What We Stand For
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The Prague Pride Festival is a human rights festival committed to changing the status of LGBT+ people. Its core principles include respect for human rights, creating an inclusive environment, and promoting diversity in society. The festival is rooted in the values of freedom, equality, and human dignity.
We are aware that there is a system of societal identities, a patriarchal order, and a climate crisis, and that these intersect, disadvantaging people on multiple levels. Through Prague Pride, we aim to tackle these issues in the public space with care, sensitivity, and low-threshold access. Our approach is based on inclusivity, feminism, sustainability, and barrier-free access. We believe that these values benefit our entire society. We are queer and we want to change the world.
Why Are We Doing This?
- The 2006 law on registered partnerships has been in force in our country for 17 long years, while prosperous European countries have been embracing equal marriage. From January 2025, a law will come into force that will only allow partnerships instead of true marriage, making shared parental rights unnecessarily complicated.
- While the 2009 Anti-Discrimination Act protects against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, awareness and practical application of the Act remain low.
- The Criminal Law does not include LGBT+ people among vulnerable groups in need of specific legal protection.
- Even though the Constitutional Court has abolished the requirement of castration for the official gender reassignment of trans people, Czech lawmakers continue to fail to act to adequately amend the law.
What Are We Trying to Achieve?
- Put pressure on political leaders to take responsibility and make effective steps to improve the situation of LGBT+ people.
- Educate LGBT+ individuals about their human rights and mobilize them to join our efforts for social change.
- Connect the general public with LGBT+ people, encouraging mutual understanding and recruiting new allies. We expect this to result in LGBT+ people being spoken of with respect and free from falsehoods.
- Create opportunities for public performances by queer artists, enriching the diversity of the arts scene.
Why is Prague Pride in August?
The festival is always scheduled so that the Pride Parade falls on the second Saturday in August. We chose this month for several reasons, even though August is not traditionally “Pride Month,” which is celebrated in June. By holding our festival in August, we avoid overlapping with other major European Prides, allowing us to support and visit each other rather than compete. Additionally, August falls during school holidays, making it more convenient for pupils and students to attend. Finally, June and July tend to have the highest rainfall of the year, so August offers better weather for our celebrations.
The Future of the Festival
The future is in our hands. Explore the opportunities to get involved and help us shape it together.