June is the most anticipated month of the year. Because today is the beginning of Pride Month!
Pride in who we are!

What is Pride Month?

During this month, prides, festivals, rallies and other events are held in many countries, and they draw attention to the problems of LGBT communities.

Why June?

It was in June 1969 that the Stonewall Riots took place in New York. Back then, for the first time in American history, the LGBT community stood up to police arbitrariness and violence. Exactly one year later, the first Pride took place in San Francisco! This marked the beginning of the Pride movement around the world.

So is this a holiday or riot for rights?

Pride is a peaceful procession for the rights of LGBT people; its goal is to draw the attention of the public and authorities to rights violations.
In the countries of our region, we can use Pride Month to once again update the agenda regarding violations of the rights of LGBT people in the media and at the state level.
Our actions, rallies, prides, flash mobs and other forms of protest or statements are all about the importance of respecting rights and non-discrimination.
The first pride was held in 1970, homosexuality was depathologized in 1991, and transgenderness — in 2019. But despite this, every day representatives of LGBT-communities face violations of their rights:
  • Freedom of peaceful assembly: in 2021 alone, four countries in our region recorded cases of banned peaceful assemblies organized by LGBT organizations.
  • Barriers in trans* transition procedures: only three countries do not require a psychiatric diagnosis for trans* transition.
  • Hate crimes: all the countries in the region noted problems with investigating crimes committed against LGBT people, and only five countries noted that members of the LGBT-community report hate crimes against them without fear of discrimination and victimization.
  • Criminalization of HIV transmission: all countries in the EECA region imposed liability for intentional transmission of HIV.
  • Registration of NGOs: two countries in the region have legal restrictions on the registration of NGOs that provide HIV-related services for gay men, other MSM and trans* people.

“Despite the incredible achievements in protecting the rights of LGBT people in many European countries and the USA, we still cannot talk about the same significant achievements in our region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. I am glad that homosexuality was decriminalized in almost all the countries in the region after the Soviet Union collapsed. But until today, we have been dealing with the consequences, and we continue to work towards achieving equality and respect for LGBT people.
And while the whole world celebrates visibility, pride and freedom for LGBT people, here at ECOM we continue to talk about the importance of protecting against discrimination, combating hate crimes and being able to hold public gatherings safely.
I believe that very soon we will be able to live in prejudice-free countries in our EECA region,” says Yuri Yoursky, Human Rights and Legal Issues Coordinator at ECOM.

How can I support Pride Month if I’m not part of the LGBT community?

Not all LGBT people are able and ready to openly express themselves, and in these moments, allies’ help and support are very important.
You can spread the word about who LGBT people are, talk about inclusion and diversity, support LGBT people you know and express solidarity. After all, we all have equal rights and must respect each other!