The Madrid Pride (or Orgullo in Spanish) is a good one to start with, it's known to be a lot of fun and also this year, the event got the vibe of happy party people, good performances and of course a pretty wild gay scene. No wonder it's one of the biggest gay celebrations taking place in Europe. The parade, traditionally on Saturday, features over 30 floats from all around the world. The parade goes from Puerta de Alcalá to Plaza de España, which is about 2 km. If you are in a dance mood, just pick and follow the float with your favorite DJ and join the parade, which ends in party chaos anyway.
The march should have left from the Puerta de Alcalá at 18.00 hours, no body seemed to care it got going a bit late, and finishes in the Plaza de España, where Kylie Minogue performed a concert. Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue said she was “touched” to be asked to perform. She also said: “For a long time now I have had a special relationship with the gay public and I’m pleased that they are counting on me to celebrate such a special occasion.” Than Saturday night, the Pride goes on during an outdoor party at the park of Lago. Other massive parties include Infinamentegay and of course the special Pride parties at the Madrid gay clubs.
Originally, the Israel’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) association and the Foreign Ministry was to have its own float in the parade,but was informed by organizers that security concerns would make it best to avoid taking part in the event this year. For this reason, Madrid Pride blocked Tel Aviv city council from appearing.
Spain is one of seven European states that have legalized full gay marriage. According to the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals (FELGTB), since the law was passed five years ago, some 20,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot. Most weddings have taken place in the country’s major metropolitan centres, in particular Madrid and Barcelona. Looking at Spain's mostly conservative political history, one can only admire how far this country has moved towards great tolerance and freedom for most notably Gays and Lesbians. In that respect Madrid Gay Pride truly is a celebration!
Personal note: Some of my friends have argued that nowadays the Gay Prides, especially the huge ones, are becoming "seen that, done that". According to them the festivals are just obsolete, since gays are more and more accepted and there is no need to express sexuality in public. They claim there are so many Prides that there is hardly anything spectacular about them anymore. Especially because the concept is pretty much the same no matter which Pride you go. However, after Madrid, it is easy to come up with why Prides are still relevant:
# good way to remind people that you don't have to be gay to be "gay friendly" or "gay tolerant"
# some incredibly colorful outfits can be admired at the Prides.
# a great opportunity to remind people that homosexuality exists and should not be feared
# a day for gays to "come out" or make them less fearful to do so
# a day to tolerate and/or support alternative lifestyles
# a day & place to be OPEN about being gay with other gays
# a day to feel more accepted by your peers
# a day which can be very romantic because there's so much "love" in the air
# other less liberal cities (Eastern Europe) follow suit and start having Prides as well
Summing up: Gay Prides are still relevant and just too much fun to miss out on.
Madrid proved the cynics wrong!
Peter Welleman
