The municipality’s response raised doubts
The organizers of the first LGBTQ + march in Kaunas history, Kaunas Pride, have already managed to face the first obstacles. After applying for a permit, they indicated that from 1 thousand. up to 4 thousand. people’s march to Independence Square via Laisvės Alley will start from the Old Town Town Hall Square. However, the answer has been received that such a route is not possible because of the main part of the city crossing the old part On Vilnius street repairs are planned, so it will be difficult to go through it.
The left-wing organization, famous for its protests, applied to the municipality for permission to hold the march, on the initiative of the academic youth.Life is too expensive“The trade union on May 1 originated.
Kaunas Pride
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One of its representatives, Victoria (known to the editorial board – ed.) Said on Thursday that the municipality’s response caused some hesitation, so it is planned to apply again. According to Viktorija, the works on Vilniaus Street have not started yet, it is not announced in the space when they will start. The Kaunas woman said she doubted whether the pipeline replacement works would start until September 4, when the march is planned.
Hopes that the request to hike in the city center will be granted
So far, permission to organize Kaunas Pride marches with the slogan: “We are everywhere” has not been issued yet. However, there is a possibility that representatives of sexual minorities will be offered to march in places other than the city center. This has been the case in the capital, and LGBT representatives have had to defend their right to march on Gediminas Avenue in the courts.
“Everyone has the right to walk on the main streets of the city. And the march is essentially an event for the public. We can gather ourselves in the woods or in an apartment, but the purpose of the march is different. It has to be the most visible street in the city. We will see how things develop further, I hope that not even the permit (will be issued – ed.), But the report on the event will be answered in the affirmative. If something is different, we will see what measures will have to be taken, ”said Victoria.
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One of the organizers of the event “Kaunas Pride” hoped that the permission to organize the event would not require litigation with the municipality.
“Kaunas is very much announcing that it is changing, it is a progressive city, so this line could be continued. All the more so as Kaunas will become the European Capital of Culture in 2022, so I do not think that the municipality would like negative public information about the fact that it did not give its residents the right to walk on the main street of the city, ”said one event organizer.
V. Matijošaitis is invited to the march, he hopes that he will wear the LGBT badge
However, certain tensions may arise, because the trade union on May 1, which submitted the request, does not spare the criticism of Kaunas Mayor V. Matijošaitis. This left-wing organization, together with representatives of the communities, organized a protest last week, during which it did not spare the criticism of V. Matijošaitis, the head of the city for the second term, that he did not listen to people’s opinions. Ironically, the townspeople could not find the mayor, the protesters painted a life-size image of him printed on a plastic plate.
A community protest against Mayor V. Matijošaitis took place in Kaunas
© DELFI / Nerijus Povilaitis
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Despite not only the positive attitude, the representative of Kaunas Pride organizational group said that V. Matijošaitis is a welcome guest in Kaunas Pride march, whose motto is “We are everywhere”.
“In the march, we will be very much looking forward to the mayor with the LGBT badge. This would be supportive, because Kaunas, like other cities, is home to many LGBT people. It seems to me that doing so might even repair my reputation, ”Victoria told Delfi.
Visvaldas Matijošaitis
© DELFI / Rafael Achmedov
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It is not yet known whether V. Matijošaitis will march on LGBTQ + marches
How he organizes the march himself Mayor of Kaunas V. Matijošaitis, it was not possible to find out. The mayor of Kaunas did not answer the phone, and his public relations adviser Tomas Jarusevičius stated: “as long as there is no specific information (when, where, how, etc.) from the organizers intending to organize the march, the mayor tends to refrain from personal comments.”
The mayor’s adviser mentioned that the initial announcement of intentions to hold the march in September was made by the union on 1 May.
A community protest against Mayor V. Matijošaitis took place in Kaunas
© DELFI / Nerijus Povilaitis
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“The same trade union on May 1 gathered a week later (on the evening of May 14) in the protest campaign” We are looking for a mayor “near the municipality. Here, the participants of the rally demanded, when making decisions, to provide more opportunities to express their opinion to the communities, the Kaunas residents themselves.
Therefore, I have no doubt that this time the city will implement this requirement and will definitely take into account and evaluate the opinion of the residents themselves, which is really important, especially on such issues relevant to society, ”said T. Jarusevičius, Kaunas Mayor’s Public Relations Adviser.
Questions about whether the mayor intends to participate in the march and affix the LGBT badge, as suggested by the organizers, were not answered.
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The manifesto calls for equal rights for all
For marches of sexual minorities on the Kaunas Pride social network „Facebook“ The slogan of the event – “We are everywhere” – was announced in the profile created.
The organizers also distributed the main theses:
We are everywhere, so we don’t want to hide.
We are everywhere, so we want to live our lives freely without bullying in the store, at work, at family celebrations, without violence on the street and at school.
We are everywhere, so we will not allow traditional values to judge us.
We are everywhere, so we demand legal and social guarantees for all, without discrimination on the basis of marital status, gender identity or sexual orientation.
We are everywhere, so we will no longer tolerate the disguise of hatred as “freedom of speech.”
We are everywhere, that’s why Kaunas Pride.
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In a manifesto distributed, the event organizers talk about the challenges facing the LGBTQ + community today. Attention is drawn to the language of hatred, discrimination on the grounds of gender identity, and the lack of rights to privacy in the context of transgender identity issues.
The manifesto also focuses on sex education, which has recently aroused much passion in society. “We are everywhere, so we want to learn about the LGBTQ + community and different orientations, gender identities and expressions in schools, colleges and universities.
We want to learn about the history, culture and struggle for equal rights of the LGBTQ + community.
We are everywhere, so we want to learn, understand and solve problems that are relevant to us. We want the public to be educated about its different members and to stop questioning our right to exist.
We want more information about the diversity of society, which prevents ignorance and hatred, ”the organizers of Kaunas Pride announce.
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