Pride to paint Bloem pink

The City of Roses will be buzzing come September when it will host its first ever gay pride event.
The event is set to paint the town pink with exciting activities, while at the same time placing the focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues.

The theme for Bloemfontein Pride is “Stronger”. The first ever African gay and lesbian pride parade took place in Johannesburg in 1990. Fewer than one-thousand people attended. Some participants even wore paper bags over their heads so as not be identified.

In subsequent years, the popular Jo’burg Pride has grown in size and visibility with tens of thousands of people attending.

Bloem Pride organiser Talita Griesel is calling for volunteers to help make the event a success.

“I have decided that I am not going to host it through an organisation but instead make this a pink community project. We are calling upon all you fabulously Pink Bloem people. If you are gay, lesbian, trans, bisexual, or just confused, broke like most of us, or loaded – you can donate time and love the pink community. If you want to volunteer, we call upon you.”

Gay pride, LGBT pride, or simply pride is a positive stance against discrimination and violence towards the LGBT community to promote their self-affirmation, increase their visibility as a social group, build the gay community, and celebrate sexual diversity as well as gender variance.

Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements throughout the world. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organisations, institutes, foundations, book titles, and periodicals.

Following in the footsteps of Cape Town, Jo’burg, Durban, Soweto, Ekurhuleni, and Nelson Mandela Pride, Griesel said she intends to make Bloem Pride a resounding success.

“I was onboard the first ever Nelson Mandela Pride last year and this year I moved to Bloemfontein. I am here to stay and hope to turn Bloem Pride into a success.”

Bloemfontein choreographer Teddy Mhlambi has been chosen as the face of Bloemfontein Pride 2012.

For more information, contact Griesel at [email protected].