The Parade of Pride

Picture: Tracey Wing

About 500 LGBTI Tasmanians and their friends and supporters marched through Hobart last Saturday (Nov 5) to a warm reception from Saturday afternoon shoppers, including some who came especially to see the parade.

Today’s parade, which included a contingent of LGBTI Aboriginal Tasmanians, was a highlight of the TasPride Festival, a fortnight of Tasmanian LGBTI parties, forums and other events which began on October 31st.

The festival included the launch, Thursday, of a new state government-funded research project into the discrimination experienced by LGBTI Tasmanians called “BeProud”.

The parade was followed by a rally at Parliament House addressed by Community Services Minister, Cassy O’Connor, Coming Out Proud president, Julian Punch, Outright Youth co-ordinator, Joshua Brown, and Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome.

Following extensive previews of “Hobart’s First Mardi Gras” in the Hobart Mercury, many Hobartians turned out especially to watch the parade on what was an unseasonably warm and sunny Spring day.

Today’s parade was the first since Tasmania became the final Australian state to decriminalise homosexuality in 1997.

Prior to decriminalisation, three pride festivals and marches were conducted despite attempts by the State Government to ban events and have participants arrested.

Last month the Tasmanian parliament became the first in Australia to pass a motion providing in-principle support for marriage equality.

More coverage of yesterday’s TasPride March and Rally:

A youtube video shot and edited by River J Night

A print story from the Hobart Mercury. An accompanying video can be found at this URL
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/11/06/274491_tasmania-news.html

For more on BeProud visit:
http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=33543

Picture: Tracey Wing