in prison, who were tried for the Gezi Park protests and were given years of imprisonment by the courts. Gezi cannot be tried!"

"Pride Parade can not be tried"

"Since 2015, our events have been banned and our marches have been blocked. The government, which opened the doors to hatred with the decision of withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention overnight, is responsible for all the violence we experience. The trial of our friends who were taken into custody by the law-enforcement forces in the 19th Pride Parade, which was held last year, continues. The Pride Parade is on trial because of our existence. We repeat: Pride cannot be tried" (EMK/TB/VK)