Young people take part in the Pride Festival under the motto Colorful. Loud. Bern., on Saturday, August 3, 2024.Bild: keystone
Thousands of people marched through Bern’s city center on Saturday as part of the Pride Festival. They campaigned for the rights of queer people and celebrated the diversity of life.
Rainbow colors dominated the scene, music blared from speakers, the atmosphere was exuberant, inclusive and peaceful. People sang and danced. The warm summer afternoon made the rally seem more like a party than a political manifesto, at least at first glance.
But the social and political background of the event still does not create a celebratory mood in Switzerland. Despite the achievements of recent years to improve the situation of queer people in Switzerland, legal equality has not yet been achievedwrites the Bern Pride association on its homepage.
Several thousand people took part in the parade.Bild: keystone
Prejudices lurk everywhere
“Even today, our sexual and emotional orientations and gender identities are contested, denied and suppressed in Switzerland and around the world.”says a statement from the organization Pink Cross.
Prejudice against queer people still lurks everywhere, disguised as casual insults, discriminatory employment practices or constant pressure to conform to societal norms, according to a statement by the Transgender Network association.
Third gender option
The demands of the queer community in Switzerland include, among other things, the extension of the anti-racism criminal law to include trans and intersex people. The community is also advocating for the possibility of a third gender entry at the national level.
In addition, there is a need for better legal protection for rainbow families and equal access to reproductive medicine. Furthermore, sexual orientation and gender identity should be explicitly recognized as reasons for fleeing.
The demonstration was peaceful.Bild: keystone
The colorful demonstration procession started on the Schützenmatte near the train station and moved through the city to Bundesplatz. There, a festival with speeches and music was planned to last into the evening. The demonstration was peaceful.
The square was well filled in the late afternoon. In addition to political demands, Pride is also an occasion to celebrate diversity. In keeping with the motto, the rally was colorful and loud. The organizers had expressly pointed out that they wanted to see queer symbols on flags and banners.
This wish was largely fulfilled. Only a small group on the fringes of the rally carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans such as “free Palestine”.
(rbu/sda)
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